Neighbours Most Popular Character of the revived show revealed

Neighbours fans have voted for their favourite characters of the revived show, and the results have now been announced.

Members of fan forum NeighboursFans have been voting for their favourite characters from Neighbours’ 2023 season – the year that almost wasn’t – and the results have been revealed.

When Neighbours’ axe was announced in February 2022, it left fans of the show devastated. July 2022 saw the final ever episode air, with a host of favourites from the show’s 37-year history returning to say one final goodbye.

Skylover, a member of NeighboursFans, launched a ‘Don’t Axe Neighbours‘ campaign on Change.org, asking Channel 5 to reconsider their decision to stop airing the show, with the petition attracting over 70,000 signatures.

The fan reaction to the axe, along with strong viewing figures for the final episode, attracted the attention of Amazon Freevee, who stepped in and rescued the show just months after the final episode aired.

Filming resumed in April 2023, and the show returned to screens around the world in September, reuniting us with familiar faces and bringing in some exciting new characters.

The new faces included the Varga-Murphy family – mums Cara (Sara West) and Remi (Naomi Rukavina) and their sons JJ (Riley Bryant) and Dex (Marley Williams), as well as Harold’s Café owner Haz Devkar (Shiv Palekar), Reece Sinclair (Mischa Barton), and later Krista Sinclair (Majella Davis) and Eden Shaw (Costa D’Angelo).

The renewal also gave us a better opportunity to get to know the Rodwell family – Wendy (Candice Leask), Andrew (Lloyd Will) and daughter Sadie (Emerald Chan) – who were introduced just months before the axe fell.

We also saw new looks for a number of characters, with a host of re-casts. Nicolette Stone is now played by Hannah Monson, while her brother Byron is now played by Xavier Molyneux.

Toadie’s children Nell and Hugo were aged up a few years, with Ayisha Salem-Towner and Tanner Ellis-Anderson taking over, while Leo’s daughter Abigail is now played by Nikita Kato, and Isla Tanaka-Brennan is now played by Hana Abe-Tucker.

For the past few weeks, members of NeighboursFans have been voting for their favourite characters of the rebooted show, and the results are now in. Only characters from the ‘Next Chapter’ were eligible, i.e. those who appeared on screens between September and December 2023.

The fan forum revealed the top 40 characters, with Sam Young (Henrietta Graham), Isla Tanaka-Brennan and Abigail Tanaka being the only regular characters to have received 0 points.

Outside of the Top 20 were Hugo Rebecchi, Leo (Tim Kano) and David Tanaka (Takaya Honda), Mackenzie Hargreaves (Georgie Stone), as well as newcomers Haz Devkar, Reece Sinclair, Dex Varga-Murphy, Krista Sinclair. Also missing out on the top 10 were a variety of returnee guests, including Harold Bishop (Ian Smith) and Lucy Robinson (Melissa Bell).

Keep reading to discover which characters made the Top 20.

Thanks to Skylover and Wizardt from NeighboursFans for their work on the feature, and for writing the blurbs below.

View the full Top 40 over on NeighboursFans.

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Top 20 Neighbours characters of 2023

20th – Mike Young (Guy Pearce)

‘What’s that, Mike? Our wedding’s on hold because a casual motorbike job has come up 10,000 miles away? Say that again – you’re breaking up…’

It’s far from clear how or even if the writers intend on digging Jane and Mike out of the storyline limbo they’ve found themselves in – but plenty of voters in our poll seem more than happy for the faux-finale fairytale to be kept alive, amidst much gratitude that Guy Pearce has been so generous with his time this year.

19th – Toadie Rebecchi (Ryan Moloney)

Toadie’s shock season premiere nuptials to fifth wife Terese may have got the fandom talking, but they haven’t done much to help his standing in our charts. Opinion’s mixed on the pairing, but it’s possible that over-exposure isn’t helping matters, with the duo appearing in around five out of every six episodes in 2023.

