Saturday, April 1st turned out to be a busy day for Neighbours news, as we got a flurry of announcements regarding the show’s return.
We kicked off the day with joy for TV journalist Leah Boleto, who has recently seen seen as the host of the UK-wide Neighbours Celebration Tour, announcing that she has been offered a six-month contract to appear on the show.
Leah has long been a loud and proud Neighbours fan for many years and her casting is seen to be a thank you for her hard work during the tour.
Neighbours‘ casting director, ‘Pia Nocchio’ said: “Casting Leah was a no-brainer. Having someone who is such a fan on set is always great and she was a natural on camera. We can’t say too much about her character, but she will definitely cause quite a stir as she becomes the latest temptress to try and get between Karl and Susan Kennedy.” We can’t wait!
Leah’s exciting news was followed by a post from the BBC’s flagship soap opera EastEnders announcing a special soap crossover event. Karl Kennedy actor Alan Fletcher has spent quite a lot of time in the UK recently, with both his “The Doctor Will See You Now” show and current tour to promote his new album, “The Point”. In a tweet from the official EastEnders account it was revealed that whilst in the UK, Alan has also filmed a number of scenes for their show and will be appearing in Albert Square as his Neighbours alter ego, Karl.
This is the first time that a character from an Australian drama has appeared in a British soap.
EastEnders‘ series producer ‘Avril de Poisson’ commented: “With Neighbours and EastEnders making their TV debuts just weeks apart in 1985, there has always been a great connection between Erinsborough and Walford. We took the opportunity whilst Alan was in the UK to cement this relationship by getting Dr Karl Kennedy to appear in EastEnders. With long NHS waiting lists, Dr Karl’s impromptu surgery set up in the launderette after hours proves a great hit. That is until an emergency tracheotomy performed on top of a spin dryer goes horribly wrong. We can’t wait for this unmissable drama to unfold in the Square.”
With just over two weeks to go until filming resumes on Neighbours, we would have to be fools to think that these announcements, all made on April 1st, will be the last. Meanwhile, there has been some interesting news surrounding the future of Nicolette Stone in the programme – April Fool’s or truth?