Neighbours spoilers follow.
Neighbours mechanic Max Ramsay finds himself at the centre of a storm next week, as his dad Shane returns with a drastic plan to replace Ramsay Street! With everyone still reeling from the news that the Street will be demolished to make room for a new freeway, Shane suggests that they should move en masse to a new development: Ramsay Hills.
Shane reveals that he’s earmarked a plot of land, not too far away, where the Erinsborough favourites could all start afresh. Eager Max is quickly on board, but how will everyone else feel? And will Paul Robinson throw a spanner in the works with his rival proposal for a high-rise development called Robinson Heights?
In part two of our interview with Ben Jackson, who plays Max, we get all the gossip on Shane’s big idea and Neighbours’ imminent ending…
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Shane Ramsay is heading back to Ramsay Street! How was it to see your on-screen dad Peter O’Brien back on set?
“It was amazing, as Peter is so much fun to work with. I wish I’d got to do even more with him. He is such an incredible actor – one of our best – so it was great to have the opportunity again.
“What a lot of people don’t realise is that Peter has got a wicked sense of humour, so he definitely helped to lift everyone’s spirits at what could have otherwise been a bit of a sad time, during those final weeks of filming.
“It was also a lovely time on set in general because we had a bunch of other cast members come back. It felt like a big, beautiful family reunion.”
How does Shane’s shocking idea for Ramsay Hills go down with everyone?
“It is a very, very controversial idea! It divides everyone a little bit. Some people are all for it. Karl’s a bit iffy about it, until he hears that there could be a Kennedy street named after him! (Laughs.)
“It also serves as the inception for a bit of a turf war between Shane and Paul. That calls back to the early days of Neighbours, when there were storylines with the Ramsays vs. the Robinsons, which is pretty cool.”
Were you excited over that classic feud being revisited again?
“So excited! I remember chatting to Tom Sage, who was the digital producer on Neighbours and he also worked in the story room. I was just begging him for answers in terms of how the show was going to end.
“He said: ‘I can’t tell you right now how it’s going to end, but I can tell you that Max is involved in a pretty cool way’. So as soon as I heard that, I was very excited. It was really special.
“It was just a reminder of how lucky I was to play a Ramsay. I was able to be part of such a cool legacy by being one of those family members.”
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Were you surprised when it was announced in February that Neighbours would be ending, or had the cast been prepared for the possibility?
“When I signed up for the role of Max in April 2024, I was fully anticipating that I was going to be on Neighbours for a lot longer. I really believed that the show would have a lot more of a future.
“As time went on, I think paranoia definitely grew among the cast and crew, as we weren’t really hearing any answers and things got a bit delayed. We were supposed to find out at a certain time – then the negotiations were ongoing.
“I wasn’t sure which way it was going to go. There were some people in the building that were 100% certain we were going to be fine, and then there were other people in the building that were 100% certain that we weren’t! I think I had a foot in both camps!
“When the day came, that initial shock definitely hit me and I think we were all really taken aback by it. It was really difficult to process. But we all just supported each other and got on with it, as we had filming to do.”
There were a few cast departures around the episode 400 mark in August. We know that was the end of the initial two-year Amazon commission, and the current run of episodes is a three-month extension to wrap things up. Were you always staying for the finale?
“Originally I was first contracted up until April this year, with the possibility of a renewal as well. We were so fortunate that the negotiations for the show were still ongoing, and because they hadn’t reached a final agreement yet, that deadline got pushed from April to July.
“I was so grateful for that – just knowing that we had those final few extra months to really, really enjoy the show, as opposed to having to finish earlier. My plan was always to hopefully stay on until the end, as long as they would have me.”
How was it going through that burst of cast changes, with some characters like Aaron and Byron leaving but others like Colton and Zac joining?
“When we found out the show was being cancelled, we still had 100 episodes left to shoot! We had a long time to process it and the finale felt quite far away.
“So when people did start to leave, like Matty Wilson (Aaron) and Xavier Molyneux (Byron), it all started to feel a little bit morbid. I think we were all looking around at each other going: ‘Oh no, it’s the beginning of the end!’
“But simultaneously, it was so, so lovely with the fresh blood coming in. We had Jakob Ambrose, who played Colton, and Alex Kaan, who played Zak.
Prime Video / FremantleMedia Australia
“Funnily enough, Alex and I actually went to drama school together. We were in the same year at university and we lived in a share house together. I was just completely over the moon about him joining. It felt like such a full circle moment because he was such a close friend – and then Jakob became such a close friend as well.
“The presence of the new characters definitely invigorated us a little bit.”
It’s no secret that the Nunawading studios, where the majority of Neighbours scenes were filmed, have been handed back over to the landlord. Is the show really over for good this time, or could the bosses pull a rabbit out of the hat?
“I think they could definitely pull a rabbit out of the hat. Never say never. Our producers have ended the show in a really great way that allows the opportunity for Neighbours to come back, potentially in a different form.
