"The Erinsborough Tornado" is a storyline from the Australian television soap opera Neighbours , which began on 29 August 2014 when a large storm hit the fictional suburb of Erinsborough and later developed into a tornado. The storyline was one of the dramatic events of Neighbours in 2014 and saw many characters' fates left in question, including long standing characters Paul Robinson (Stefan Dennis) and Lou Carpenter (Tom Oliver). The storyline was conceived following the success of 2013's wedding explosion and was shot in June 2014. Several wind and rain machines were used to create the storm and tornado effects. A promotional trailer for the storyline was released on 15 August 2014.
The plot saw residents of Ramsay Street in Erinsborough prepare for a storm. As the storm set in, many residents were unaware of the eventual severity of the storm, especially when it developed into a tornado only minutes before it hit the area. Daniel Robinson (Tim Phillipps) and his girlfriend Amber Turner (Jenna Rosenow) were out in Amber's car taking photos of the storm when they were whipped up by the tornado; Daniel's uncle, Paul was also out driving looking for Daniel when the tornado hit. The power was lost to Ramsay Street and Georgia Brooks (Saskia Hampele) vanished from her house while she was recovering from a throat operation, leaving her family worried for her whereabouts. As the storm worsened, Lou Carpenter became trapped under a fallen beam at Harold's Store and his friend Susan Kennedy (Jackie Woodburne) was forced to perform an emergency tracheotomy on him when he began choking on a piece of food.
News reaches Erinsborough that a storm is approaching and the residents begin preparations. Mark Brennan (Scott McGregor) and his housemate Paige Smith (Olympia Valance) give into their growing feelings for one another and they have sex. Bailey Turner (Calen Mackenzie) watches the news reports with interest when a severe weather warning for Erinsborough and the surrounding areas is issued. His sister, Amber Turner (Jenna Rosenow), and her boyfriend Daniel Robinson (Tim Phillipps), head out into the storm to take photographs after Daniel argues with his uncle Paul Robinson (Stefan Dennis) over his lack of interest in climbing the career ladder.
As the storm hits, Georgia Brooks (Saskia Hampele) goes missing suddenly along with her fiancé Kyle Canning's (Chris Milligan) dog, Bossy. Kyle heads out into the storm looking for them when it suddenly develops into a tornado, while Paul goes looking for Daniel and Amber, seeking to make amends for their argument. Georgia and Bossy shelter with Kyle's grandmother, Sheila (Colette Mann), but Kyle remains missing. Daniel and Amber's car is swept up by the tornado, but they manage to escape and take refuge in the local garage. Paul's car is hit by a runaway skip. Daniel and Amber rescue Paul and they shelter together as the storm worsens. Daniel proposes to Amber and she accepts.
At Harold's Store, Lou Carpenter (Tom Oliver) shelters from the tornado with his friend Susan Kennedy (Jackie Woodburne). The cooling system in the roof collapses, trapping Lou, while a piece of food he was eating becomes lodged in his throat. As a result, Susan is forced to perform an emergency tracheotomy to save his life, before he is rushed to hospital. Paul is treated for broken ribs and the cracking of his prosthetic leg. Georgia and Bossy find Kyle trapped in a portable toilet, that was swept up by the tornado. As the clean up operation begins, Lou inadvertently reveals to Matt Turner (Josef Brown) that his wife Lauren (Kate Kendall) kissed Brad Willis (Kip Gamblin). Matt and Brad's wife, Terese (Rebekah Elmaloglou), struggle to forgive their partners. Meanwhile, Daniel and Imogen Willis (Ariel Kaplan) rescue an injured wombat, and Nate Kinski (Meyne Wyatt), an Afghanistan war veteran, helps Susan overcome her post traumatic stress.
