First storylines of Neighbours “new chapter” revealed!
With Neighbours‘ return just around the corner, the synopses for the first 12 episodes have been revealed, previewing our first three weeks back in Erinsborough.
Neighbours will be back on our screens on Monday 18th September, with new episodes airing Monday to Thursday. It will premiere in Australia on Network 10 at 4:30pm, and will drop on Amazon Freevee in the UK at 7am.
Now, we can reveal the initial spoilers for the show’s first three weeks.
The cast of Neighbours when it returns on 18th September
As expected, we return to Erinsborough two years after the events of 2022’s finale, on the day of a wedding and the arrival of the Varga-Murphy family.
Elsewhere, Mackenzie (Georgie Stone) is considering dating again after the death of husband Hendrix (Ben Turland), while Susan (Jackie Woodburne) is hiding a big secret from Karl (Alan Fletcher) which will see the couple find themselves “at a crossroads”.
There’s also a mystery involving Harold, whose odd behaviour “rings alarm bells for Karl.”
Karl is set to grow increasingly concerned for Harold’s wellbeing in the first couple of weeks, before Harold makes a “devastating admission” and his friends rally around him as “his fears for the future reach breaking point.”
Plus, new character Reece Sinclair, played by The OC’s Mischa Barton, will make her debut. Byron, now played by Xavier Molyneux, will discover a big secret about her which “changes everything,” and the truth behind her identity will “send ripples through the community.”
Below are the full synopses for the first three weeks, after which we’ll explore all of the theories and speculation and try and piece together what could be coming up in Neighbours’ first few months.
Monday 18th September (Episode 1)
The residents of Ramsay Street are in high spirits as they prepare for a wedding.
Amongst all the celebration, a new family arrive in town, with one of the members appearing to harbour a suspiciously keen interest in the street.
Meanwhile, Susan has made some big life changes, but finds her happiness in turmoil as she’s forced to hide a personal secret from Karl.
The Varga-Murphy family will move into Ramsay Street in the first episode
Tuesday 19th September (Episode 2)
With the wedding celebrations over, the happy couple agree to put the past behind them, focusing instead on building their future together.
With romance in the air, a trepidatious Mackenzie flirts with the idea of getting back into the game.
Byron uncovers a secret about one of the guests in the hotel, that changes everything.
Will Mackenzie find love with Haz Devkar? Amazon Freevee
Wednesday 20th September (Episode 3)
The newlyweds embark on their honeymoon, struggling to juggle work and married life.
Meanwhile, Holly fails to take her job seriously, but her poor behaviour leads her to make an explosive discovery.
Sadie enjoys playing cupid with two of her friends, but not all is roses, as Harold’s peculiar behaviour starts to ring alarm bells for Karl.
Thursday 21st September (Episode 4)
Karl and Susan’s relationship is tested after a shock admission.
The truth behind the identity of hotel guest, Reece, sends ripples through the community.
While Cara and Remi navigate their future, JJ is focused on something, or someone, much closer to home.
Both Susan and Reece are harbouring secrets
Monday 25th September (Episode 5)
The Kennedys find themselves at a crossroads.
After much consideration, Toadie makes a tough decision that will impact his entire family.
Mackenzie makes a big call on her personal life.
JJ’s digging takes an unexpected turn.
Will Toadie’s big life decision involve his marriage to Mel?
Tuesday 26th September (Episode 6)
Terese’s business venture encounters a roadblock, causing repercussions in her personal life.
Byron struggles with relationships and the truth of his past.
Mackenzie pushes herself out of her comfort zone.
Karl grows increasingly worried for the well-being of an old friend.
Why is Karl worried about old friend Harold?
Wednesday 27th September (Episode 7)
Harold makes a devastating admission.
Paul conjures up an elaborate plan to impress his new VIP guest.
Mike has an important proposal to make.
Terese discovers the truth of secrets that are very close to home.
Guy Pierce reprises his role as Mike Young, but what is his important proposal?
Thursday 28th September (Episode 8)
Nell makes a shameful admission that rocks her family.
Cara and Remi face the consequences of poor communication.
JJ’s stealthy mission amps up, as he gets closer to the truth.
Jane and Mike’s plans stall as secrets simmer beneath the surface.
Monday 2nd October (Episode 9)
Mike finds himself the victim of his own impulsiveness.
Dex is blindsided by a secret with potentially catastrophic ramifications.
Paul discovers a piece of information which he believes will secure his hold over Lassiters.
Mackenzie throws caution to the wind as her interest in a certain resident reaches boiling point.
Tuesday 3rd October (Episode 10)
Dex fears that JJ could be on track to cause irreparable damage to their family.
