Neighbours bids farewell to one of its most iconic characters next week, as Harold Bishop leaves Ramsay Street forever.
This comes following the sad news that actor Ian Smith has been diagnosed with terminal cancer, and there’ll not be a dry eye in the house when he bids an emotional farewell to the show that made him a household name.
Viewers have seen him form a difficult friendship with newcomer Agnes Adair (Anne Charleston) – who bares a striking resemblance to his late wife Madge.
Will the two be able to part on good terms when Harold takes a trip down memory lane at his former home?
Elsewhere, as Leo Tanaka (Tim Kano) prepares to spend the rest of his days behind bars for a murder he didn’t commit, the real killer is exposed.
One resident’s odd behaviour is finally explained, and it’s not long before they start planning to flee Australia.
Chelsea Murphy (Viva Bianca) continues to get her feet under the table at the penthouse, and when she gets cosy with dastardly Dr Darcy Tyler (Mark Raffety), Terese Willis (Rebekah Elmaloglou) begins to wonder what that means for their ‘deal’.
Will she ever win Paul Robinson’s (Stefan Dennis) affections back?
Plus, Wendy Rodwell (Candice Leask) suffers a setback at her new school placement, and tensions rise between Cara Varga-Murphy and her brother-in-law Taye Obasi (Lakota Johnson).
For all the latest goss from Erinsborough, I’m your man! Here’s next week’s Neighbours spoiler round-up…
Monday, April 14
Darcy’s offer to help Terese with her ‘Chelsea problem’ leaves her feeling uneasy, as he asserts that he could be her eyes and ears if he wormed his way into her inner circle.
Turning down his gesture, she returns home and can’t believe how cosy Chelsea has made herself, leaving her more rejected than ever.
When she heads to work, she decides to take a punt on Darcy job-sharing with Karl Kennedy (Alan Fletcher), in exchange for some intelligence on her new archenemy.
His hiring ruffles feathers with both Karl and Paul, and Terese can’t help but feel guilty about the predicament.
Later, Darcy invites Chelsea to celebrate his new role, and she begins to wonder whether Paul is being so hard on Darcy because he’s jealous of their new bond.
Upping his flirting, Darcy invites her for dinner at his house, and admits he finds her attractive.
Chelsea suggests he hold an open investor session so that the public can hear about his wellness business. As they chat, a stunned Paul and Terese arrive at the door.
Paul puts his foot down and says he doesn’t want Darcy near Thomas, but Chelsea won’t hear it. She plants a kiss on Darcy, and says they’re now a couple!
At Eirini Rising, Agnes begins to move her belongings into her new studio.
Everyone is in a celebratory mood, but that soon comes crashing down when Harold announces he’s decided to move back to Queensland to live with Sky and Lana.
The community are devastated to hear of his decision, but he promises to keep in touch with Agnes as pen pals.
A new era dawns for them both, and as the residents gather for a farewell do at the Kennedy house, Jane Harris (Annie Jones) offers Harold the keys to No. 24 for one last look around his old haunt.
Joined by Agnes, he reminisces on the past and memories of Madge.
The Ramsay Street history book is produced, and Harold’s nearest and dearest crowd around as he recalls tales of times gone by.
Grab your tissues and watch until the very end, this special episode is not to be missed.
Tuesday, April 15
Reeling from Chelsea’s new relationship, Paul kicks off, whilst Terese is unsure whether her plan with Darcy still stands.
There’s nobody more surprised than Darcy, but once they’re alone, Chelsea promises him that her feelings are authentic and she was holding back previously because of her complicated life.
Paul begins to become concerned that Chelsea may stop him from seeing Thomas, and is forced to apologise.
Meanwhile, Darcy keeps up his promise to Terese and says they’re even more aligned, because neither of them want to see Paul and Chelsea together.
Karl is still huffed at Darcy’s presence in his office, especially so when he takes over Gino’s (Shane McNamara) consultation appointment.
When Gino expresses interest in investing in Darcy’s health centre, Karl gives a stark warning – Darcy is not to ask residents for money.
Elsewhere, Nell (Ayisha Salem-Towner) is still withdrawn and spending a lot of time creating digital art on her tablet.
She is reluctant to open up to JJ (Riley Bryant), and breaks down to Terese, asking to return to America so that she can be with Toadie, Callum and Hugo.
Deeply concerned, Terese tells Paul that Leo’s murder trial and his own baby drama has meant that Nell’s well-being has been forgotten about.
JJ tries to make a breakthrough, and when he steals her iPad, notices a troubling sketch on the screen.
It seems to show Nell pushing Seb (Ramian Newton) into the lake.
Is she the murderer?
At the complex, Max Ramsay (Ben Jackson) is dismayed that he’s been separated from Holly Hoyland (Lucinda Armstrong-Hall) during their self-defence class with Andrew Rodwell (Lloyd Will).
Overcome with jealousy, she intervenes and flips his partner Sandra onto her back.
Andrew isn’t impressed, and neither is Max. Holly is left feeling humiliated.
The problems for the Rodwells don’t stop there – as Wendy is overjoyed to get a call from a school in Ferntree Gully, asking her to cover a teacher’s classes.
The perfect opportunity to get her foot in the door, she returns from the experience having felt slightly deflated.
What is she hiding from her family?
Wednesday, April 16
JJ is in disbelief about Nell’s drawing and demands to know all of the details.
She admits that on the night Seb died, she was down by the lake and he confused her Fallon (Kate Connick). When he grabbed her, she panicked and pushed him away.
Leo is now in the frame for murder, and she feels trapped knowing that she can’t admit the truth. The only thing she could do is leave the country, but Toadie is adamant that she stay in Erinsborough.
Learning that Leo’s legal team are hoping to prove that Seb’s death was an accident, JJ tries to convince Nell that he will go free and she’ll be able to keep her dark secret under her hat forever.
Will his plan work?
The forensic specialist taken on by Leo’s defence team are eager to put doubt in the prosecution’s mind, which would save him from being imprisoned.
This update gives him some hope, but as he begins to relax, a new threat arrives in town – Seb’s father Stan, who is adamant to make Leo’s life hell.
Later, troubles also come to Cara’s door. Taye is struggling with her new role as compliance officer, and he’s becoming a pariah for living with her.
After a row between the two, he decides he’s moving out as soon as he can.
Thursday, April 17
Leo is furious after an altercation with Stan, and Byron (Xavier Molyneux) then breaks even more bad news – the expert witness who would be testifying in Leo’s defence has dropped out.
To make matters worse, they now plan to support the prosecution.
Leo decides to hand over all over his duties at Yorokobi to Byron, with wife Krista (Majella Davis) trying to lift his spirits.
Little does she realise, he’s making a plan to flee…
Remi Varga-Murphy (Naomi Rukavina) doesn’t want her little brother Taye to move out, but he’s dead set on getting his own place.
Darting next door, he interrupts an intimate moment with Holly and Max and pitches that he could be a new housemate.
But will Byron get on board with the idea?
Wendy and Cara have a heart to heart about their career woes. Wendy explains that she finds the cover positions to be disheartening, and would love a full time position in a school.
Cara, meanwhile, is finding the Lassiters workload overwhelming and her satisfaction is dwindling.
Listening in, Andrew suggests an alternative career path idea, and when Cara returns home, she tells Remi that she’s decided to join the police force!
