Yahoo News Neighbours boss explains decision to write out Toadie Rebecchi
Neighbours boss Jason Herbison has explained the decision to write long-running character Toadie Rebecchi out of the show.
It was announced in June that Toadie will soon be leaving Erinsborough after more than three decades, though Ryan Moloney, who has played the character since 1995, recently surprised fans by confirming that the decision to leave wasn't his.
Discussing the shock decision during a new interview with TV Tonight, executive producer Herbison said it was carefully thought out given that "Ryan is a beloved cast member and Toadie is an iconic Neighbours character".
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"It's a little hard for me to talk about as we're in the middle of a very big storyline involving Toadie, however, our long-term plans will become clearer in the fullness of time," he added.
"Both Ryan and Toadie are very important to the Neighbours universe, and this was uppermost in our minds as we look to the future."
Further explaining the reason behind the decision, he continued: "Like all long-running shows around the world, we want Neighbours to constantly evolve to best match what's happening in the world and to keep the production model fresh and sustainable.
"We want to keep viewers on their toes, while also progressing storylines in a natural way. We have a huge week coming up set in the outback where Toadie's odyssey comes to a head.
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Herbison promised a storyline that's "big and bold" but which also has an "authentic character journey".
"Ryan has absolutely knocked it out of the park with his performance," he added.
Although Toadie will be leaving, Moloney is set to remain part of the Neighbours family behind the scenes.
"Ryan directed his first episode a couple of months back and did an amazing job. He obviously has a huge head start after acting on the show for so many years," Herbison said.
"We were all impressed by how much creativity and passion he brought to it. He's continuing to work his way through our mentoring program and I'm excited to see what he does next."
Neighbours releases new episodes from Mondays to Thursdays for free on Amazon Freevee 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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