Jason Donovan has reminisced on his time on Neighbours and credited the Australian soap for a huge part of his successful career.
The Australian actor and singer starred as Scott Robinson in the show, which is airing its final episode in Ireland on Wednesday, 3 August, making his first appearance in 1986.
Thank you for loving us, we love you 💛 #Neighbours pic.twitter.com/dpnoykQpdf
— Neighbours (@neighbours) July 28, 2022
Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Donovan, 54, said: "I’m extremely proud of those 37 years that Neighbours shone a light on our culture, that wasn’t just a blown-up fictitious version like the Crocodile Dundees.
"It showed the everyday life of how Aussies live.
"It kept a lot of people in my industry employed and developed talent.
"You never forget your roots. To see today the amount of talent that has come back to Neighbours shows just how much that show meant to them."
Reflecting on the musical success of a number of his co-stars, including Kylie Minogue, Holly Valance and Natalie Imbruglia, Donovan said: "When you have a platform like that [Neighbours], even when you look at something like The X Factor, how it creates a story. Neighbours did that.
"It created a story about Scott and Charlene that then people invested [in] if the music was right in that person.
"Something like what Natalie did with Torn, it sort of fitted her character of Beth."
Donovan, Minogue, 54, and Guy Pearce were among the celebrities who returned to Ramsay Street to appear in the send-off of the Melbourne-based drama that helped launch their careers in acting and music.
"I think the fact that so many of us have come back, it’s because it’s a home… it’s been there throughout all of our lives."
Especially for you... we caught up with Kylie & Jason to hear all about their return to Ramsay Street! ❤️ #CelebratingNeighbours@kylieminogue @JDonOfficial pic.twitter.com/k909wAA9x3
— Neighbours (@neighbours) July 29, 2022
The final episode has already aired in Australia and it drew the biggest TV ratings for Channel Ten in 13 years, according to Deadline.
It reported that an average of 1.2 million Australian viewers nationally tuned in to watch the finale, with a peak of 1.4 million.
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Source: Press Association
