Neighbours finale pulls in 1.2 million viewers

The Neighbours goodbye was the perfect mix of nostalgia and celebration and earnt the Aussie soap its highest ratings since 2009.

The Neighbours finale delivered a massive win for Network 10 as the no.1 show of the night with 1.2 million viewers tuning in nationally.

The emotion charged send off after 37 years was the biggest Neighbours episode since July 2009.

Across the five metro capital cities the episode delivered 873,000 viewers with Melbourne the highest at 343,000.

The soap’s ending, which featured the return of stars Kylie Minogue, Jason Donovan and Guy Pearce, received huge coverage and praise both locally and overseas.

The ratings result was effectively double the competition, beating 7.30 (484,000) and an extended Home and Away (429,000/346,000).

In the lead up to the final episode of Neighbours on Thursday night the ratings had been slowly growing.

The chemistry between Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan is still there.

In recent years Neighbours has pulled about 100,000 viewers per episode on 10 Peach, Channel 10’s rarely championed secondary channel.

On Monday July 18 the show had 112,000 overnight metro viewers, Tuesday, July 19 saw 97,000 watching, Wednesday, July 20, drew 106,000 and Thursday, July 21 clocked up 123,000 viewers.

The numbers started to climb as the final week in the show’s 37 year history kicked off on Monday, July 25 with 156,000 overnight metro viewers.

Tuesday, July 26 saw 139,000 tuning in.

On Wednesday the show had 163,000 overnight metro viewers with fans priming themselves for Thursday’s emotional and greatly hyped final episode.

The decision by Ten - which was a long time coming - to move the final episode to the 7.30pm timeslot on the network’s primary channel paid dividends and was greatly appreciated by the audience.

What a shame the show was moved to the off Broadway 10 Peach boondocks some years ago.

Out of sight means out of mind and the show’s viewing audience suffered from that move.

Guy Pearce and Jane Harris’ characters reconnect.

Kylie’s silent send-off in sweet Neighbours finale

We’ve seen it all over 37 years on Neighbours — explosions, bushfires, tornadoes, ghosts, car crashes, funerals, weddings, sabotage and collusion.

What would television’s most anticipated finale have in store?

One thing we knew for certain was that it wouldn’t feel like a tragedy. The mood was overwhelmingly uplifting, nostalgic and celebratory, rather than a goodbye.

There were countless reunions and returns — Scott and Charlene playfully rocking up in a green mini with “Especially For You” in the background was the ultimate insertion of the show’s glorious ’80s.

Pearce shows his acting prowess, sliding comfortably back into the role.

The chemistry between Kylie and Jason is clearly still there, a bond they will share for life.

Familiar faces past and present were all over the place. Toadie’s wedding set the scene with emotional times at the ceremony spilling into the party, which, of course, took place in the heart of Ramsay Street.

Everyone was intent on packing up and leaving until suddenly it dawned on them that they couldn’t abandon Ramsay Street.

“Together we have been the perfect blend,’’ Susan Kennedy muses, adding in a quiet moment to husband Karl, “I love you”. Sob.

A big plot twist comes when Mike Young offers to buy one of the houses for sale and predictably rekindles with the girl he’s always loved, Jane Harris.

As he vroomed back to Lassiters on his motorbike, to see his daughter, Sam, Mike took a joyful trip down memory lane.

The writing was clever — Toadie and his new wife, Mel, provided the perfect excuse for a gathering as the neighbourhood unites.

Ian Smith, Kylie Minogue, Jason Donovan, Annie Jones and Stefan Dennis on set.

Toadie and Mel’s nuptials provide the perfect excuse for the return of old faces.

It wouldn’t be a proper Neighbours episode without some drama.

The final scene on Ramsay Street.

“Hope we’re not going to be watching Australia’s Funniest Home Mullets,’’ Toadie says.

Then comes another twist after the tributes flowed: they decide to stay.

Paul Robinson also does a backflip after Terese declares her love and they reunite. He calls Shane Ramsay to tell him the deal for Lassiters is off, and he’s tucked up in bed with Izzy!

Scott and Charlene watch the festivities from the old veranda and reunite with Mike and Jane and Paul and Harold …. the gang is back together but the odd thing is Charlene only says four words … “home sweet home” and “Harold”.

Scott is more forthcoming but there’s no hiding they have filmed their scenes separately to the main group.

Nevertheless, there were some nice touches, like Charlene eyeing an open window on the side of the house in a nod to how she famously snuck through one to see Scott.

There are also flashbacks to original moments which are poignant rather than token.

There are hugs all around and an overwhelming uplifting feeling to the finale.

Susan Kennedy narrates the ending that delivers the final perfect line.

Video messages are beamed to the gathering, featuring big names who couldn’t be there, including Delta Goodrem, Natalie Imbruglia, alongside Holly Candy (nee Valance), Jesse Spencer, Kym Valentine and, of course, Margot Robbie, who gushes about her time on Ramsay Street. This all comes under the guise of sending congratulations to Toadie and Mel for their wedding day.

The final joyful moments show glimpses of those who have passed, such as Madge and Doug … then Toadie accidentally lets go of a pink balloon with a white love heart that then pops, spraying sparkling confetti over the cast, which was captured by a drone.

Everyone is smiling as Susan Kennedy narrates and delivers the perfect line: “Who doesn’t love a happy ending” then later Barry Crocker’s original Neighbours theme song starts to play.

It could have ended in so many ways … kudos to the writers for paying homage to the good old days and the fabric of what we’ve come to expect from an everlasting icon of the Australian TV industry.

Originally published as Neighbours finale pulls in 1.2 million viewers