Executive producer Jason Herbison first teased the storyline in June 2014, telling Digital Spy's Daniel Kilkelly that the cast and crew were in the middle of filming "a major event" that would screen later in the year. He quipped "think natural disaster." [1] Herbison later said the natural disaster storyline would be "huge" and full of stunts and action. He added "The cast and crew are excited to get out there in the elements and do something different." [2] The storyline was conceived following the success of 2013's wedding explosion, which saw two characters die. [3] Jackie Woodburne, who plays Susan Kennedy, commented that as many of the show's storylines were about human drama, it was good to mix things up every now and then. [4] On 15 August 2014, it was announced that a tornado would hit Erinsborough, resulting in "long term repercussions for Ramsay Street", while a number of on-going storylines would "come to a head as the danger escalates". [5]
A few days later the first characters to be involved in the tornado plot were revealed to be newcomer Daniel Robinson (Tim Phillipps) and his girlfriend Amber Turner (Jenna Rosenow), whose "honeymoon period" comes to a halt by a revelation during the storm. [6] As Amber and Daniel experienced their first full argument, the storm intensified and the tornado ripped the roof off their car, forcing them to seek shelter in the garage. [7] At the same time, Daniel's uncle, Paul (Stefan Dennis), tried to find him and Amber, after realising that he overstepped the mark by telling Amber about Daniel's ex-girlfriend and how she inspired his tattoo. [7] When the visibility got worse, Paul ended up hitting something with his car. Shortly after, he collided with runaway skip and had to be rescued by Daniel and Amber. When a shelving unit collapsed in the garage, Daniel pulled Amber out of the way and became "inspired by the near miss", so he proposed to her. [7]
It was later announced that long standing character Lou Carpenter (Tom Oliver), would be placed in a life-threatening situation when the tornado causes the roof of Harold's Store to collapse on him, while a piece of food becomes lodged in his throat. [8] Fellow long standing character Susan Kennedy (Woodburne) was trapped with him and when she could not lift the beam to help, she called her husband, Karl (Alan Fletcher). Woodburne explained "Karl tells Susan she's done everything she can. He wants her to focus on keeping Lou as calm and comfortable as possible. He can't breathe, so that's all she can do." [9] However, Susan cannot stand back and watch Lou die, so she performed an emergency tracheotomy with guidance from Karl over the phone. [7]
Other characters caught up in the storm included Lauren Turner (Kate Kendall), who was forced to shelter with Brad Willis (Kip Gamblin). The "chemistry between them is stronger than ever" as they discussed their daughter and the kiss they shared a few months previously. [10] Georgia Brooks (Saskia Hampele) and Bossy the dog went out into the storm, causing her fiancé, Kyle Canning (Chris Milligan), to try to find them. [10] However, they turned up safe and Kyle disappeared, with viewers being shown his abandoned mobile phone in a gutter. Milligan commented "People are panicking. They're worrying about what's happened to him in the storm." [10]
The scenes were filmed during the winter and Stefan Dennis commented that the shoot was very cold. It also rained during the week, which added to the effects. [11] Several wind and rain machines were used to create the storm, while three large wind machines used at the same time helped to create the tornado. [11] Large hoses were used to create the torrential rain. [4] Various pieces of debris were also thrown around the sets. [11] Of shooting the scenes, Dennis said, "In the past we've had an explosion or a fire or a car crash or a bomb, where as this was rain and hail and wind and tornado and things falling apart and buildings falling over – so there was an awful lot of special effects all at the same time." [11] Dennis stated that scenes brought back some bad memories of the time he was caught up in a real tornado in Queensland in the 1960s. [12] Rosenow and Phillipps had to do some stunts during their scene in the car, and Rosenow admitted that they got soaked from all the rain. [4] She also said that the scenes were "epic to film" and the night shoots were fun. [11]
Neighbours released a promotional trailer for the storyline in Australia. [13] The trailer features Daniel, Amber, Toadie, Paul, Karl and Imogen caught up in strong winds on Ramsay Street. [13] The trailer ends with the tagline "The tornado is coming", which is then blown away by the winds. [13] The first picture of the tornado's destruction was released exclusively to entertainment website Digital Spy. [14] with five more promotional pictures released four days later. [15] Neighbours also released behind the scenes videos, which showed how some of the scenes were shot. [16]
The week-long storyline began airing on 29 August 2014, with residents preparing for the storm, unaware of how severe it would be. [17] It developed into a tornado in the following episode. [18] In the UK the storyline will be broadcast from 15 September 2014. [16]