Remi voices her doubts to Cara, throwing their plans for the future into question.
Byron benefits from a new perspective on his relationship as he reconsiders his previous decisions.
Mackenzie struggles to not let her emotions get the better of her.
Wednesday 4th October (Episode 11)
Terese, in an attempt to form stronger bonds with the people she loves, falls victim to a devilish manipulation.
Paul’s hubris grows as he inches closer to unmasking the truth.
JJ’s search for answers reaches the point of no return.
Thursday 5th October (Episode 12)
Jane is blindsided when she’s betrayed by a close friend.
Tensions mount on Ramsay Street as a new rivalry is born.
Harold is supported by his closest friends, as his fears for the future reach breaking point.
Who’s getting married?
The synopses cleverly keep the identity of our newly married couple a secret, and even three weeks in, they’ve managed to avoid giving anything away.
An out-there fan theory is that Terese is set to marry Toadie (Ryan Moloney), despite the two not having had much to do with each other in their many years on Ramsay Street.
Of course, the logical option would be for Paul (Stefan Dennis) and Terese to be renewing their vows, after reuniting in the final episode.
Yet spoilers for the third episode in – “The newlyweds embark on their honeymoon, struggling to juggle work and married life” – suggest that this isn’t the case.
After all, Paul and Terese were happily married for a number of years before beginning divorce proceedings, so they’re already experienced in juggling work and life.
The extended trailer for Neighbours’ revival saw a scene in which Toadie walks into the living room of Number 28, proclaiming “I’m back!” to the apparent disinterest of Karl, Susan and his (now a few years older) kids.
Back from his honeymoon, perhaps?
Whether or not it’s Toadie, he’s set to “make a tough decision that will impact his entire family” in the second week.
The recent promo saw him appearing to comfort Melanie (Lucinda Cowden), reassuring her that he would never forget their wedding day. Could his tough decision be related to this?
What is JJ looking for?
We now know that the Varga-Murphy family – consisting of mums Remi (Naomi Rukavina) and Cara (Sara West), and teenage sons, JJ (Riley Bryant) and Dex (Marley Williams) – arrive in the first episode, and that they aren’t completely unconnected to Ramsay Street.
The spoilers tell us that one of the family appears “to harbour a suspiciously keen interest” in the street, and all signs are pointing to one of the sons, JJ.
In the fourth episode, “JJ is focussed on something, or someone, much closer to home.”
We don’t yet know who or what he’s focussed on, but with his digging set to take “an unexpected turn” in the second week, it looks like it won’t be long until we find out. He’ll launch a stealthy mission and get closer and closer to the truth.
However, has he got more than he’s bargained for as he’s “blindsided by a secret with potentially catastrophic ramifications” in the third week?
His brother Dex is clearly worried by the news, as he “fears that JJ could be on track to cause irreparable damage to their family.”
The recent promo shows the two brothers staring at something, as JJ looks terrified (though Dex looks slightly more confused than anything).
Reece Sinclair’s secret is uncovered
Secrets, secrets and more secrets seem to be the theme of the Neighbours reboot / new chapter / whatever we’re calling it.
Susan’s got one, JJ’s about to uncover one, Terese discovers some, and mysterious hotel guest Reece Sinclair (Mischa Barton) has one too.
Byron (Xavier Molyneux), who’s back and now working at Lassiters, is about to uncover it, and it’s set to change everything.
Holly (Lucinda Armstrong-Hall), who’s also back and is also now working at Lassiters, is set to make an explosive discovery in the third episode, and we can only assume this is also to do with Reece’s big secret.
The recent promo for the show’s return saw Paul and Lucy (Melissa Bell) corner Holly and tell her: “I want you to find out exactly what she’s been doing since she’s been here.”
Now, the new spoilers tell us that in the second week, “Paul conjures up an elaborate plan to impress his new VIP guest.”
The promo also shows Reece appearing to ignore Paul as she walks through the Lassiters courtyard.
Curiously, Remi is sat in the background and appears to be watching their interaction with interest.
The character’s identity will “send ripples through the community,” making us think that she’s more than just the Lassiters spy that Paul seems to think she is.
This could be more evidence of a fan theory that Reece Sinclair shares a connection to Harry Sinclair, an old flame of Finn Kelly’s.
Harry was a character who cropped up a number of times between 2017 and 2020. He was last seen on 24th March 2020, the episode of Finn’s death.
Finn Kelly
First introduced back in 2017, Harry was the Principal at a school where Finn and Elly Conway (Jodi Gordon) taught before they moved to Erinsborough. He was in love with Finn, and first appeared in 2017 when Susan called him to discuss her concerns over Elly and Finn.
