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Neighbours - Discussion Thread (Part 3)


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Old 24-07-2016, 12:42
Collins1965
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The issue is that Scott Michelson and Sarah Vandenbergh are not so well known now. Where as Imbruglia still is. While Beth has been gone for a long enough period of time that a recast could work, it just wouldnt due to the stature of the previous actor. You couldnt recast Scott and Charlene could you.
I would argue that you could successfully recast all 3 at this stage, purely because of the length of time the characters have been off screen.

If we have a recast Brad and a recast Lauren then why not a recast Beth?? Just because someone famous played her 20 years ago?? The newer viewers that never saw her won't give a damn and those of us who did would welcome a return of the character, even if she has a new face.

But that's just me. I accept that other long term viewers might not like it at all.
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Old 24-07-2016, 14:54
FluffyBunnykins
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I would argue that you could successfully recast all 3 at this stage, purely because of the length of time the characters have been off screen.

If we have a recast Brad and a recast Lauren then why not a recast Beth?? Just because someone famous played her 20 years ago?? The newer viewers that never saw her won't give a damn and those of us who did would welcome a return of the character, even if she has a new face.

But that's just me. I accept that other long term viewers might not like it at all.
I agree. I also wish they would re-cast Billy Kennedy. Bearing in mind how central Karl and Susan are to Neighbours, it's a bit implausible that one of their offspring never visits.
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Old 24-07-2016, 15:22
Collins1965
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I agree. I also wish they would re-cast Billy Kennedy. Bearing in mind how central Karl and Susan are to Neighbours, it's a bit implausible that one of their offspring never visits.
Yes. It's a bit silly that nephews/nieces and grandkids pop up but not their own children!
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Old 24-07-2016, 15:43
SecretLifeoBees
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A Beth recast really wouldn't both me, but I am not sure it is necessary for her to turn up at the minute.

I would buy into a Billy and Anne recasting too.
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Old 24-07-2016, 16:32
SpiderMan 83
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The issue is that Scott Michelson and Sarah Vandenbergh are not so well known now. Where as Imbruglia still is. While Beth has been gone for a long enough period of time that a recast could work, it just wouldnt due to the stature of the previous actor. You couldnt recast Scott and Charlene could you.
The thing is Scott and Charlene are iconic characters. Brad, Beth and Lauren never were. Do not get me wrong i loved Brad and Beth as characters and a couple but they are easily recast after a certain amount of time. If Nat us turning down the role then recast it, so Beth is not being used as the bad guy all the time etc.
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Old 24-07-2016, 16:57
mrs.deschanel
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A recast Beth would have been fine by me and I thought Beth with a new head should have come back with Brad with a new head in the first place. The whole Terese thing never made sense due to the timing. Brad and Beth had their happy ending then as soon as Ned was born he was off sniffing around someone else?? Granted he could never choose between Beth, Lauren and Lucy and had a go with all three but Beth was his proper love not Lauren. He was also an addict and went to rehab so why would he not understand Terese and her drinking? Scott and Charlene were iconic because Neighbours was huge in their day and they went off in the most watched TV moment of it's time. Brad and Beth weren't anywhere near as popular and Natalie Imbruglia is almost forgotten compared to Kylie.
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Old 24-07-2016, 21:18
Noxy
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So I spent some of today catching up on a bit of Neighbours. Have to say I'm disappointed with Elly so far. I forgot how annoying that actress was and she's no different in Neighbours - smug, superior and that god-awful voice. I had to skip through quite a bit of it as there's either nothing happening, or stories are going around in circles, or both. I miss Neighbours but there's just nothing worth tuning in for. It must be a good ten years or so since the show was this boring.
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Old 24-07-2016, 21:43
clever3000
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So I spent some of today catching up on a bit of Neighbours. Have to say I'm disappointed with Elly so far. I forgot how annoying that actress was and she's no different in Neighbours - smug, superior and that god-awful voice. I had to skip through quite a bit of it as there's either nothing happening, or stories are going around in circles, or both. I miss Neighbours but there's just nothing worth tuning in for. It must be a good ten years or so since the show was this boring.
The shows boring days were back when the Parker family were on. Steve, Miranda and Bridget were the most boring characters that they have ever had. It is not currently as bad as it was back then.
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Old 24-07-2016, 22:15
Madge
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A recast Beth would have been fine by me and I thought Beth with a new head should have come back with Brad with a new head in the first place. The whole Terese thing never made sense due to the timing. Brad and Beth had their happy ending then as soon as Ned was born he was off sniffing around someone else?? Granted he could never choose between Beth, Lauren and Lucy and had a go with all three but Beth was his proper love not Lauren. He was also an addict and went to rehab so why would he not understand Terese and her drinking? Scott and Charlene were iconic because Neighbours was huge in their day and they went off in the most watched TV moment of it's time. Brad and Beth weren't anywhere near as popular and Natalie Imbruglia is almost forgotten compared to Kylie.
I would have preferred a recast Beth to be honest. As you say, the timing with Terese just wasn't right. It turned Brad from a likeable idiot to a serial womaniser. I hate what they've done to his character.