Perhaps the inescapable feeling that this unorthodox new union was doomed from the outset is also causing viewers to hit the fast-forward button?

18th – Chloe Brennan (April Rose Pengilly)

When Neighbours came to an end in 2022, many fans were pleased to see Chelly reunite. Elly was considered by some to be Chloe’s best on-screen partner, and evidently, their 2023 return and subsequent wedding was enough for Chloe to make it into our Top 20.

Some viewers have commented that Neighbours recently lacked characters who bring a light touch to scenes, and Chloe certainly filled that void this year, albeit briefly. Perhaps we will see Chloe and Elly again in future?

17th – Nell Rebecchi (Ayisha Salem-Towner)

Recasting Nell for the revival proved to be a controversial decision, as previous actress Scarlett Anderson had played her since birth. However, viewers were even more critical of the 4 year SORAS, but given this is the first time Nell’s point score has hit double figures in the Neighboursfans.com vote, and has also outranked her dad Toadie, it must have been a success.

Nell has often been used as a plot device in the Toadie/Mel/Terese/Paul quadrangle, but if she had her own stories, is it possible she could place even higher next year?

16th – Karl Kennedy (Alan Fletcher)

Despite a lower appearance count for 2023, Karl still manages to achieve a respectable placing this year. The Kennedys certainly feel refreshed with Holly back in tow, and it’s been a joy to see more of Karl’s relationship with his youngest daughter.

He’s not always been completely tactful in giving Holly relationship advice, but it makes sense to draw on Karl’s patriarchal side, and no doubt there is the potential for Karl’s placing to rise when he inevitably deals with the fall-out of whatever lies ahead for Izzy’s only child.

15th – Aaron Brennan (Matt Wilson)

Aaron places considerably higher than his husband David this year, perhaps owing to the fact that he’s been a bit more upbeat and positive on the whole since they returned.

While primarily playing a supporting role in 2023, the new dynamic with a recast Nicolette and him taking up a job at The Waterhole proves that there is more in store for Aaron, and it will be interesting to see what he does next. Perhaps Aaron will take a more central role in 2024?

14th – Terese Willis (Rebekah Elmaloglou)

A respectable ranking by most characters’ standards, Terese’s is marred somewhat by having tumbled all the way from second place since last year.

Could the wrath of ‘Praise’ fans, fuming about her split from perennially toxic soulmate Paul, be to blame for her partial fall from grace, or are viewers just not as enamoured with her relationship with Toadie as Terese herself purports to be?

Others, though, have found it refreshing to see her in a new family setup, bonding with stepkids Nell and Hugo. How long can it last?

13th – Andrew Rodwell (Lloyd Will)

A decent first ranking, to say Neighbours police characters don’t always get the warmest reception: partly because they’re often charmless jobsworths (g’day, Mishti!) with a penchant for handcuffing their nearest and dearest (hi, Mark!) But so far, the Sarge seems to have bucked the former trend quite impressively, and only acquiesced in wife Wendy’s arrest at her absolute insistence.

The possibility of a long-lost son in JJ revealed a sincere and caring heart in Andrew, too – we look forward to seeing where he goes from here…

12th – Sadie Rodwell (Emerald Chan)

Following the 2022 finale, fans mourned the opportunity to get to know the Rodwell family, who were sidelined in the lead up to the show’s conclusion. They were pleased when producers gave the family a prominent role in the revival and allowed viewers to enjoy what they might have missed out on.

The gratitude of the actors is noticeably reflected in their charismatic performances, and Emerald in particular has had great comic timing. Despite not having had any major storylines so far, she’s just shy of making it into this year’s top 10.

11th – Cara Varga-Murphy (Sara West)

Cara’s seemingly tough exterior could explain her just missing out on the Top 10. However, Number 11 is still a very respectable placing for such a new character, which is testament to the success of the Varga-Murphy family, who have excellent chemistry and are considered to be one of the best Neighbours families in years.