“Despite the fact that the studios are being torn apart, which is really sad to see, the spirit of Neighbours is very much the characters and the people. It doesn’t necessarily matter where they are. I think it would always work if they were all together. I know I’m hoping for that.”
Depending on what happens at the end, it could be in Ramsay Hills!
“Yeah, you’ve got the possibility of Ramsay Hills, or Robinson Towers, or Ramsay Street just being saved and everything going back to normal. It could take the show elsewhere, but also at the same time, it’s a really entertaining and moving storyline in its own right. So they were able to kill two birds with one stone there.”
How has life been for you since filming ended? We’ve seen that you’re still very much involved in the Neighbours world after taking part in a recent fan event in Melbourne?
“Yes, one of my biggest fears when filming ended was that I was slowly going to drift from all of these wonderful people that I’d become so close with. So a big priority for me was maintaining the connections I’d made.
“Thankfully, thus far touch wood, we’ve all stayed really close and we’ve seen a lot of each other, which has been lovely.
“I’ve also come back to Sydney, where I was originally from, so I’ve been touching base with my friends and family back home. I think it was very needed. I hadn’t seen them in such a long time – especially for the first six months of this year, because shooting became so intense. So it’s been a really lovely opportunity to reconnect with them.
Prime Video / FremantleMedia Australia
“Since then, I’ve been really fortunate enough to come back to Melbourne for the recent Neighbours fan event. It was such a wonderful day to reunite with the cast.
“Also, when we’re shooting the show and we’re cooped up in the studios, it’s hard to properly get the opportunity to go out and meet people who watch Neighbours. So getting to be face to face with people that support us and the show meant the absolute world to me – and it still does.”
Are you back auditioning?
“Yes, moving on from this dream job of shooting so intensely, being on set and acting every day was a bit of a difficult transition at first. But it’s given me the opportunity to really focus on what’s next. I’ve been auditioning – fingers crossed something comes from that and I can hopefully snag the next thing.
“I’ve definitely got my eye on America a little bit as well. That market is something that I’m really excited to have a go at cracking. Hopefully I can keep the dream going and something comes soon.”
We’ve heard that you specifically asked to be included in the final scene filmed for Neighbours – it sounds like it really meant a lot to you?
“Yes, I’m a very sentimental person and I had the time of my life working on Neighbours. It was the best year of my life, I loved everyone I worked with so much and the whole experience meant so much to me.
“When we were coming into the final week of filming, that sadness started to seep into me a little bit. Half-way through the week, the schedules were changed and my final scene was going to be on the Thursday, rather than the final day of shooting on the Friday.
“I had my head in my hands a little bit, as I needed that extra 24 hours to say goodbye to the show and Max! One of the ADs suggested texting Andrew Thompson, one of the producers, to ask if I could be in the last scene on the Friday. The AD pointed out it was a big group scene which Shane was included in, so Max could realistically be there too.
Prime Video / FremantleMedia Australia
“I texted Andrew to ask: ‘Bit of a long shot here. Is there any chance we can just drop Max in that last scene? I don’t need to say anything. I can just be a background extra, just so I can experience this right until the very end’.
“The next morning I received a lovely text from him, which said: ‘Your wish has been granted’. So I was able to be a part of the final scene ever filmed for the show, which I’m so grateful for because I think I would have really struggled to have said goodbye earlier. I was very, very lucky.”
What were your Neighbours highlights?
“I was lucky in that Max wasn’t one note the whole way. He started as a certain type of character, but then he had his redemption arc and he went through a lot of different things. It was great to have such a varied journey.
“The electrocution stunt was a lot of fun, as well as the episode where Max jumped in front of the car to save Sadie. Also, the affair storyline and Holly’s pregnancy were really fantastic as well.
“But I was also so blessed that being a Ramsay allowed me to have a lot of material with the old guard on the show. Not only Peter O’Brien, but Anne Charleston (Madge / Agnes) and Ian Smith (Harold). Just by association of being a Ramsay, I was able to have material with some legends, which was a big highlight as well.
“I was able to interact with all different walks of life on the show, which not everyone was lucky enough to be able to do.”
Do you think we would have seen more of Max’s family if the show had stuck around for longer?
“I’m not entirely sure but I would like to say so. I’d love to give a shout-out to Mia Foran who played Max’s little sister Saskia. I think we can all agree that she did an absolutely tremendous job and played her part very well.
“I like to think that if the show had been renewed, they would have brought Mia back as potentially a regular character, which I would have loved.
“I loved shooting that stuff with her and obviously Max’s mum Yvette too. It was nice to have some family for Max in town. So I like to think that if the show were to continue, we would have seen a lot more.”
Neighbours releases new episodes from Mondays to Thursdays for free on Prime Video in the UK and US. In Australia, the show airs from Mondays to Thursdays at 4pm on Channel 10, with a 6.30pm repeat screening on 10 Peach Comedy.
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