Toadie Rebecchi to leave Neighbours after 30 years

Toadie Rebecchi is set to leave Ramsay Street, as actor Ryan Moloney departs Neighbours after nearly 30 years.

Neighbours has this morning announced that Ryan Moloney is set to bow out of the show later this year, spelling an end to his character Jarrod ‘Toadie’ Rebecchi after nearly three decades.

In a video released on Neighbours‘ social media channels this morning, Ryan announced himself as “formerly Jarrod ‘Toadfish’ Rebecchi from Neighbours”, before explaining, “that’s right, I did say formerly, because after 30 years of playing Toadie, I will be leaving Ramsay Street.”

He was tight-lipped on how his character would leave the show, teasing that he can’t reveal whether he’ll be killed off or leave Erinsborough for a fresh start:

“I can’t tell you what is going to happen to the character, whether or not we are going to see him again. Maybe I could be the next Jim Robinson and just…” Ryan continued, clutching his chest to imitate the heart attack Jim’s character suffered back in 1993.

“Or maybe I’ll be the next Harold Bishop and just keep popping back over the years.”

Ryan went on to explain that it’s not the end of his Neighbours journey, as he’ll be heading behind the camera to work as a director:

“Although I won’t be bringing you our fantastic storylines from in front of the camera, I do hope to be bringing them to you from the other side, behind the camera. I’ve just started director training and have just finished filming my first episode as a director, so I really hope you enjoy that.

“Before I go, I would just like to take the opportunity to say thank you all so much for all the love that you have shown me and Toadie over the years. For three decades, in fact.

“I’m going to miss you, and I’m going to miss him, and I’m going to miss Erinsborough.

“But whatever you do, make sure you do not miss what is going to happen on Ramsay Street. Bye.”

Jason Herbison, Neighbours’ Executive Producer, said: “Toadie is an Australian television icon and Ryan is Ramsay Street royalty. The street won’t be the same without seeing him every week however there’s every chance he will pop back in the future.

“In the meantime, we’re thrilled to support his directing ambitions and can’t wait for viewers to see how Toadie’s season-long story arc plays out. Ryan’s been instrumental in the journey and has blown us away with his performance.”

Jarrod ‘Toadfish’ Rebecchi has been a fixture on our screens since he was first brought in as a guest in January 1995. Named by writer Liz Packett, who had picked up the nickname during her time in school, Toadie wasn’t ever meant to grace our screens for long.

Fast forward 29 years, and it’s clear why he’s one of the show’s most iconic and beloved characters – with viewers voting him Back to the Bay’s Most Popular Character back in 2021.

Throughout his time he’s played a myriad of different roles – he began as a tearaway teen, later headed to Eden Hills University to study law, before transforming No. 30 into the chaotic but fun ‘House of Trouser’.

He married Dee Bliss (Madeleine West) back in 2003, but she was believed dead after their wedding car plunged off a cliff just hours after their nuptials.

He later found love again with Sonya (Eve Morey), and became a family man after the birth of their daughter Nell (then Scarlett Anderson, now Ayisha Salem-Towner).

He’s loved, been loved, hurt, been hurt, and has even been shot and paralysed, but his endurance has always been his strength, his tenacity and his love of family – even if more recent years have seen him make some questionable decisions.

He now has three children – as well as daughter Nell and adopted son Callum (Morgan Baker), his youngest child Hugo (then John Turner, now Tanner Ellis-Anderson) was born after Toadie slept with Andrea Somers, believing her to be Dee.

Toadie has been front and centre since Neighbours returned in September 2023, with his relationship with Terese Willis (Rebekah Elmaloglou) dividing fans. He also played a significant role in what was believed to be Neighbours‘ final episode when the show ended in July 2022.

The finale saw him marry Melanie Pearson (Lucinda Cowden), in a wedding which many fans struggled to get behind, believing that the on-again-off-again couple were only marrying to end the show with a big wedding.

After Amazon Freevee stepped in to save Neighbours and it returned to our screens in September 2023, Toadie was getting married again – this time to Terese.

An equally divisive pairing, with even their on-screen friends initially doubting their relationship, the couple have endured a tough first year of marriage, culminating with Toadie sleeping with his ex-wife Melanie.

Toadie and Terese are now firmly back together and giving things another go, but just when we thought that the drama was behind them, it looks like the writers will be plotting even more twists and turns to bring an end to Toadie’s time in Erinsborough.

No date has been given for Toadie’s departure, and it hasn’t been confirmed whether Ryan has already filmed his final episode.

However, with Jason Herbison referencing Toadie’s “season-long story arc,” and September marking the one-year anniversary of Neighbours’ return to screens, we suspect that we’ll be seeing Toadie head for pastures new in September.

While we’ll be saying goodbye to Toadie, Ryan himself won’t be saying goodbye to Neighbours completely. Following in the footsteps of former co-stars Kate Kendall (Lauren Turner) and Scott Major (Lucas Fitzgerald), he’s set to move to a backstage role as he heads behind the camera and turns his hand to directing.

He has begun director training and has already directed his first episode of the show.

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Ryan’s one-man ‘Toad on the Road‘ tour kicks off in Birmingham, UK on Tuesday 3rd September, where he’ll be talking about his three decades playing Toadie.

The tour dates in full are as follows:

Tuesday 3rd September
Birmingham Town Hall

Wednesday 4th September
Newport Riverfront Theatre

Thursday 5th September
Malvern Festival Theatre

Friday 6th September
Poole Lighthouse Theatre

Saturday 7th September
Yeovil Westlands Ballroom

Monday 9th September
Norwich Playhouse

Tuesday 10th September
Worthing Pavilion

Wednesday 11th September
Maidstone Hazlitt Theatre

Thursday 12th September
Clacton Westcliff Theatre

Friday 13th September
Basingstoke Haymarket (Anvil)

Sunday 15th September
Blackpool Grand Theatre

Monday 16th September
Buxton Opera House

Thursday 19th September
Peterborough New Theatre

Friday 20th September
Shrewsbury Severn Theatre

Saturday 21st September
New Brighton Floral Pavilion

Sunday 22nd September
Chesterfield Winding Wheel

Monday 23rd September
Bradford St George’s Hall

Tuesday 24th September
Glasgow Pavilion

Thursday 26th September
Whitley Bay Playhouse

Friday 27th September
Haddington Corn Exchange