Anne Charleston returns to Neighbours as Madge Bishop as Harold star Ian quits soap amid cancer battle
ANNE Charleston is set return to Neighbours as Madge Bishop.
The actress played the iconic matriarch from 1986 until 1992 before returning for a second stint four years later.
Anne, 81, later departed the soap again in 2001 as Madge was killed off in a move that devastated fans.
She passed away after a heartbreaking battle with terminal pancreatic cancer.
However, the producers of Neighbours have announced that Ian Smith, 86, will step away from his long-running character, Harold Bishop.
He recently revealed on Australian TV that he was diagnosed with “a very aggressive non-fixable cancer” a few months ago.
As part of his final scenes, his famous on-screen wife will make a huge comeback to Ramsay Street.
Execs revealed the news via social media as they posted a snap of the pair posing in character.
The official show account on X – formerly known as Twitter – announced: “Harold waves goodbye to Ramsay Street.
“We’re sharing the sad news that Ian Smith will soon be stepping away from the beloved role of Harold Bishop.
“Ian first played Harold in 1987 and it’s been a huge privilege to welcome him back to the show over the years.”
The show then announced the return of the beloved cast member for scenes that are sure to be emotional for fans.
It continued: “We’re also thrilled to announce that Anne Charleston will be joining Ian on set for some of his last scenes.
“In what context Anne will appear is yet to be revealed, but to have the iconic couple reunited will be one final treat for fans.”
Adding: “Erinsborough won’t quite be the same again, but rest assured that Harold is set to have a send-off fit for Ramsay Street royalty.”
Despite his diagnosis and apparent terminal prognosis, Ian will continue to appear on-screen until at least next year.
Neighbours stars who made it big
The long-running Aussie soap has launched the careers of some of Hollywood's biggest stars. Here are some of the Neighbours alums who went on to make it big after starring on the soap...
Kylie Minogue
- Before she hit the big time with her music career, Kylie shot to fame playing Charlene Mitchell on Neighbours. Shortly after her arrival, Kylie began an on and off-screen romance with co-star Jason Donovan, who played Scott Robinson, which gained the couple an army of adoring fans.
Jason Donovan
- After his stint as Scott, singer and actor Jason became an international popstar and had his pick acting of roles. He moved to the U.K., married, had children and has since starred in over a dozen West End show, most notably Joseph and his Technicolour Dreamcoat.
Alan Dale
- New Zealand born actor Alan was one of Neighbours 12 original cast members having made his debut as Jim Robinson on the soap’s first episode on 18 March 1985. As the head of the Robinson clan, widower Jim lived at Number 26 Ramsay Street with his children Paul, Julie, Scott and Lucy, and was a real anchor in the community. He stayed with the show for eight years, before his character was killed off in dramatic scenes aired in 1993 but which still reverberate through the soap to this day.
Margot Robbie
- Way before she was Barbie or Harley Quinn, Margot was best known as Ramsay Street resident Donna Freedman. Her notable storylines included her marriage to Ringo Brown and becoming a young widow following his tragic death. After three years she bid farewell to the soap and Australia with a plan to make a name for herself in Hollywood which she did when she bagged the role of Naomi Lapaglia opposite Leonardo DiCaprio in The Wolf of Wall Street.
Jesse Spencer
- Jesse rocked up on Ramsay street in 1994 with the rest of the Kennedy clan. He stayed for five years, literally growing up in front of the camera, but in 2000 felt it was time to spread his wings and head for Hollywood. It was certainly a smart move as he went on to bag leading roles in popular shows like House and Chicago Fire.
Russell Crowe
- New Zealand-native Russell had a brief arc on Neighbours, appearing in four episodes of the soap 1987 as Kenny Larkin, the former cellmate of Street resident Henry Ramsay. The role obviously got him noticed though because he quickly went on to become a fully-fledged Hollywood A-lister, winning the Best Actor Oscar for his standout performance as Roman General Maximus Decimus Meridius in Gladiator.
And this is set to be the third comeback for Anne after the death of Madge as she previously reprised her iconic role on a number of occasions.
She appeared as her spirit for the show’s 30th anniversary celebrations in March of 2015.
The actress then made a second comeback in what was supposed to be the finale of the Australian based soap in July 2022.