And seriously - Brad Willis, a teacher???? Never in a million years.
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Old 24-07-2016, 22:31
mrs.deschanel
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I would have preferred a recast Beth to be honest. As you say, the timing with Terese just wasn't right. It turned Brad from a likeable idiot to a serial womaniser. I hate what they've done to his character.

And seriously - Brad Willis, a teacher???? Never in a million years.
Brad Willis of old couldn't have counted to 20 without taking his socks off so he could use fingers and toes. In Neighbours world anyone can be a teacher though - you don't even need to finish your degree . Kate didn't do three years and Libby failed. Surely Brad didn't go to Uni. It's doubtful old Brad could even spell University.
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Old 24-07-2016, 22:49
SecretLifeoBees
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The shows boring days were back when the Parker family were on. Steve, Miranda and Bridget were the most boring characters that they have ever had. It is not currently as bad as it was back then.
Having watched Neighbours from the start the Parker era has to be its lowest ever point. The focus on Bridget in every storyline was as bad as the focus on Paige now.
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Old 25-07-2016, 00:24
Jimmy Skitz
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Having watched Neighbours from the start the Parker era has to be its lowest ever point. The focus on Bridget in every storyline was as bad as the focus on Paige now.
be fair, Olympia Valance is a far better actress
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Old 25-07-2016, 00:52
kitkat1971
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I would have preferred a recast Beth to be honest. As you say, the timing with Terese just wasn't right. It turned Brad from a likeable idiot to a serial womaniser. I hate what they've done to his character.

And seriously - Brad Willis, a teacher???? Never in a million years.
I so agree with the second paragraph. I just can't believe that original Brad grew into this one simply because original Brad was the very definition of "lights on, nobody's home". Given the intellectual pedigree of the other Willis kids, (2 doctors, well if Cody had lived and Gany's business brilliance) you'd think he'd be bright enough to manage to qualify as a teacher, but Michaelson's portrayal just wasn't - those big, pretty blue eyes of his were just pools of blankness. Which probably indicates he was actually a pretty good actor because i'm sure I remember that he'd got a degree in something academic before becoming an actor.

So, to me, especially without Beth and a recast Lauren, it might as well be another, previously unseen Willis kid as Brad.

Lauren however, i can believe matured into this incarnation. That grief (believing her baby had died) and them marrying and bringing up a family caused her to lose some of her 'spark' (Sarah Vanderburgh always seemed very 'sparky' to me) but she is pretty much the same person - just older, calmer, a bit sadder and usually (but not always) wiser.

For all that, i think they could have recast Beth (i've actually changed my mind on that a bit from the last time i posted on it). For all the Brad/Beth/Lauren triangle was probably the biggest story arc of that couple of years, i don't think Beth was actually a bigger character than Brad or Lauren within the show so if longterm fans could accept them changing, why not Beth as well? And as mentioned, newer ones wouldn't have seen any of them anyway.

The issue is Imbrulia's post Neighbours fame. But the thing is, it was post Neighbours, not at the same time as was the case with Jason and Kylie who were charting whilst still in the show for well for about 18 months, at least in the UK. Also, Imbrulia's changed her image radically between leaving the show and releasing her first album so you weren't seeing 'Beth' in videos in quite the way you were arguably seeing 'Charlene' and 'Scott' in their early pop days.

