‘It was a shock when the whole show was gone’: Life according to Neighbours star, Alan Fletcher

Neighbours’ Dr Karl on the soap’s finale, his UK tour, and acting with a rooster.

How does it feel now that Neighbours has finished?

It was a shock when the whole show was gone and everyone was out of a job, but we had to be professional until the end. When we wrapped the final scene, the tears and sadness set in.

You must be delighted with the final ratings?

I hoped people who watched in the past but no longer did would come back, and they did. It was brilliant.

Did you ever consider leaving?

I was only working 32 weeks a year on the show, so I had a solid amount of time to do other things – music, UK pantos, short films, a Shakespeare project. I also took artists’ portraits as a photographer for 20 years, so I always mixed it up. And Neighbours found interesting things for me and I loved working with the wonderful Jackie Woodburne, who played Susan, so it would have felt mad to work elsewhere when I enjoyed working with her so much.

Do you all keep in touch?

I had coffee last week with Jackie and Kym Valentine, who played Libby, and Benji McNair, who played my son Mal, was round at our house the other day. We have a group text chat among the final year cast and almost every day someone posts something, so we’ll stay close for a very long time, there’s no question about that.

You’re coming to the UK on tour with The Doctor Will See You Now – what can people expect?

It’s an overview of my 28 years on Neighbours, in conversation with my beautiful wife Jennifer, who is a journalist. There will be lots of scenes from the archives and we’ll sing some songs.

Weren’t you in the UK just last month?

Yes, I was playing some gigs. I recently released an EP, Dispatches, of Americana music, and I’ll have a full album out at the end of the year. The pandemic gave me a lot of time to work on music.

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There was an ongoing joke about Dr Karl’s musical abilities. Weren’t you concerned it would reflect badly on your own music?

I encouraged the storylines about Karl’s music being terrible. When I first toured the UK, in 2005, with my band The Waiting Room, people thought it would be a train wreck and more like a comedy night, but I had a fantastic band and we did really well.

We did 10 tours in eight years, as well as having a residency in Melbourne for 12 years. People have a clear differentiation between Dr Karl and Alan Fletcher, which is great.

Did you take any props from Ramsay Street?

There was a photo taken in the 1970s when I was doing a play and I had a funny moustache. It sat on the mantelpiece in the Kennedy house, and everyone on the cast said they were going to steal it.

After the very last take, I grabbed the photo and shoved it under my jacket so no one else could get it!

Do you have a favourite moment?

When Karl became a backyard farmer and got himself a rooster, which he called Springsteen. There was one scene where Karl was on a couch watching telly with Springsteen and they had a bowl of crisps, and Karl would eat one, then Springsteen would eat one. It was one of the most gorgeous vignettes I ever had.

My favourite episode was when Karl had to look for a lost $7,000 winning lottery ticket. Toadie was having a naturist lunch in his house at the time, so Karl had to nude up, and he found it stuck to Toadie’s backside. It was the funniest thing we’ve ever done.

Will Neighbours ever return?

I’m having dinner with some of the Fremantle Media people and will put the question to them. I’m interested in Neighbours-related things. We’re doing a farewell tour next year, which is sold out. That will be a beautiful full stop to Neighbours, which we’ll all enjoy.

The Doctor Will See You Now, Oran Mor, Glasgow, Sept 6, Assembly Roxy, Edinburgh, Sept 15. See alanfletcher.net