Libby Kennedy is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Kym Valentine. She made her first appearance during the episode broadcast on 3 October 1994. Valentine auditioned for the role when she was 15, and upon being cast as Libby, she relocated from Sydney to Melbourne, where the show is filmed. Libby was introduced along with her parents and brothers during a period of low ratings for the show. Valentine departed on 2 October 2003, before returning for six months the following year and a single episode on 27 July 2005. She returned on a permanent basis on 12 November 2007.
Colette Mann is an Australian actress, singer, TV and radio presenter, choreographer and author/writer and media personality, she has been in the entertainment industry for over 50 years.
Gail Lewis is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Fiona Corke. She made her first screen appearance during the episode broadcast on 11 March 1987. Corke left the role in 1989, but made appearances in 2005, 2006 and 2007. She reprised the role in 2019, as Gail returns to Erinsborough to meet her granddaughter.
Kevin Rebecchi is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Anthony Engelman. He made his first appearance on 31 March 1994. Stonefish was the first of the Rebecchi family to appear and he was later followed by his mother, father and brothers. The character left in 1996, but returned briefly in 2003. In 2007, Engelman reprised his character again and Stonefish returned to Ramsay Street. He departed on 28 August 2007. The character then returned for brief guest stints from 2015 until 2018.
Michelle Elizabeth Scully is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Kate Keltie. She made her first screen appearance during the episode broadcast on 20 October 1999 when she and her family moved into Ramsay Street. Michelle departed in 2003, but made a brief return in 2004, before departing again on 21 April 2004. Keltie reprised the role in a guest appearance on 4 December 2023.
Neighbours is an Australian television soap opera, which has aired since 18 March 1985. It was created by television executive Reg Watson. The Seven Network commissioned the show following the success of Watson's earlier soap Sons and Daughters. Although successful in Melbourne, Neighbours underperformed in the Sydney market and was cancelled by Seven four months after it began airing. It was immediately commissioned by rival Network Ten for a second production season, which began screening on 20 January 1986. Neighbours became the longest-running drama series in Australian television history. In 2005, it was inducted into the Logie Hall of Fame.
Rick Alessi is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Dan Falzon. He made his first screen appearance during the episode broadcast on 8 June 1992. Rick and his family were introduced to the show following several cast departures. The character remained on-screen until 9 March 1995.
Mark Gottlieb is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, acted by Bruce Samazan. Samazan hoped the role would help him further his aspirations to become a popular Australian actor. He relocated from Sydney to Melbourne for filming and signed a six-month contract, which he then required to extend. He made his first screen appearance during the episode broadcast on 13 August 1993. Mark was introduced as the brother of established regular Stephen Gottlieb. The role initially required Samazan to put on a French accent, which he based on his own father's. In order to distinguish Mark from his E Street character Max Simmons, Samazan got a Caesar cut and Mark had a trendy European wardrobe.
Brett Stark is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Brett Blewitt. He made his first appearance during the episode broadcast on 30 November 1993, along with his sister, Danni Stark, and remained as a regular in the show until 8 March 1996. Blewitt returned as Brett for five weeks after the death of his on-screen mother, Cheryl. He departed along with Danni on 13 November 1996 and made a further cameo appearance in 2005 during Annalise Hartman's documentary about Ramsay Street, as part of Neighbours twenty-fifth anniversary. Blewitt again reprised his role from 4 December 2023. During his period in the serial he was portrayed as a "geek", a word that defined the character throughout his casting, storylines and perception among other characters. He had close friendly relationships with older women, including Susan Kennedy and Helen Daniels; he developed a crush on the latter, which generated bad reception from some. He went on to have an affair with an older woman named Judy Bergeman. He is an animal lover and was the owner of Dahl, the Galah who resided with the Kennedy family until 2014.
Caitlin Atkins is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Emily Milburn. The actress originally auditioned for the role of Anne Wilkinson and received the part of Caitlin six months later. She made her first appearance during the episode broadcast on 29 September 1997. Caitlin is introduced as the younger sister of series regular Ben Atkins. She is portrayed as being strong willed and manipulative, yet vulnerable. Milburn said Caitlin was very different from her, but she enjoyed cutting loose for the role. Caitlin is a talented swimmer and she falls for her training partner, Billy Kennedy, whom she pursues despite knowing he is in a relationship. Producers decided to write the character out of the show in April 1998. Caitlin departed alongside her older brother, Nicholas Atkins on 24 June 1998.