Arguably reminiscent of Steph Scully, there’s something about Cara that feels very ‘Neighbours’, and we get the feeling she could crack the Top 10 in future.

10th – Susan Kennedy (Jackie Woodburne)

Susan played a pivotal role in wrapping up the series back in 2022, narrating a beautifully written final scene, touching the hearts of many fans across the world. It feels inevitable she’d drop a few places this year, especially considering she has played a more supporting role in recent episodes. Reaching the Top 10 is still an excellent achievement nonetheless.

Having been forced into retirement due to Karl’s impulsive behaviour, new storyline opportunities lay ahead for the character. There is surely potential for some dramatic material between Susan and step-daughter Holly, though their relationship seems to be in a good place at the moment. Perhaps Susan could even write the odd article for the Erinsborough News to rile up her neighbours again?

9th – Holly Hoyland (Lucinda Armstrong Hall)

Fans have long called for the return of Holly to give the Kennedys a new lease of life, and it seems to have worked wonders. Despite many fans calling for a recast, there is no denying that Lucinda Armstrong Hall has been one of the shining lights of 2023, evidenced by the fact she makes it into our Top 10.

The unlikely pairing with Haz wasn’t well-received, but Holly’s central role in flashback week certainly helped elevate the storyline and showcase Lucinda’s acting talent. Holly ranks as the highest female character in her age bracket this year. We’re yet to see her share many similarities with her mum Izzy, but maybe if we do, she could rank even higher?

8th – Paul Robinson (Stefan Dennis)

While Toadie and Terese’s romance hasn’t done them any favours in terms of rankings, Paul gains a place this year, perhaps indicating that viewers enjoy seeing him away from his repetitive romance storylines. While Toadie and Melanie seem caught in each other’s orbits, Paul hasn’t interfered in Terese’s life…well, not much anyway.

Any romantic combination of these characters seems to prove divisive, but it’s perhaps reassuring that there is room to explore other aspects of Paul’s life, though hotel drama has taken precedence again for now. Never far from trouble, it could be nice to see him mellow in his twilight years.

Evidently though, fans love the character despite his bad behaviour and inability to learn from his mistakes.

7th – Byron Stone (Xavier Molyneux)

Much like sibling neighbours Nell and Hugo, both Byron and Nicolette were recast this year, which was a very risky move, owing to the popularity of the previous actors.

Despite appearing for only a short stint in 2022, Byron made his mark, and some fans still can’t get used to the new actor. Having said that, most viewers have taken extremely well to Xavier, resulting in Byron being the most popular 20-something male character in our poll this year.

Reece and Byron’s romance had its fans, while Byron 2 has had excellent chemistry with his on-screen family. The Stone/Young family dynamic has certainly been a highlight of recent Neighbours, though given Byron works well with most characters he shares scenes with, it’s hard to predict where his storylines could go next.

6th – Melanie Pearson (Lucinda Cowden)

Usually providing viewers with welcome comedy relief, Melanie was taken in a different direction this year with a dramatic storyline revealing that much more was happening around the time of her wedding than fans realised. The heavy signposting of a reunion with Toadie doesn’t seem to have put fans off the character, as she climbs 9 places this year.

Viewers clearly enjoy seeing different sides to the character, but here’s hoping Melanie also tunes back into her fun, quirky side again in future. It has been suggested she could have a niece or nephew introduced to give the character purpose outside her love life, but a touching relationship with former step-daughter Nell should keep her busy in the meantime.

5th – Nicolette Stone (Hannah Monson)

There was widespread consensus when news of the recast leaked that Charlotte Chimes’ were difficult boots to fill indeed, so it’s all the more impressive that Hannah Monson’s fresh take on everyone’s favourite conniving co-parent has seen her somersault into a Top 5 spot.

What’s not yet clear is whether this really is the scheming, self-absorbed Nicolette of old, or if her time in the country has prompted a somewhat maturer side to emerge, the worst misdemeanour she’d managed as of year’s end being some low-level civil disobedience (oh, and keeping schtum about the ‘dead’ girl on the roof).

