Where Neighbours’ 1980s stars are now as Harold returns – from mental health battle to tragic death 

After 15 years away from our screens, Neighbours legend Ian Smith will officially be reprising his role as Harold Bishop in the Aussie soap, as he makes a triumphant return to Ramsay Street as its longest-serving actor.

Harold first appeared on the show in 1987 as an old flame of Madge Mitchell (Anne Charleston) and was originally only intended to star in a handful of episodes – but following his huge success with fans, the character ended up staying in Erinsborough until 1991. At the end of his first stint on the soap, Harold was shockingly washed out to sea while on holiday, only to return again in 1996!

In his second stint on the show, Harold was at the heart of a number of gripping storylines, including having his house burgled by a gambling-addicted girlfriend, suffering a stroke that completely altered his personality, and trying to strangle the man he blamed for the plane crash that killed his son!

In 2009 fans bid farewell to Harold for what they thought was the final time, when Ian chose to leave the soap, but he did appear several times in guest roles afterwards, including in the final episode of the series before it’s Amazon Freevee reboot.

So far, the details of his upcoming storylines are a closely guarded secret, but some fans have speculated he may be involved in Terese Willis (Rebekah Elmaloglou) and Jane Harris’ (Annie Jones) plans to establish a retirement community.

In honour of Harold’s return, here, we take a look back at some of the other 1980’s Neighbours stars and what they’re up to now…

Des Clarke – Paul Keane

One original member of the Neighbours cast that still continues to hold a place in many fans hearts is Des Clarke, played by Paul Keane. Des was first introduced to Ramsay Street as a man on his stag do while preparing to marry his fiancé Lorraine, but in usual soap style things didn’t quite go to plan when he fell head over heels for stripper Daphne Lawrence instead!

Des remained a huge part of Neighbours for the first five years of its original run, but later left the show in 1990, only to briefly return for the 35th anniversary in 2020.

Sadly, while Des was a popular character on screen, actor Paul never really gelled with life in the spotlight and suffered with a debilitating drug addiction and mental health issues for over a decade at the height of his fame. After stepping away from the soap, Paul was able to kick his addiction after undergoing rehab and swapped acting for a normal job.

Daphne Lawrence – Elaine Smith

Originally introduced as a stripper on screen, Daphne Lawrence, played by Elaine Smith, left her humble beginnings behind her after securing a lease on the coffee shop instead, which soon became a hotspot for activity in all of Erinsborough.

During her three years on the soap, Elaine made history as her character was the first person to give birth on Ramsay Street, with Daphne also being the first character to die on screen in 1988.

Following her departure from the soap, Elaine continued to act for a number of years, including in rival soap Home and Away, but later decided to step away from acting altogether and return to education.

As of 2017, Elaine had retrained as a teacher and was working as a drama and primary school teacher in an inner west Sydney public school.

Shane Ramsay – Peter O’Brien

Another character that needs no introduction, is Shane Ramsay, played by Peter O’Brien, who was first introduced as a love rival and villain to Des as they both pursued Daphne. During his two years on the soap, Shane was involved in a number of nail biting plot lines including a devastating car crash that resulted in a manslaughter charge.

After initially bowing out of the soap in 1987, Peter did briefly reprise his role as Shane in 2022 as part of the final episode before the reboot. He also went on to star in a number of other hugely successful shows in addition to Neighbours including Queer as Folk, Gossip Girl and even BBC’s Casualty!

Since 2003 he has been happily married to Lord of the Rings actress Miranda Otto. Together they have one child, a daughter named Darcey, who was born in 2005.

Jim Robinson – Alan Dale

One fan favourite who dominated the soap for a number of years is Jim Robinson, played by the iconic actor Alan Dale, who starred in a whopping 860 episodes during his time on the soap, which extended from the show’s beginnings in 1985 right up until Jim died on screen in 1993 after suffering a heart attack.

Initially following his exit, Alan struggled to step away from his soap persona and pick up roles in Australia, but following a successful move to the Untied States, he found his career skyrocketing, with multiple smash-hit roles under his belt including in Ugly Betty, The OC, Lost and Dynasty.

