Paul’s nefarious deeds are many:he tried to poison Erinsborough’s drinking waterways,he set fire to Lassiters and killed Gus Cleary in the process,attempted to bulldoze Ramsay Street and everything in it,and,horror of horrors,blew up a beautiful 1960s convertible E-type Jaguar. That’s not even to mention his six marriages.
He is the villain we all love to hate. In fact,in the late ’80s I was dubbed “The Junior JR”,which I wore as a bit of a badge.
One would think living with this dastardly character would create all sorts of problems for me in the real world,but it’s always the opposite. Rather than booing,hissing and stone throwing,I’m normally met with “Hey Paul … legend!” Funny old world,isn’t it.
It is a rare thing for a professional actor to be gainfully employed for most of their life. Though it’s fairly well known that I left the show and returned 12 years later as the same character,it was directly on the back of my profile fromNeighbours that I was able to get consistent high-profile work in the UK for all of those 12 years. Many,too,have rocketed to global superstardom from that wonderful training ground,among them Kylie Minogue,Guy Pearce,Russell Crowe and Margot Robbie.
Neighbours is renowned for its trend-setting (remember Scott’s mullet?),moral conscience,groundbreaking narratives,and mentoring and training,not to mention the impact on Australian tourism. It gives me a huge sense of pride knowing that this little show from Melbourne went on to become one of the most talked about and successful soaps of all time.
So why is such a show coming to a final close? Simply put,it is all about the quickly changing landscape in the way we view our favourite TV shows. Drama on free-to-air television is dying a rapid death because nowadays viewers are used to being able to watch what they want when they want.