But is new Nic really a reformed character, or is she simply biding her time until her next magnificent sleight of hand?

4th – Jane Harris (Annie Jones)

Jane’s proven popular in our polls from her return to the main cast in 2020, hitting the No 1 spot that year and remaining in the Top 5 ever since. Her fourth-place rank has held steady since 2022, perhaps cemented by the excitement of fresh scenes with Mike at the outset of the revival.

In Susan’s words, the pair ‘recaptured a moment in time’ in the finale, and Neighbours has clung to that moment ever since, secretly filming a magical UK proposal weeks before the lights came back on at Nunawading. While awaiting her betrothed’s return, Jane’s been busy rallying the troops at Erinsborough High, narrowly avoiding fisticuffs with Terese, and getting pleasantly merry on Leo’s finest spirits. We love her for it.

3rd – Wendy Rodwell (Candice Leask)

Yoo-hoo! It’s no exaggeration to say that Wendy’s rise through the ranks this year has been meteoric. While she’d already accrued a firm following in 2022, it seems clear from our poll that bringing her and the rest of the Rodwells back has been the right decision by showrunners, and not just because it remains true to the spirit of continuity established in the final weeks of 2022.

Wendy is in many ways the quintessential Neighbours character – eccentric, loveable, with a great capacity for comic scenes, but with flaws and deep-rooted vulnerabilities that ensure she’s always compelling to watch. In addition to her hilarious stickybeak tendencies, it’s arguably her need to find acceptance among Ramsay Street’s pantheon of legends that has made her such an enjoyable character.

Now she has joined their ranks: go, Rodwells!

2nd – JJ Varga-Murphy (Riley Bryant)

There’s sometimes a danger that new families are thrown in at the deep end, with relentless high drama at the expense of warmth-engendering, character-driven scenes – but JJ’s story has expertly balanced the need for both. An impressive debut by Riley Bryant has complemented thoughtful writing to create a modern, moving take on the very human drive to explore one’s roots.

Eschewing past Neighbours teen archetypes, JJ seems a solitary, sensitive soul, a little green around the edges, whose emotional connection to Ramsay Street was baked in from the very first scene of the revival – bonding us to his story as our own connections to the iconic cul-de-sac were resown, like confetti that just won’t blow away.

Maybe in 2024 we’ll finally learn what the double ‘J’ stands for – and the answer to that enduring question, ‘who’s the daddy?’

1st – Remi Varga-Murphy (Naomi Rukavina)

Bringing in a new family all at once always carries some degree of risk, but without risk there are no rewards – and it’s safe to conclude from our results this year that the Varga-Murphys have been received unusually well by our members as new units go, immediately bagging themselves the top two spots.

As a character, Remi seems to be rather an all-rounder – a caring, committed doctor, a firm but loving mum and wife, but also good-humoured and seamlessly slotting into lighter-hearted scenes.

Soap newcomers often take their time to bed in acting-wise, but Naomi Rukavina’s performances have widely won high praise from the outset – particularly during the revelations of the JJ paternity plot and the climax of the Linwell drama – which may help explain why Remi has won sufficient hearts to take our crown this year.

To see the full countdown, from 40 to 0, including the list of characters who didn’t receive a single vote, head to NeighboursFans.

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Here at Back to the Bay, we ran our own Neighbours Most Popular Character poll back in 2021, with Toadie Rebecchi taking the top spot. In that poll, fans were voting for their favourite character from the show’s 37-year history.

Here’s what Ryan had to say to the loyal Neighbours fans who voted him Neighbours’ Most Popular Character:

“Hey, this is so cool! Thank you so much, it’s a terrific way to cap off 2021 which has been another challenging year.  The entire cast appreciate all the support and love our UK fans continue to give Neighbours and personally, I’m really chuffed.”

View our full countdown here.

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