Harold Bishop quits Neighbours
Thursday, August 28th, 2008
Popular Neighbours actor Ian Smith, who plays bumbling grandad Harold Bishop in the Australian soap, has finally decided to pack his bags after 21 years on Ramsay Street.
The veteran actor had already decided to scale down his commitments to the programme back in November 2007, but will now leave the show altogether, filming his final scenes in October. His decision to leave the programme has saddened the cast, with one member describing him as “the heart and soul” of the programme.
“Ian really set the tone of the show, both on the set and behind the scenes,” he said. “As well as being a consummate professional, he’s all about creating a positive vibe that brings the cast together”.
Australian Channel 10 was at pains to make clear that the decision to write Ian Smith out of the show was his own. His resignation will be another blow to Channel 10, which has struggled to attract more viewers after giving Neighbours a renovation and moving the soap to Five from BBC1 on British TV.
Spokesperson Paula Lucarelli said: “When the discussions were made about his decision to go part-time last year, he said it was only going to be for a short time and then he would let us know. Production was aware that it would be coming.
“It was entirely his decision. We love him and would have loved to keep him.”
Harold Bishop is the longest-serving character on the programme. He began his long run on the show by falling in love with Madge Ramsay in 1987. He worked with both Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan before either of them had established themselves as pop stars.
Harold will be written out of the script after a successful battle with prostate cancer. His final episode will be broadcast next February on Australian TV, and later in the spring on Five in Britain.