In 2020, during Neighbours‘ dramatic End Game episodes which saw Finn Kelly take out or attempt to take out a number of favourites, Harry arrived on Pierce Greyson’s island where a number of Ramsay Street residents were celebrating Elly’s birthday.
Harry later held Paul (Stefan Dennis) and Toadie (Ryan Moloney) at gunpoint as they tried to escape the island, and it took him seeing the island on fire for him to realise the true extent of Finn’s actions.
Susan had visions of Finn Kelly after his death
With Finn continuing to dominate storylines for years after his 2020 death, the scriptwriting team clearly have a soft spot for him. Could Reece really be connected to one of Erinsborough’s most evil ex-residents?
Romance for Mackenzie?
This was already expected from last month’s trailer, which showed Mackenzie appearing to grow close to Haz Devkar (Shiv Palekar), who will be taking over as the manager of Harold’s Cafe.
Mackenzie began dating her previous boyfriend, Hendrix (Ben Turland), in May 2021. Sadly, in April 2022, Hendrix was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis as a result of the fire at Erinsborough High, and was told he needed a lung transplant.
He proposed to Mackenzie shortly after the devastating diagnosis, and the pair married in May 2022.
A couple of weeks later, Hendrix headed into hospital for his lung transplant, which initially seemed to go without a hitch, until his body rejected the transplant.
There was nothing the doctors could do, and he was left with just hours to live. At the end of June, we witnessed the heartbreaking scenes of Mackenzie scattering half of Hendrix’s ashes in Sydney, while Chloe scattered the other half at Lassiters lake.
Now, two years on, Mackenzie is finally ready to take her first steps into dating again.
The recent Neighbours promo shows Mackenzie hanging out with Haz in the back garden of Number 26, and the two clearly look very comfortable together.
It’ll be the second episode back when Mackenzie “flirts with the idea of getting back into the game,” spurred on by the romance in the air from the wedding.
It looks like it’ll be down to Sadie (Emerald Chan) to push Mackenzie and Haz together, as she “enjoys playing cupid with two of her friends.”
The recent promo showed Sadie advise Mac: “you’ve just gotta give it a go.”
The promo also showed Sadie and Haz walking behind Mackenzie while transporting boxes. “She’s one amazing woman,” Haz tells Sadie, and we can only assume he’s talking about Mackenzie.
In the second week, “Mackenzie makes a big call on her personal life,” before pushing herself out of her comfort zone.
However, it won’t be plain sailing as she “struggles to not let her emotions get the better of her.”
Is Mackenzie really ready to move on from Hendrix?
Trouble ahead for Harold?
The Neighbours promo released earlier this month saw Harold Bishop (Ian Smith) telling Karl, “I can’t make it stop,” before him appearing to look lost as he stands in the middle of Ramsay Street, holding the street’s history book under his arm.
The new spoilers appear to confirm a worrying diagnosis for Harold, as his “peculiar behaviour starts to ring alarm bells for Karl” in the first week.
In the second week, “Karl grows increasingly worried for a well-being of an old friend,” and we can only assume this too refers to Harold.
In the next episode, “Harold makes a devastating admission” before in the third week of the show’s return, he’s “supported by his closest friends, as his fears for the future reach breaking point.”
Poor Harold.
Jane and Mike’s plans stall
Did we mention there’s a few secrets floating about? Well, it turns out Mike (Guy Pearce) has one too.
The initial teaser trailer for Neighbours’ return showed him and Jane (Annie Harris) in a lakeside location away from Erinsborough – recently revealed to have been filmed in Ireland – with Mike telling Jane that he loves her.
The new spoilers let us know that it won’t be plain sailing for the pair. There was bound to be drama in store, with Guy Pearce not expected to be returning to the show full-time, meaning there needs to be an explanation for why he’s not living on Ramsay Street.
In the second week, the synopses tell us that “Mike has an important proposal to make,” but that just one day later, “Jane and Mike’s plans stall as secrets simmer beneath the surface.”
In the first episode of the third week, “Mike finds himself the victim of his own impulsiveness.”
There’s more drama for Jane shortly after, and she’s “blindsided when she’s betrayed by a close friend.”
Jane was unlucky in love as Neighbours drew to a close last year, when she discovered that then-boyfriend Clive Gibbons (Geoff Paine) was meeting up with a mystery woman, who turned out to be an old flame.
Hopefully history won’t repeat itself with her childhood sweetheart Mike.
Neighbours returns to UK and Australian screens on Monday 18th September, with new episodes every Monday to Thursday.
It will air on Network 10 at 4:30pm, with a 6:30pm replay on 10 Peach. In the UK, the new episodes will premiere on Amazon Freevee at 7am.
The show will also air in the US, Canada, Ireland, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.