Who was in original Neighbours cast? 1985 line up, who will return for last episode - where soap stars are now

Long-running Australian TV soap Neighbours is drawing to a close on Friday (29 July) after almost 9,000 episodes.

The Melbourne-set show kick-started the careers of high-profile actors including Margot Robbie, Russell Crowe and Guy Pearce.

While it has had a major following in the UK for most of its 37 years on our screens, it arguably had its peak in 1987 when Jason Donovan and Kylie Minogue’s characters wed in an iconic episode that was watched by almost 20 million viewers.

But when was the first episode, who was in it - and what are they doing now?

When was the first episode of Neighbours?

Neighbours first aired in Australia on 18 March 1985.

While the programme has always had something of a bizarre side - like when Bouncer the dog was given his own dream sequence where he married Rosie (the dog next door) - its first episode takes some beating.

It opens with a topless, sweating boy attempting to escape a mob of creepy people, one of whom tries to strangle him.

He then witnesses a man jumping from a platform and bursting into flames.

It transpires that we have been watching a dream sequence from the mind of Danny Ramsay - son of community patriarch Max Ramsay.

The episode then goes on to show Des Clarke’s stag do - an event that begins with a stripper called Daphne and ends with Paul Robinson dressed in only a nappy and a baby’s bonnet.

As if all of this plot wasn’t enough, Des gets jilted at the altar by his fiancee Lorraine because she disapproves of his choice of stripper.

And then it transpires that her well-to-do father is a friend of Daphne the stripper.

So began almost 9,000 episodes of high drama, romance and tragic events.

Who was in the original Neighbours cast?

The original neighbours cast had some stars who went on to take up major roles - although perhaps not quite at the level of Russell Crowe or Kylie Minogue.

Here are the original main cast members, the actors who played them and what they went on to do.

The Ramsays

Max Ramsay - Francis Bell

Max Ramsay begins Neighbours not only as the patriarch of the Ramsay family, but also as the unofficial leader of his community - Ramsay Street being named after his grandfather.

He lived at No. 24 Ramsay St with his wife Maria and their sons Shane and Danny.

Max’s fractious family life saw him frequently fall out with Maria, who eventually left him to move to Hong Kong with her lover, Richard.

He also lost his driving licence for drunk driving, before moving to Queensland where he reconciled with Maria off-camera.

Like future Neighbours star Guy Pearce, Francis Bell was born in Cambridgeshire.

After leaving the soap in 1986, he starred in several TV movies before dying at the age of just 50 in 1994.

Danny Ramsay - David Clencie

The first of the main cast to appear on screen, Danny Ramsay was Max Ramsay’s son with Maria Ramsay - or not, as it transpired.

It came to light that he was the love child of Maria Ramsay and Tim Duncan - a character we only meet on-screen briefly.

Danny’s time on Ramsay Street sees him pitted against his athletic brother Shane and trying to win the approval of Max, before he left to work in a bank somewhere in northern Australia.

David Clencie had already appeared in several long-running TV series, such as ‘Sam’s Luck’ and ‘Starting Out’ before becoming part of the Neighbours cast.

He went on to take up minor TV roles after his stint on Ramsay Street.

Maria Ramsay - Dagmar Bláhová

Despite only appearing in the soap for its first six months, we’ve already seen that Maria Ramsay had a major impact.

Czechia-born actor Dagmar Bláhová became a star of her country’s TV and film industry after her stint on Neighbours ended in September 1985.

She went on to appear in several B movies, including romantic sci-fi Nexus 2.431 with Oliver Tobias.

Shane Ramsay - Peter O’Brien

The golden child of the Ramsay family and the major love interest on Ramsay Street, Shane was a promising diver who had dreams of reaching the Olympics.

These dreams were shattered when he was involved in a head-on car crash with a bank robber - an incident that injures his back.

Despite leaving the cast in 1987, Shane has since returned to Erinsborough - becoming a major character once again.

Actor Peter O’Brien has had a successful career away from Ramsay Street, appearing in films like X-Men Origins: Wolverine and The Return.

He has also appeared as recurring characters in several other long-running TV soaps, including The Bill and Casualty.

The Robinsons

Julie Robinson - Vikki Blanche

Julie is the teenage daughter of Jim Robinson - the patriarch of the Robinson family.

A nosy and gossipy character, she is instrumental in getting Lorraine Kingham to jilt Des Clarke at the altar in the first episode.

She ends up having an affair and then marrying bank manager Philip Martin, with the couple leaving the soap in late 1985.

A different actor - Julie Mullins - played a later incarnation of Julie between 1992 and 1994.

Outside of neighbours, original actor Vikki Blanche went on to appear as a recurring character in several other TV shows, such as ‘The Flying Doctors’ and ‘C’oln Carpenter’.

