Neighbours confirms why absent character returns after 38 years

 She's got a plan, but Susan's worried it will backfire.

Neighbours has confirmed why Amanda Harris is back after 38 years away.

Briony Behets will be back on screen as Jane Harris' mother for the first time in decades next Wednesday (23 April).

Amanda will be taking up residence at Eirini Rising and introducing herself to the likes of Darcy Tyler and Sadie Rodwell, but it turns out there's more to her big move than it first appears.

In scenes set to air next Wednesday, Susan and Karl Kennedy are comforting Darcy after his break-up with Chelsea Murphy, while glamorous Amanda arrives at Eirini Rising, ready to move in.

Susan helps her move and realises that she's Jane's mother after seeing a photo of the two of them together.

However, she's told by Amanda to keep her arrival a secret, as she admits that she wants to test her family to see how much they care.

Susan feels backed into a corner, and is worried her friendship with Jane could be affected.

Amanda's plan is sure to end badly in a small town like Erinsborough where gossip spreads like wildfire," our Neighbours source reveals.

"Jane only works next door in Erinsborough High, so keeping Amanda's presence under wraps for long seems like a tall order. There's a difficult history between mum and daughter, but surely Amanda would be better off talking it through rather than playing games?"

That's not all Amanda gets up to in her return episode though, as she meets Darcy and instantly starts prying into his woman trouble, revealing herself to be very flirtatious.