So, many people will have come across Imbrulia for the first time as a singer rather than on Neighbours. They probably knew she'd been in it, it got mentioned a lot but i doubt they associated the two different genres in quite the same way.

So, she could have been recast imo.
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Old 25-07-2016, 10:44
Towie1977
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I would hate a recast of Beth at this stage. Its true that she wasn't as big as Charlene/Kylie but Natalie became very well known later so I can only see her face when I picture Beth.

I actually don't mind the Brad recast. From what I remember Scott Michael's Brad was a bit smarter by the end and I can accept he matured in 20 yrs. I do think it's a shame that we seldom see the lighter side of Brad though, he's always serious and annoyed about something.
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Old 25-07-2016, 11:22
lobeydosser
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be fair, Olympia Valance is a far better actress
Far better - and much prettier too!

On acting ability - remember 'Oh.poor.Libby'?
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Old 25-07-2016, 13:53
SecretLifeoBees
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be fair, Olympia Valance is a far better actress
True. I have no issue with Olympia, she comes across as a nice lass in backstage videos I have seen. My issue is the awful way Paige has been written and how it seems she is the focus of the majority of episodes.
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Old 25-07-2016, 15:33
kitkat1971
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Wasn't it up to Paige to decide whether it was okay for underage people to be at her party - especially considering her sister and neighbours.

They didn't have to drink it they were there, and even if they did, isn't it legal for somebody underage to drink privately? They just can't be sold alcohol or consume it on licensed premises.

Strikes me she just didn't want her fun or style to be cramped by having any students there.

Paige was still bratty though - everybody was finding the noise bad, not just Jack. If she carried on like this, he'll see that she was never going to be worth giving the church up for.
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Old 25-07-2016, 15:47
elliecat
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For me Scott Michaelson will always be Brad, this one is just an impostor. I mean they didn't even attempt to get someone who looked like old Brad at least with Lauren they attempted to get someone who looked similar. They also completely messed about with Brad's character and we have hardly had any mention of his love of surfing(except when he poisoned Karl and went through his so called love story with Lauren). Brad was your stereotypical 90's surfer dude and the fact that he doesn't even go surfing anymore is quite unbelievable, he may as well be a completely different character.
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Old 25-07-2016, 16:06
Gulftastic
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Boob-tacular episode today.

And bonus Tim Collins action!
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Old 25-07-2016, 16:59
Get Den Watts
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"I always taught Jimmy not to objectify women"

Really Amy? He's only 11. How old was he when you started giving him these sociology lessons?
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Old 25-07-2016, 17:09
Fee77
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That was a wild party alright....with all of 12 people at it
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Old 25-07-2016, 17:34
mikebuk
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For me Scott Michaelson will always be Brad, this one is just an impostor. I mean they didn't even attempt to get someone who looked like old Brad at least with Lauren they attempted to get someone who looked similar. They also completely messed about with Brad's character and we have hardly had any mention of his love of surfing(except when he poisoned Karl and went through his so called love story with Lauren). Brad was your stereotypical 90's surfer dude and the fact that he doesn't even go surfing anymore is quite unbelievable, he may as well be a completely different character.
New Brad drinks beer when old Brad never drank because when he did he passed out and had to be held up whilst wearing sunglasses to fool Caroline Alessi that he was managing the bar ok.
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Old 25-07-2016, 19:20
fiagomez
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New Brad drinks beer when old Brad never drank because when he did he passed out and had to be held up whilst wearing sunglasses to fool Caroline Alessi that he was managing the bar ok.
Haha!! Really?! I don't remember that!! I loved old Brad
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Old 25-07-2016, 20:54
Madge
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That's right! He couldn't handle it at all.
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Old 25-07-2016, 21:32
Collins1965
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Tyler and Paige are two selfish self-absorbed hypocrites. So much for being madly in love with Piper and Jack!

Jack's better off sticking with God and Piper should find someone nearer her own age and forget about that rotter.
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