Neighbours 35th Anniversary

Neighbours celebrated its 35th year on air from 16 to 20 March 2020, airing five standard weekday episodes alongside a five-part special series titled Neighbours: Endgame, which extended the primary narrative.

The regular episodes honored the show's history by featuring five weddings involving characters from different periods who had previously been unable to wed. Simultaneously, the Neighbours: Endgame specials wrapped up Finn Kelly's (Rob Mills) redemption storyline, marking Mills' third stint on the program.

Plot

Spanning four days, the storyline alternated between a wedding expo held in Erinsborough and Elly Conway's (Jodi Anasta) 35th birthday celebration on Pierce Greyson's (Tim Robards) island retreat.

Neighbours

Lassiter's hosts a Wedding Expo showcasing five nuptials, beginning with Lucy Robinson (Melissa Bell) and Mark Gottlieb (Bruce Samazan). Elly, her sister Bea Nilsson (Bonnie Anderson), and Finn Kelly arrange a glamping getaway to commemorate Elly's birthday with other residents of Ramsay Street. Following a confrontation with Lucy, Finn places an explosive device inside her honeymoon package. Hendrix Greyson (Benny Turland) and Harlow Robinson also travel to the island under the guise of visiting friends. Lucy and Mark exchange vows, but Lucy swaps the honeymoon package tags at the last moment. Meanwhile, Paige Smith (Olympia Valance) proposes marriage to Mark Brennan (Scott McGregor).

Endgame

Elly, Bea, Finn, and others arrive at Pierce's island for their glamping trip. Finn attempts to kill Bea in order to pursue Elly, pushing her down a mineshaft and leaving her presumed dead after an earlier failed attempt. Kyle Canning (Chris Milligan) and Roxy Willis (Zima Anderson) develop a closer relationship. Hendrix and Harlow arrive separately with Harry Sinclair (Paul Dawber) and camp apart from the main group.

Neighbours

Mark and Paige prepare for their upcoming wedding. Paul Robinson (Stefan Dennis) and Terese Willis (Rebekah Elmaloglou) remain unsettled after Paul sent his wedding vows to his friend Jane Harris (Annie Jones). Meanwhile, Gary Canning (Damien Richardson) discovers from Harlow that Prue Wallace (Denise van Outen) has deceived him and joins the glamping trip seeking reconciliation with Kyle; Prue follows him there. Paul and Terese reconcile by using Gary and Prue’s planned wedding ceremony as an opportunity to renew their own vows.

Endgame

Finn tricks the islanders by pretending Bea has returned to Sydney via dinghy, sending texts from her phone to dissuade Elly from searching for her. Kyle and Roxy admit their feelings for each other. Harlow reveals her mother’s deception to Gary. Finn uncovers that Harry has recorded him pushing Bea into the mineshaft; he seduces Harry into keeping silent. When Toadie Rebecchi (Ryan Moloney) prepares to depart, he notices Bea’s dinghy remains on the island. After informing Finn, Finn assaults Toadie, places him in the dinghy, punctures its bottom, and lets it drift away.

Neighbours

Mark and Paige tie the knot, with Paige swapping her honeymoon package tags with those of Prue and Gary. Paul invites Des Clarke (Paul Keane) back to Ramsay Street to support Jane following a scam incident. Jane and Des avoid contact until an accidental collision causes Jane to knock him over. Karl and Susan begin to suspect something due to Bea's unexplained absence. Sky Mangel (Stephanie McIntosh) announces her engagement to Lana Crawford (Bridget Neval).

Endgame

After a disagreement, Harlow embarks on a solo bushwalk, where she discovers the mineshaft trapping Bea and finds Bea’s bracelet before becoming trapped herself. Gary arrives on the island, reconciles with Kyle, but starts to distrust Finn. Elly marks her 35th birthday but remains anxious about Bea’s whereabouts and plans a search in Sydney. Finn manipulates Harry to further his own agenda. Prue chases after Gary but becomes lost; after leaving several voicemails for both Gary and Harlow, she opens her honeymoon package only to find a bomb planted by Finn, which detonates instantly, killing her.

Neighbours

Sky’s former partner Dylan Timmins (Damien Bodie) arrives in Erinsborough, initially shocked by her engagement to Lana. After consulting with Paul, he accepts their relationship, and Sky and Lana are married by Jack Callahan (Andrew James Morley). Believing Jane has rejected him, Des prepares to return to Adelaide but reconciles with Jane and proposes during the wedding ceremony.

Endgame

A storm disrupts phone signals on the island. Finn behaves suspiciously; when Chloe advises against leaving with Elly to search for Bea, he reacts angrily. Finn returns to the mineshaft, discovers Harlow alive, and attempts to kill both of them—first by throwing rocks, then by releasing a venomous snake that bites Harlow. Hendrix searches for Harlow at Pierce's campground after realizing she never arrived there. A search party is launched for Harlow.