Alan even graced the silver screen in a handful of Hollywood blockbusters too, including 2002’s Stark Trek Nemesis, 2008’s Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, and even 2011’s gritty remake of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

He is currently happily married to his second wife Tracey Dale, and the proud father to four sons, Matthew, Simon, Nick and Daniel.

Scott Robinson – Darius Perkins

When most of us think of Scott Robinson, we tend to think of Jason Donovan, the second actor who took on the role, but long before the singer stepped into Scott’s shoes, the role was originally played by Darius Perkins for around a year in total.

Making his soap debut in 1985 at the tender age of just 20, Darius got off to a rocky start when producers on Neighbours decided he wasn’t the right fit for the character and wanted to re-cast the role to increase his appeal.

Around the time of his exit, Darius’ departure was dogged by rumours of lateness on set which may have contributed to his axe, but despite his early exit, he did go on to find great success in rival soap Home and Away as Gary Samuels.

Darius even later went on to return to Neighbours in 2013 as a dodgy business associate of Paul Robinson – an ironic twist, given that Darius, as Scott, originally played Paul’s younger brother way back in 1985.

Sadly, despite his success on screen, Darius passed away in 2019 at the age of 54, after a battle with cancer.

Helen Davies – Anne Haddy

Another 80s character fans may recall is Helen Davies, the mother-in-law of Jim and grandmother of Paul Robinson. Played in the series by actress Anne Haddy, Anne remained on Neighbours long after Jim’s on-screen death, and only left the show once she passed away in real life.

Anne made the decision to quit the role of Helen due to ill health and after much deliberation decided that the best and most fitting ending for the proud matriarch was to kill her off on screen in 1997.

Sadly, just two years after her on-screen exit, Anne died at home in Melbourne from a kidney related disease on June 6, 1999, aged just 68. Her final episode broadcast later that day in the UK on BBC One, with a dedication to the actress in the credits.

Henry Ramsay – Craig McLachlan

Henry Ramsay was the loveable, blond curly-haired son of Madge (Anne Charleston) and brother of mechanic Charlene, famously played by Kylie Minogue.

Played by actor Craig McLachlan, Henry was brought in by show execs in 1987 in a bid to replace the recently-departed Shane Ramsay. Starring in more than 800 episodes, Craig even went on to win three Australian TV Logie awards for the role, before leaving the soap in in 1989, and appearing in rival soap, Home And Away .

He even went on to enjoy UK chart success with the song Mona (I Need You Baby), touring the UK and Europe with his band, Check 1-2. And in 1993 he starred in the London West End revival of the musical Grease, as well as appearing in The Rocky Horror Show, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Chicago.

Sadly however, despite his skyrocketing success Craig was later hit with a string of legal woes after he was charged with assault and indecent assault following complaints from female co-stars in a production of the Rocky Horror Picture Show in Melbourne in 2014, during which he played the role of Frank-N-Furter.

Craig always strongly denied the allegations against him, and in December 2000, he was cleared of seven counts of indecent assault and six of common law assault by a court in Melbourne, following a four-week hearing.

In a video filmed afterwards, Craig broke down in tears as he said it had “ruined” his life. He was awarded $500,000 following his acquittal.

Mike Young – Guy Pearce

One of the most memorable Neighbours stars of the 1980s is actor Guy Pearce who famously played the role of Mike Young for three years between 1987 and 1990. Although Mike exited the soap, Guy reprised his role briefly in 2022 as part of the show’s then-conclusion, in which he was once again reunited with his on-screen love interest Jane Harris.

Away from Neighbours, Guy has been an actor in demand with a huge wealth of Hollywood blockbusters under his belt, including The Adventures of Priscilla Queen of the Desert, The Time Machine, LA Confidential, Memento, Prometheus, and Iron Man 3 to name just a few!

Guy even showed off his musical talents in 2014 when he released his first album Broken Bones to widespread praise. A second studio album, The Nomad, then followed in 2018.

Away from his professional life, Guy is currently in a relationship with Game of Thrones actress Carice Van Houten. They share one child together, a son born in 2016.

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