Melissa Jarrett is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Jade Amenta. She made her first appearance on 8 August 1989. Melissa departed on 9 April 1991. Amenta reprised her role in a guest appearance which was broadcast on 4 December 2023.
Lana Crawford is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Bridget Neval. The actress's casting was announced in June 2004, and she stated that she was excited to take on the role of Lana, a schoolgirl and the serial's first lesbian character. Neval explained that Lana's sexuality did not bother her, but she hoped her story would not be told in a sensationalist or distasteful way. Neval made her first screen appearance as Lana during the episode broadcast on 30 August 2004 and departed on 13 January 2005. Despite being retired from acting, Neval agreed to reprise the role for the show's 35th anniversary celebrations, which saw Lana marry Sky.
Rebecca Napier is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Jane Hall. The show suffered a ratings decline in early 2007 and plans were put in place for storylines to focus more on relationships and family dynamics. During this period, the character of Rebecca was created and introduced. She made her first screen appearance during the episode broadcast on 13 July 2007. Rebecca is the mother of Oliver Barnes and Declan Napier. Rebecca departed on 15 March 2011, after Hall chose to leave the serial. Hall reprised the role in February 2014 and again in September 2019.
Sachin Joab is an Australian actor. He took an interest in acting during primary school and attended various acting schools and workshops. Since graduating from the National Theatre, Joab has appeared in several films and television, including City Homicide, Rush, My Year Without Sex, 10 Terrorists, and Conspiracy 365. In 2011, Joab successfully auditioned for the recurring role of Ajay Kapoor in the soap opera Neighbours. He was later promoted to the main cast. Joab left the show in May 2013. The actor has since appeared in SBS miniseries Better Man, feature films Lion (2016) and Hotel Mumbai (2018), and television series Pine Gap, The Hunting, Upright, and Jack Irish.
"Friends for Twenty Years" is the 4773rd episode of the Australian television soap opera Neighbours. The episode was written by Ben Marshall, directed by Jovita O'Shaughnessy, and executively produced by Ric Pellizzeri. It first aired on 27 July 2005 on Network Ten in Australia, as part of the soap's 20th anniversary. Planning for the episode began in March 2004, twelve months before the anniversary. Producers decided to celebrate the 20th anniversary on-screen in July, as winter ratings are usually higher.
David Tanaka is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Takaya Honda. He made his first appearance in the main show during the episode broadcast on 21 September 2016. The character was introduced alongside his twin brother Leo Tanaka, and they arrive in Erinsborough to find their long-lost biological father. The show's producer had planned their stories out six months in advance and was excited about the prospect of them joining the series. Both Honda and Kano auditioned for both roles and were later awarded their respective parts. David is characterised as the more self-conscious and socially awkward of the Tanaka twins, but he is career minded and confident in his role as a doctor.
Dipika 'Dipi' Rebecchi is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Sharon Johal. She made her first appearance during the episode broadcast on 24 April 2017. Johal originally auditioned for the role of Dipi's younger sister Mishti Sharma. Actress Scarlett Vas secured the role and producers changed Dipi to better suit Johal. Dipi is part of the extended Rebecchi family introduced into Neighbours, joining established regular character Toadfish Rebecchi. She is married to Shane Rebecchi and they move to Erinsborough with their two daughters Yashvi and Kirsha Rebecchi. She soon becomes the new owner of Harold's café.
Neighbours: Erinsborough High is an Australian streaming television series produced for video on demand and catch up TV services My5 and 10 Play. It was released on 11 November 2019. The series is a spin-off of soap opera Neighbours. Featuring new and regular characters from the main show, the series follows a group of students at Erinsborough High School as they prepare for their final exams, and focuses on the various issues they are facing, as well as the disappearance of one of the students.
Yashvi Rebecchi is a fictional character from the Australian television soap opera Neighbours, played by Olivia Junkeer. She was created when producers struggled to find the right male actor to play the Rebecchis' son, which resulted in them changing the character's gender at the last moment. Yashvi was introduced along with her parents, sister and aunt as part of an expansion of the serial's Rebecchi family. Junkeer auditioned for the role shortly after finishing her last year of school. She doubted she would win the part, as the producers thought she was too old for the role. However, she learned she had been cast in December 2016 and she started on set the following month. Junkeer was pleased to be representing fellow women of colour on Australian television and said her on-screen family represented her own mixed-race family. She made her first appearance in the episode broadcast on 24 April 2017. Junkeer also played the role in the 2019 spin-off series Erinsborough High.
