Guy Pearce pokes fun at Neighbours finale after returning for 'last ever' episodes

 "Our finale look like a rather expensive exercise."

Guy Pearce has joked about the Neighbours ‘finale’, following news that the Australian soap had been revived.

Pearce reprised his role as Mike Young in July for what was originally the show’s last-ever episode, but Amazon Freevee announced last month that they would be rebooting the soap.

A tribute to the soap was aired during the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA) awards ceremony, with Pearce quipping about the show’s speedy resurrection.

“It’s hard to watch, isn’t it? Knowing we’ll never see another episode ever again,” he joked (via RadioTimes). "A painful reminder that the things we love can be snatched away, never to return... unless Amazon comes in to save the day and makes our finale look like a rather expensive exercise.”

He also recalled a story which saw fellow Neighbours returnee Margot Robbie send producers a bottle of Champagne, joking that the actress would be asking to have it back: “I don’t want to say [it was a] waste of time. But still, I’m sure that Margot will be happy,” he said.

Pearce, who made his debut on the soap in 1986 before departing in 1989, recently spoke about the events of the finale, which saw Mike move in with Jane Harris and his daughter, Sam.

“I’ve just inadvertently committed myself to another four years, I’ll just call my American agent and tell him to forget about all that other work,” he joked, before adding that the plot developments finally gave him some “real closure.”

Though it is unlikely that Pearce will return in the reboot next year, Freevee has announced that Stefan Dennis, Alan Fletcher, Jackie Woodburne and Ryan Moloney will all be reprising their roles; no other casting decisions have been revealed.

Neighbours returns in the second half of 2023 with new episodes streaming free on Amazon Freevee in the UK and US. Network 10 will retain first-run rights in Australia for the new series.