The first episode of The Erinsborough Tornado was watched by 329,000 Australian viewers, making Neighbours the top rated program on digital multichannels that night. [19] The second episode achieved 325,000 viewers in Australia, making Neighbours the third-highest rated show on digital multichannels. [20] The third episode featuring the aftermath of the tornado made Neighbours the second most watched show on digital multichannels, with 304,000 Australians tuning in. [21]
The storyline received a mixed reaction from critics. Prior to the storyline airing, Siobhan Duck from the Herald Sun said it "sounds far-fetched". [22] David Knox agreed with Duck, saying "congrats to the writers of Neighbours who have dug deep with a storyline that goes beyond the bizarre". [23] While Em Rusciano, a social commentator for TV Week believed it was unrealistic. [24] Her colleague, Stephen Downie, disagreed and argued, "compared with Toadie's (Ryan Moloney) ability to bed hot chicks, a tornado is probably one of the more believable Neighbours storylines." [24] A reporter for The Sun-Herald gave the storyline a mark of two and a half out of five. [25]
Ben Pobjie from The Sydney Morning Herald gave the storyline a mixed review. He thought no one would be bored while there was a tornado around, which was probably why Neighbours were
delivering a whole week of thrilling tornado action. Obviously, in these modern times, a televised tornado that doesn't contain sharks seems a little bit passe, but in Neighbours terms, it's big news, as Ramsay Street has never before been hit by a tornado – unless you count Madge's personality. Boom! [18]
Pobjie observed that the episode broadcast on 1 September contained mostly "background rumbling and rain noises" and viewers had to wait until the end for "some hardcore storm opera". [18] The Age's Craig Mathieson thought the premise of the storyline worked because it got him watching the show again, but it was not very compelling and there were too many predictable scenes. [26] He commented,
for all the production effort involved – there was a tidy master shot of an upended power pole across a crushed car roof, and some nifty handheld camera work – what was disappointing about Tornado Week on Neighbours was how neatly it was rolled out. The loss of normality tested the emotional commitment of the characters, as they huddled together, shared confidences and professed their love for each other. Not to sound churlish, but I wanted Lou dead. [26]
He joked that an earthquake storyline in 2015 might bring back viewers. [26] A contributor to Inside Soap included the storyline in their feature on "Soap's Top 10 stunts!". [27] They thought it was not the "most convincing storm", but it was more exciting than the average Monday lunchtime. [27] They also said, "The special effects weren't much cop, but super Susan's life-saving efforts are worth a few points. Is there anything she can't do?" [27]
In 2016, The Daily Telegraph ranked the storyline at Number Ten in the serial's Twelve Most Shocking Moments. [28] In 2022, Sam Strutt of The Guardian ranked the tornado as seventh in a list of the show's top ten most memorable moments. Strutt assessed that "the freak weather event is a standard soapy plot: all that death and destruction nicely sets up a myriad of storylines revolving around desperate sexual encounters, proposals and missing characters." [29] Ben Fenlon from the HuffPost called the serial's efforts in the storyline a "poor excuse for a CGI tornado that loomed over Ramsay Street striking completely no fear in to anyone who saw it." [30] In 2015, a Herald Sun reporter included the Erinsborough Tornado in their "Neighbours' 30 most memorable moments" feature. [31]
Ramsay Street is the fictional cul-de-sac in which the characters of the Australian soap opera Neighbours live. The street is set in the equally fictional Melbourne suburb of Erinsborough. Neighbours storylines primarily centre on the residents of the street, which was named after Jack Ramsay, the grandfather of original character Max Ramsay. A blackjack game between Jack and Sam Robinson determined whose name the street would be named after. Only six houses on the street are featured on a regular basis; numbers 22 to 32. Number 34 was featured for the only time in 2018. The cul-de-sac is at the end of a long street and the rest of the houses are on the other side of the main road which bisects it. The street behind Ramsay Street is named Mirrabooka Drive. A storyline within the show saw the name of the street nearly changed to Ramsbottom Street. Harold Bishop led a protest against it and won.
Erinsborough is a fictional suburb of Melbourne, Australia, where the soap opera Neighbours is set, focusing on the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work there. Neighbours primarily centers on the residents of Ramsay Street and other Erinsborough locations, most prominently those situated within the Lassiters complex. Erinsborough is a loose anagram of Neighbours.
