They are one of the most iconic soap couples of all time, so Neighbours fans were delighted to hear that Jason Donovan and Kylie Minogue will be making a surprise return to the show as their iconic characters Scott Robinson and Charlene Mitchell.
The Aussie soap is ending this August after 35 years, but not before Kylie and Jason film their ‘fairytale ending’.
Executive producer Jason Herbison, said: “We are thrilled that Jason and Kylie have come home to play a very special part in our series finale.”
Teen sweethearts Scott and Charlene were among the most popular pairing on Neighbours, pulling in a massive 20 million UK viewers when they got hitched in 1988.
But who are some of the other best soap couples of all time?
Jack and Vera Duckworth (Coronation Street)
During their 50-year marriage, Corrie couple Jack and Vera, who were in the soap for 32 years, survived infidelity, their wayward son Terry and financial hardships and had several iconic on-screen bust ups.
Battleaxe Vera not only had to deal with her husband’s roving eye - with a memorable moment being when Vera caught her husband on a dating website and honey-trapped him into a meet-up - but his love for the homing pigeons she despised.
Played by the late Bill Tarmey and Liz Dawn, the couple’s hilarious antics made them extremely popular with viewers, who were devastated when Vera died in her armchair in 2008.
The couple clearly loved each other deep down - before Jack died from cancer in 2010 Vera appeared as a ghost and they enjoyed a final dance together. Executive producer Kieran Roberts said: “They’re one of the great television couples. I think it was the right thing to see them together in his final moments.”
Den and Angie Watts (EastEnders)
Not all couples go on to have a happy ending... in one of the most-watched TV episodes ever 30 million people tuned in to see Den Watts serve wife Angie with divorce papers on Christmas Day 1986.
Played by Leslie Grantham and Anita Dobson, the pair spent almost 19 years married to each other, but it was an incredibly turbulent relationship thanks to both having multiple affairs.
Angie, who was the first landlady of Walford’s Queen Vic pub, also struggled with alcoholism. Den and Angie’s storylines meant they quickly became fan favourites, with Anita recalling of her fame: “People were following me home in cars, singing outside my window, I couldn’t go to pubs or walk down the street.”
Angie lied about having a terminal illness, which sparked the divorce. She left the show in 1988 to be with her lover Sonny in Spain, while Dirty Den was ‘killed off’ by gangsters in 1989, returning from the dead in a shock 2002 storyline.
Jimmy and Jackie Corkhill (Brookside)
Regularly described as a ‘rogue’, Jimmy (Dean Sullivan) was the husband from hell for his long-suffering wife Jackie. The latter, played by Sue Jenkins, had to deal with her husband’s cocaine and ecstasy problems, him dressing up as a member of the Gestapo at the close’s D-Day celebrations and even rival drug dealers killing her pet cat in a drive-by shooting.
Jackie also had an affair with their neighbour Ron Dixon after she discovered that Jimmy had bought their home in Brookside Close using his drug money. Despite all their difficulties, they were one of the nation’s best-loved TV couples, with their relationship winning a soap award in 2000.
However, it wasn’t to be and the pair separated in 2001 after Jimmy suffered from depression. Sue said of the scene: “Both Jackie and Jimmy were crying because they loved each other but had decided to divorce... it was very poignant.” Jimmy was the longest-standing character on the soap, remaining there until it ended in 2003.
Robert Sugden and Aaron Livesy (Emmerdale)
Known affectionately as ‘Robron’ by Emmerdale fans, Robert Sugden and Aaron Livesy topped a 2021 Radio Times poll that asked TV viewers to vote for their favourite soap couple of all time.
The pair, played by Ryan Hawley and Danny Miller, first got together in 2014 after Robert left his fianceé Chrissie for Aaron. The ‘Robron’ craze even saw some Emmerdale viewers go on to write steamy fanfiction about their pair, while the soap’s producer Iain MacLeod said: “I have never seen anything like it to be honest - it is a phenomenon. They have been through so much and survived it, so the audience are rooting for them.”
Their relationship came to an end in 2019 when Robert was sentenced to life imprisonment for killing his sister Victoria’s rapist Lee, while Aaron later departed the show last year when he decided to leave the village with his new partner Ed after being accused of arson.
Karl and Susan Kennedy (Neighbours)
Another much-loved Neighbours couple, Karl (Alan Fletcher) and Susan (Jackie Woodburne) were childhood sweethearts who had married in 1978. But thanks to infidelity, secret children and a host of other secrets and lies, they have had a very up and down relationship, even separating from each other in 2012.
Another memorable storyline for the pair in 2002 saw Susan slip on a milk carton and bang her head, resulting in her thinking it was the 1970s, meaning she had to slowly fall back in love with Karl again.
But with the soap coming to an end this summer, Alan has revealed that the pair could divorce, saying that his character is set to make a very big mistake. He added: “Susan has realised that Karl is a deeply, deeply flawed person and she can’t change him so she just has to accept his flaws and learn to love them.”
Bobby and Pam Ewing (Dallas)
Classic soap Dallas was known for its outlandish storylines, and the relationship between Bobby (Patrick Duffy) and Pam (Victoria Principal) was one of their most iconic. Their 1978 wedding drew comparisons to Romeo and Juliet, as the pair were from hostile rival families but their love for each other held strong across the divide.
But while they had amazing chemistry on-screen, Patrick admitted that was something he and Victoria had to learn, saying: “We were in a constant state of competition. We were very territorial in front of the camera, and it was a strain.”
The couple were also responsible for the most bizarre storyline in Dallas when Patrick left the show - and his on-screen wife - after being killed off in 1985. Ratings began to plummet, so the Bobby actor returned.
The previous series was written off as a dream with Pam waking up to find her husband alive in the shower.
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Blake and Krystle Carrington (Dynasty)
Eighties’ American soap Dynasty was known for big hair, big shoulder pads... and big romances. The most memorable was between oil tycoon Blake (Grant Show) and his second wife Krystle (Linda Evans) who was devoted to her husband despite the many obstacles along the way.
Previously, Blake had been married to Alexis (Joan Collins) who loved to meddle in her ex-spouse’s new relationship and provided the perfect enemy for Krystle.
Like any soap couple, the pair had their fair share of ups and downs, from Blake being violent and committing adultery to a very strange storyline from 1991 spin-off miniseries The Reunion which saw Krystle attempted to be brainwashed into shooting Blake by an evil international group, but she failed to pull the trigger.
Dynasty co-creator Esther Shapiro said: “Krystle is a woman who wants her husband Blake more than anything else, for richer or for poorer. It pleases Krystle to share the frustrations and challenges of Blake’s life.”
David and Rosemary Hunter (Crossroads)
The first incarnation of British soap Crossroads, which was set in a fictional Midlands motel, attracted millions of viewings during its heyday. Many of them were tuning in to watch the trials and tribulations of David and Rosemary, played by Ronald Allen and Janet Hargreaves.
Crossroads was known for its ridiculous plots, and several of these memorable storylines featured the normally mild-mannered and debonair motel owner David and his “technicolour villain” wife Rosemary whose behaviour was often unhinged.
David was shocked to discover that his heavy drinking wife had been a bigamist and their son Chris wasn’t his.
In 1980, Rosemary shot David in the motel office after delivering the iconic line: “David... say it... tell me you love me.” David later divorced Rosemary and went on to marry Barbara Brady, played by Sue Lloyd.
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