Neighbours has confirmed when Eirini will be rising for one of Erinsborough’s local celebrities… and you won’t have to wait too long to see Jelly Belly back on our screens.
We revealed on April 8th that Harold Bishop was making a permanent return to Neighbours as he moves into the new Eirini Rising retirement development. Despite stray cake knives and a bungled heist on the building site, work is almost complete and Harold will arrive as one of the first residents of the complex on Tuesday, May 28th.
In a video posted by metro.co.uk Ian tells of his excitement to not only come out of his own retirement to play Harold again, but also appear in the opening titles of the show for the first time since 2009 (Which means we will likely get refreshed opening titles sometime soon!).
Ian Smith has played Harold on-and-off since 1987 and is best remembered for his two on-screen loves, wife Madge and the man he loved to hate, Lou Carpenter. in 1991 Harold was at the centre of one of Neighbours’ most iconic scenes, when he goes missing on a trip to the coast with Madge screaming his name whilst clinging onto his discarded glasses. Feared dead, Harold was actually safe and well, returning (albeit with a bout of amnesia and a new name) to Ramsay Street in 1996.
As well as starring as Harold, Ian Smith also was a scriptwriter for Neighbours in the 80s and 90s, although he refused to ever write scripts for episodes in which his character would appear. Fans of Aussie soap Prisoner will remember Ian as Head of the Corrections Department, Ted Douglas. Smith was working on Prisoner as a writer and associate producer and stepped in to play the guest role of Ted when the actor cast in the role wasn’t able to make the filming.
Harold has a long standing friendship with Karl and Susan, who both will be working at Eirini Rising and has a connection to Melanie, who used to be married to Harold’s ex-son in law, Joe Mangel. In 2022 we saw Harold bond with Mackenzie following the death of her husband, Hendrix. When Neighbours returned in 2023, Harold returned for a short stint where we saw him share his knowledge of Ramsay Street with JJ Varga-Murphy who was secretly trying to find out who his father was. As a font of experience and knowledge, we are sure that Harold will be a guiding light for many residents of the street.
Harold’s return also leaves the door open for occasional visits form other departed cast-members including his granddaughter, Sky, who last visited Erinsborough in 2020 for the show’s 35th anniversary celebrations.
Online, some fans have also called for the return of Toby Mangel, Harold’s step-grandson. He has been mentioned throughout the show’s history, but was last seen on screen in 1993. As Toby is also Jane’s cousin, there is every reason why he could pop back to Ramsay Street.
We can’t wait to see Harold back and see the unmissable drama he brings to Eirini Rising.
New episodes of Neighbours stream on Amazon Freevee and Amazon Prime Video in the UK with new episodes dropping at 7am, Monday-Thursday. Harold’s return will be seen on-screen on May 28th.