Neighbours icon Guy Pearce has revealed that he and Jason Donovan still call each other by their character names more than thirty years after leaving the soap.
Guy shot to stardom after playing Mike Young in Neighbours and is one of the former stars reprising his role for the finale.
He played Mike Young from 1986 to 1989 and was the best friend of Jason Donovan’s Scott Robinson and Kylie Minogue’s Charlene Mitchell.
Talking to the Radio Times, he revealed that he and Jason are not only on-screen best friends but also share a close friendship in real life and still call each other Scott and Mike from their Neighbours days.
He said: "Jason [Donovan] and I see each other all the time, and we still call each other Scott and Mike which is a bit sad!
"Whenever I’m in London I’ll see Jason most times and I’ll see Kylie [Minogue] as well if she’s around. There are a few others I catch up with when I’m in Melbourne like Stefan [Dennis] and Annie of course, she’s been on Jack Irish with me."
After 37 years on screen, the Australian soap will come to an end on July 29 with a double-episode special, which will see a number of original stars returning, including Jason Donovan as Scott Robinson, Kylie Minogue as Charlene Mitchell, Peter O’Brien as Shane Ramsay and Ian Smith as Harold Bishop and more.
Mike will make his explosive return to Erinsborough next week to reconnect with his ex-girlfriend Jane Harris (Annie Jones) as her partner Clive Gibbons (Geoff Payne) tries to make amends for his lies.
Guy shared more about what happened in Mike’s life off-screen and his comeback to Erinsborough more than thirty years on.
"Mike moved to Perth and became a teacher there," Pearce explained. "And you learn through these episodes that Mike has a child, and he and his daughter have moved back to Erinsborough."
Neighbours will air Mike’s return on Friday, July 29 at 6:00 pm on Channel 5.
The Neighbours finale will air on Friday, July 29 on Channel 5 at 9 pm. Until then Neighbours airs weekdays at 1.45 pm and 6 pm on Channel 5. You can also stream on My5.