The Robinson family are a fictional family from the Australian television soap opera Neighbours. The family were created by Reg Watson and introduced in the first episode of the serial, broadcast on 18 March 1985. The family initially consisted of Jim Robinson, his mother-in-law Helen Daniels, and his four children Paul Robinson, Julie Martin, Scott Robinson, and Lucy Robinson. The Robinsons have one of the largest and most complex family trees in the show's history.
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.
Susan Kennedy is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Jackie Woodburne. The character and her family were created by storyliners in an attempt to bring the show back to its roots. Susan made her first screen appearance during the episode broadcast on 3 October 1994, along with her eldest son and daughter. The storyliners made Susan a teacher at Erinsborough High to give her immediate links with other characters. Since her introduction, Susan's personality and appearance have been through several changes.
Kate Ramsay is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Ashleigh Brewer. The actress successfully auditioned for the role and relocated to Melbourne for filming. She made her first screen appearance during the episode broadcast on 15 May 2009. Kate was introduced along with her siblings Harry and Sophie as a new generation of the Ramsay family. Her storylines have included dealing with the death of her mother, becoming the legal guardian of her siblings, her relationships with Declan Napier and Mark Brennan and kissing a student. For her portrayal of Kate, Brewer earned a nomination for Most Popular New Female Talent at the 2010 Logie Awards. In November 2013, it was announced Brewer had quit Neighbours and Kate was killed off during the episode broadcast on 8 April 2014.
Kyle Canning is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Chris Milligan. The actor successfully auditioned for the six-week recurring role of Kyle and he made his first on screen appearance on 26 November 2008. Milligan was later asked back every couple of months to do a few weeks filming. After eighteen months of playing Kyle on a part-time basis, Milligan was given a full-time contract deal and he and his character were promoted to the regular cast. Milligan said he was ecstatic about his promotion and looked forward to developing his character further. In August 2011, Milligan had to be written out of Neighbours temporarily so he could recover from an injury he sustained off screen.
Sheila Canning is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Colette Mann. The character was teased by the show's executive producer Richard Jasek in January 2012. The following month Mann's casting was announced. She had previously appeared in the soap in 1995 and 1996, temporarily taking over the role of Cheryl Stark for eight weeks. Mann made her debut screen appearance as Sheila during the episode broadcast on 3 May 2012. After taking a brief break to appear in a play, Mann was promoted to the regular cast. Sheila was created as a "warmer" version of 1980s character Nell Mangel and a resident stickybeak.
Amber Turner is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Jenna Rosenow. The actress, who had previously appeared in the show as an extra, successfully auditioned for the role of Amber and relocated to Melbourne from Geelong for filming. She said she was excited about joining the cast and seeing what she could do with her character. Amber was created and introduced along with her family, as part of a major overhaul of the show's cast. She made her first screen appearance during the episode broadcast on 7 February 2013. In April 2015, Rosenow announced her intention to leave at the end of her contract, and Amber departed on 8 January 2016. She made a cameo appearance on 5 April.
Bailey Turner is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours played by Calen Mackenzie. The actor has previously appeared in the show as Thomas McPhee in 2011. Mackenzie auditioned for the role of Bailey and a week after attending a second call back, he learned that he had been cast in the show. Mackenzie commented that getting the part of Bailey was "amazing" and he considered Neighbours his big break within the acting industry. He was initially contracted for four years. The character was created and introduced to Neighbours along with his family, as part of a major overhaul of the show's cast. He made his first screen appearance during the episode broadcast on 7 February 2013.
Gemma "Gem" Reeves is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Kathryn Beck. The actress's casting was first announced in September 2013, while a promotional trailer for the character was also released. Beck commented that she loved playing Gem because she pushed boundaries. The character made her first screen appearance during the episode broadcast on 7 October 2013. She departed on 10 January 2014, with series producer Jason Herbison commenting that she could return in the future.
Imogen Willis is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Ariel Kaplan. The actor was cast in the role after a quick process, in which she auditioned once and attended a screen test. She began filming her first scenes in early February 2013. Kaplan's character and her family were created and introduced to Neighbours, as part of an ongoing overhaul of the show's cast and renewed focus on family units within the show. She made her first screen appearance during "Episode 6646", which was broadcast on 20 May 2013. Kaplan returned in the first episode of the 2023 Neighbours revival.