She has not had any roles since 1997, according to IMDB.

Paul Robinson - Stefan Dennis

One of the longest-serving characters in Erinsborough, appearing in more than 4,600 episodes, Paul Robinson is one of Neighbours’ most famous faces.

Initially a quieter character within the Robinson family unit, he’s gone on to have five marriages, been held hostage, become mayor, survived a tornado and had his leg amputated in two stints on the show: 1985 to 1993 and then 2004 to present.

Given the length of time he’s spent on the show, Stefan Dennis has mostly been limited to appearing in Neighbours’ spin-off series, including 2014’s Neighbours vs. Zombies.

Scott Robinson - Darius Perkins

The first incarnation of Scott Robinson (before Jason Donovan took him to global stardom) was a slightly nerdy teenager.

Producers apparently wanted him to appear more “upfront”, which led to Scott going missing on a school trip before reappearing as Donovan in 1986.

Darius Perkins initially held the role of Scott.

He returned to Ramsay Street as a different character - Marty Kranic - and appeared in the show from 2013 to 2014.

Perkins died as a result of cancer aged just 54-years-old in 2019.

Jim Robinson - Alan Dale

The widowed head of the Robinson clan, Jim Robinson had the unenviable task of keeping his four children - aged nine to 21 - under control.

Much of his time is spent dedicated to his family, although he does have several relationships during his time on Ramsay Street.

Alan Dale played Jim Robinson for eight years and almost 1,000 episodes before falling out with producers over pay.

He returned for guest appearances in 2018 and 2019.

In the meantime, he went on to become one of Australia’s most famous acting exports - appearing in hit shows Ugly Betty, The OC, The West Wing, ER and 24, as well as the revamped Dynasty.

Dale has also made it on the big screen with supporting roles in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Entourage.

Lucy Robinson - Kylie Flinker

The youngest kid in the Robinson clan, Lucy was the golden child of the family.

Known for her mischievous side-stories in her original incarnation, she has gone on to become a key figure on Ramsay Street in recent years.

Kylie Flinker did not appear in any other acting roles after her stint on Neighbours.

She was replaced by Sasha Close, who played her from 1987 to 1989, and then Melissa Bell, who has played her over several stints between 1991 and the present day.

Helen Daniels - Anne Haddy

Jim Robinson’s mother-in-law, Helen Daniels helps him to keep his family unit together.

Over the next 12 years, she is charged with drink driving, has an affair with her daughter’s fiancé, gets kidnapped, gets evicted and becomes widowed for a second time.

In her final episode - one of the most famous in Neighbours history - she watches a 10-year-old tape of Scott’s wedding to Charlene before dying in her sleep.

Anne Haddy had had a successful acting career before becoming a Neighbours regular.

She appeared in the original version of Dynasty, as well as long-running TV series Sons & Daughters, before finishing her career as a member of the Neighbours cast.

She died in 1999 aged 68-years-old.

Des Clarke - Paul Keane

At the centre of the plotline of the first-ever Neighbours episode, Des Clarke is a bank manager who gets jilted by Lorraine Kingham for having a stripper at his stag do.

That stripper - Daphne Lawrence - eventually becomes Des’s wife in 1986.

However, their happiness wasn’t to last long, as Daphne was killed off in 1988 and Des left the cast in 1990.

He has since returned to the soap.

Paul Keane has not acted outside of Neighbours.

Lorraine Kingham - Antoinette Byron

Only appearing in the first five episodes of Neighbours, Lorraine Kingham is the one-time fiancee of Des Clarke.

Much of her screen-time after she dilts Des at the altar is spent removing her furniture from their shared abode.

Despite her short stint on Neighbours, Antoinette Byron enjoyed a relatively successful TV career, the most notable appearance of which was a year-long stint in rival Aussie soap Home & Away between 1999 and 2000.

Eileen Clarke - Myra De Groot

Eileen Clarke was Des Clarke’s interfering mother, and was a recurring character between 1985 and 1988.

She had a tumultuous time on the soap, developing an addiction to tranquillisers after attempting to seduce a very young Harold Bishop.

Myra De Groot had had a number of small TV roles in the run up to her stint on Neighbours, and was perhaps better known as a theatre actor.

She died from cancer aged just 50-years-old only a matter of days after her final appearance on Ramsay Street was broadcast.

Daphne Lawrence - Elaine Smith

After her appearance as a stripper in the first episode, Daphne Lawrence went on to become Des Clarke’s partner and then wife.

But not after she had been involved in an awkward love triangle with Des and Shane Ramsay.

Only two years after her marriage to Paul Keane’s character, she was killed off after being involved in a car crash that put her into a coma.

Elaine Smith who played Daphne said she moved on because she wanted to explore other acting opportunities.

The Scotland-born actor made several minor appearances in TV shows after leaving the cast.