Neighbours’ Pierce Greyson returns as show heads to Sydney

An Instagram post by one of Neighbours‘ directors, Kate Kendall, seems to confirm that Pierce Greyson is to return to the show, in special scenes filmed in Sydney.

Suburban Melbourne – Neighbours.

Sydney’s beaches – Home and Away.

That’s how it’s typically been for the past three and a bit decades, since the two Australian soaps hit our screens in the mid-to-late-80s.

Yet an Instagram post by Kate Kendall – who starred as Lauren Turner from 2003–2018 before going on to direct and later produce the show – has suggested that the usually Melbourne-based Neighbours is set to take a trip to Sydney’s famous Bondi Beach in upcoming episodes.

What’s more, two characters are set for a return!

Taking to Instagram on Saturday, Kate (@katekendall9) posted a photo of a rainbow at the famous beach in Sydney’s eastern suburbs.

Shortly after, she added a comment to her own post, thanking the cast and crew of Neighbours for “making this such an unforgettable shoot.”

“Thanks @neighbours cast and crew for making this such an unforgettable shoot. See you tomorrow Melbourne.

#jackiewoodburn @alanfletcher @georgiestone @benjaminturland @mrtimrobards @jane_allsop @tony_gardiner_acs @lecabba You know who you are!

Love you.
KK
???”

 

She tagged in a number of current cast members – Jackie Woodburne (Susan Kennedy), Alan Fletcher (Karl Kennedy), Georgie Stone (Mackenzie Hargreaves) and Ben Turland (Hendrix Greyson) – along with two other actors whose names you may recognise…

Tim Robards (Pierce Greyson) and Jane Allsop (Lisa Rowsthorn)!

The former star of The Bachelor Australia, Tim Robards played billionaire Pierce Greyson on Neighbours from 2018 to 2020.

Pierce originally arrived in Erinsborough to discuss business at Lassiters, and soon caught the eye of Chloe Brennan (April Rose Pengilly), who was at the time offering a cash for company service.

When Pierce asked Chloe about her ‘Cash4Company’ business card, she insisted it was entirely separate from her job at Lassiters, but offered to resign from her post at the hotel.

Instead, it turned out that Pierce was interested in making use of her services, and he spent weeks plying her with fancy gifts in exchange for her time.

While the pair met through unusual means, genuine feelings eventually developed. Not only did they end up in a relationship together, but they were married a year later.

Pierce’s son Hendrix – played by Ben Turland – was introduced shortly after. The pair had a troubled relationship, with Pierce admitting that he had played very little part in his son’s upbringing, and often just threw money at any problems Hendrix faced.

Pierce’s marriage to Chloe eventually broke down when he began an affair with Dipi Rebecchi (Sharon Johal). Chloe eventually caught them in bed together after Nicolette (Charlotte Chimes) orchestrated for Chloe to head to Pierce’s Lassiters hotel room when she knew the pair would be there. With his reputation in tatters, he made the decision to leave Erinsborough.

Tim Robards was already due to be leaving the show and was set to film his final scenes as Pierce Greyson in September 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic made him elect to leave four weeks early so he could return to Sydney to be with his wife, who was pregnant with their first child.

In a statement released at the time, Network 10 said: “For the past two years, Tim Robards has played billionaire businessman Pierce Greyson on Neighbours and was scheduled to finish filming with the show in Melbourne next month. But due to COVID-19 regulations and travel restrictions, Tim has wrapped early to return to Sydney to be with his wife, Anna Heinrich, as they prepare for the exciting arrival of their first child.

Tim also released a statement, reading: “I would like to thank the amazing cast, crew, Fremantle and Network 10 for the incredible opportunity to play Pierce Greyson. I have absolutely loved my time on the show and will miss it immensely.

“I made the gut wrenching decision to depart Neighbours early as my responsibilities as a husband and father have to take precedence. If I’ve learnt anything in this pandemic it’s that the health and wellbeing of my family has to come first.”

Instead of a rapid re-write in the midst of Pierce’s affair with Dipi Rebecchi, the decision was made to re-cast the part of Pierce, and Don Hany took over the role for the final weeks.

To make the transition as seamless as possible, Don even re-shot some of Tim Robards’ already broadcast scenes, with the recast scenes airing in the recap in his first episode. Photographs of Chloe and Pierce at No. 24 were also changed, with Don replacing Tim.

“I’m thrilled to have been invited to be part of a show that is part of Australian television history,” Don said in a statement. “I’ve never done the show before, so it’s all new and I’m so happy to be here.”

“It’s a testament to the resilience of Neighbours that it’s still running at a time like this.”

Don Hany made a return in June 2021, as Pierce headed back to Erinsborough to sell his beloved winery to Leo Tanaka (Tim Kano). He caused more trouble between Chloe (April Rose Pengilly) and Nicolette (Charlotte Chimes) when he learned that it was Nicolette who exposed his affair.

 

Now, almost a year later, Pierce is set for another return – but this time it looks like it’ll be the original Pierce, Tim Robards, reprising the role!

Alongside him is Jane Allsop, who reprises the role of Lisa Rowsthorn, Hendrix’s mum. Jane starred in a number of episodes in early 2020, when character Lisa arrived in Erinsborough to help deal with Hendrix’s reckless behaviour, but caused yet more problems for Chloe and Pierce’s marriage when she asked Pierce to have another child with her.

She returned to Sydney after discovering she was in fact pregnant with her former boyfriend’s baby, and later gave birth to a baby girl.

It looks like we’re set to see Hendrix’s whole family – his biological parents, his new surrogate parents Karl and Susan, and his girlfriend Mackenzie – reunite at Sydney’s Bondi Beach.

Fans are already speculating what would take Karl, Susan, Hendrix and Mackenzie all the way to Sydney’s east, and what would reunite Pierce and Lisa? Could we be about to see a Hendrix and Mackenzie wedding, as Neighbours edges ever closer to its final ever episode?

These scenes should air in the UK in approximately two months’ time.