Joshua "Josh" Willis is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Harley Bonner. The actor was cast in the role after being persuaded to attend the audition by his agent. He began filming his first scenes in early February 2013. Bonner's character and his family were created and introduced to Neighbours, as part of an ongoing overhaul of the show's cast and renewed focus on family units within the show. He made his first screen appearance during "Episode 6646", which was first broadcast on 20 May 2013. Bonner left Neighbours to pursue new acting opportunities, and Josh was killed off during the episode broadcast on 5 April 2016.
Neighbours is a long-running Australian television soap opera created by television executive Reg Watson. It was first broadcast on the Seven Network on 18 March 1985 and currently airs on digital channel 10 Peach. Since its inception, several spin-offs have been produced, including books, music, DVDs and internet webisodes. Several annuals and books by pulp fiction writer Carl Ruhen were released in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Barry Crocker's version of the theme tune was the first music release from the show, which also has included a Christmas album and the show's love theme. Two potential television spin-offs have reached the pilot stage, while five DVD box sets of Neighbours episodes from the beginning have been released. In 2013, Neighbours launched their first webisode series Steph in Prison. Several other webisode series' has since been released, with the most recent series SheilaTV becoming available from December 2018. Other merchandise includes official video and board games, stationary and clothing.
Daniel Robinson is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Tim Phillipps. Daniel was created in 1992 as the son of iconic Neighbours couple Scott and Charlene. He was occasionally referred to in the episodes since then, but never seen on-screen. At the end of 2013, it was announced that Daniel would be introduced as a new family member for Paul Robinson. Auditions were held for the role, with producers stating that the actor would need to resemble his on-screen parents. During the casting process, Phillipps was approached for the role and, following a chemistry read with Dennis, was given the part. He had previously appeared in Neighbours in 2007. Phillipps relocated to Melbourne for filming and was initially contracted for 12 months. He made his first screen appearance during the episode broadcast on 29 April 2014. Two years later, Daniel was written out of Neighbours, and he made his departure on 26 April 2016. Phillips made an unannounced return in the first episode of the 2023 Neighbours reprisal.
Neighbours celebrated its 35th anniversary during the week comprising 16–20 March 2020. This consisted of the five regular weekday episodes as well as five extra episodes as part of a series titled Neighbours: Endgame, aired as the second part to the regular episodes.
The "Erinsborough High Fire" is a storyline from the Australian television soap opera Neighbours that ran on 20 and 21 October 2015, airing over episodes 7237 and 7238. These episodes were broadcast on 4 and 5 November 2015 in the United Kingdom. The storyline sees the fictional Erinsborough High School engulf in a deliberately-lit fire, which leads to a long arson mystery. Involving half the cast, the storyline was Neighbours' big stunt event of the year and came about when Paul Robinson sells the school to Eden Hills Grammar for it to be closed, causing the staff and the students to protest in a school sleep-out. Many characters' have their storylines climaxed whilst being trapped in the fire, including the love triangle between Brad Willis, Lauren Turner and Terese Willis when Brad chooses to save Lauren over Terese. Expecting mother Amber Turner and Susan Kennedy are trapped in a classroom during the fire when Amber goes into labour and the two are forced to decide whether to "fight or flight" in "genuinely frightening" scenes.
The Neighbours 30th Anniversary was a series of celebrations to mark the 30th anniversary of Australian television soap opera Neighbours. The celebrations span over two weeks, beginning on 4 March 2015 in Australia, while starting on 18 March in the United Kingdom. The anniversary features many storylines, but points around Paul Robinson's Erinsborough festival and the wedding of Daniel Robinson and Amber Turner. The serial's executive producer, Jason Herbison, began planning the 30th anniversary over a year in advance. Over ten former cast members from all eras of the show were invited back to "honour the past and present". Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan were also invited, but they both downturned the offer. The celebrations marked Ian Smith and Anne Charleston's returns to Neighbours as Harold and Madge Bishop respectively. Madge was last seen during her death in 2001 and returns as a ghost in Harold's mind, which Herbison was initially worried would not be accepted by Charleston nor Smith, however both approved of it. The storyline was also popular amongst viewers.