Neighbours

Des and Jane conduct an informal wedding ceremony officiated by Paul. When Sheila Canning (Colette Mann) and Clive Gibbons (Geoff Paine) hint at marriage plans, they both clarify they are not planning to wed. During an expo visit, Mackenzie Hargreaves (Georgie Stone) and Richie Amblin (Lachlan Miller) unintentionally reveal Hendrix and Harlow’s location. Paul becomes furious and decides to travel to the island. Karl and Susan remain concerned after Susan’s sister Liz informs them that Bea never arrived at her home. Paige agrees to relocate to Adelaide after Jack secures a position at a Catholic parish there.

Endgame

Paul rushes to the island in search of Harlow. At the beach, he rescues Toadie, who shares information about Finn. Paul flags down a vehicle to take Toadie to the hospital but discovers Harry is driving it. While searching near the mineshaft, Gary is killed by Finn with an arrow as he attempts to rescue Bea and Harlow. Elly and Finn plan their departure for Sydney; however, she finds Bea’s and Toadie’s phones among Finn’s belongings and escapes with Aster. Chloe expresses concerns about Finn’s behavior, causing suspicion among the other glampers. Elly discovers Gary’s body, rejects Finn’s control, and is pushed into the mineshaft by him. Finn kidnaps Aster and leaves the island after setting it ablaze.

Episode 8325 and its consequences

On 16 March, it was revealed that the anniversary celebrations would be succeeded by an intimate two-person episode featuring Finn and Susan. Aired on 23 March, the storyline follows Finn as he entices Susan to a remote cabin in the Snowy Mountains, admits to his offenses, and begins to dig a shallow grave nearby. Mills clarified that although Finn initially hoped to start fresh with Susan and Aster, his plans for revenge collapse, prompting him to attempt reconciliation through Susan, who represents his sole influential female figure. These scenes were described by Mills as a portrayal of Finn’s deteriorating psychological condition.

Jackie Woodburne showed excitement about the two-hander episode, likening it to a previously well-received installment. Mills expressed pride in leading the episode, which involved numerous emotionally intense moments that posed filming challenges. He emphasized that the episode offers a deeper understanding of Finn’s troubled history marked by trauma and neglect, which shaped his actions.

In the subsequent episode, Elly discovers Susan, and Finn tragically dies in an accident while preparing the grave, constituting the third fatality linked to the anniversary events. Flashbacks depict returning characters escaping from a burning island; meanwhile, Harlow and Sheila come to terms with the deaths of Prue and Gary. Elly faces accusations of causing Finn’s death, prompting Mark and Sky to remain in Erinsborough to conduct an inquiry. Although Elly is convicted of involuntary manslaughter, she is later freed after Finn’s mother Claudia uses blackmail against the judge.

This narrative arc also enabled Madeleine West’s return portraying Andrea Somers and Dee Bliss. Following episodes delve into the mourning experienced by Harlow and Sheila alongside the remorse felt by Susan and David Tanaka for overlooking Finn’s threat.

Main cast

Supporting and guest cast

Promotion

In December 2019, Rob Mills announced his exit from Neighbours, with his departure broadcast the following year. On 4 February 2020, the series disclosed plans for a significant storyline to mark its 35th anniversary, which included three character deaths, five weddings, and a central narrative focusing on Mills' character Finn Kelly reverting to his antagonistic persona. Around the anniversary week, at least nine returning characters from different eras were scheduled to appear. Two principal character deaths were predetermined, with a third added deliberately to highlight the "3" in "35". The final fatality took place soon after the special "Endgame" episodes.

After initial teasers about multiple deaths in January 2020, Digital Spy’s Daniel Kilkelly speculated on possible casualties, correctly identifying Finn, Prue, and Gary among others. He pointed out Finn’s contentious comeback and unresolved criminal actions, Prue’s perilous conduct explaining her forthcoming absence, and Gary’s reduced storyline presence making his departure financially practical. Other potential characters mentioned included Elly, Zenin Alexio, Kyle, Mark, Ned, and Clive—choices reflecting both narrative significance and production factors.

Reception

In Australia, the regular episodes (Part 1) attracted an average audience of 142,200 viewers, peaking at 159,000 on Thursday. In contrast, the UK broadcast did not rank within the top 15 most-watched episodes that week.

Daniel Kilkelly described the storyline as a "game-changer," emphasizing how the deaths would have a lasting influence on the series. Stephen Patterson remarked that the week was packed with "love, laughter, tears, terror and all round unmissable drama," leaving viewers with numerous unanswered questions.

Rose Hill of The Mirror characterized Gary's death as "brutal" and labeled Finn a "cold-blooded killer," speculating about Finn’s future actions. Denise van Outen praised the dramatic exit of her character Prue Wallace and hinted at a potential comeback. Colette Mann and Chris Milligan both lauded Damien Richardson’s performance during his concluding scenes.

Kilkelly also reflected on the Endgame episodes positively, noting how the aftermath kept key characters engaged on-screen and favorably comparing it to EastEnders' recent anniversary event. He anticipated story arcs involving Elly’s conduct and Anasta's departure while appreciating the show’s exploration of grief and remorse experienced by characters such as Mark and Sky.

A reporter from the Herald Sun described the two-hander between Finn and Susan as "gritty." Katie Baillie of Metro referred to it as a "very special two-hander episode," while Joe Julians of Radio Times deemed it "one of the most dramatic episodes the show has ever seen."