Neighbours’ Ryan Moloney to leave soap after nearly 30 years
Neighbours star Ryan Moloney has quit the show after almost 30 years.
Although he has already filmed his final scenes as Toadie Rebecchi, he won’t be completely leaving the Neighbours family. Instead, he will be transitioning to a new role behind the camera as a director.
In an emotional video message to fans, he said:
“Hi there, it’s Ryan Moloney, formerly Jared Toadfish Rebecca from Neighbours.
“That’s right. I did say formerly because after 30 years of playing Toadie, I will be leaving Ramsey Street. Now, I can’t tell you what is going to happen to the character, whether or not we are going to see him again or not.
“You know, maybe I could be the next Jim Robinson or maybe I’ll be the next Harold Bishop and just keep popping back over the years.”
The actor will also be embarking on an exclusive solo tour called “Toad on the Road,” where he will discuss his time on the Australian soap.
Moloney made his Neighbours debut in January 1995 with Toadie initially portrayed as a troubled teenager and a “class clown”.
After qualifying as a lawyer, he matured and became a responsible member of the community. Despite being labelled “unlucky in love”, the character has had several love interests and has been married five times.
Moloney continued:
“Although I won’t be bringing you our fantastic storylines from in front of the camera, I do hope to be bringing them to you from the other side.
“I am going to miss him and I’m gonna miss Erinsborough
“Behind the camera, I’ve just started director training and have just finished filming my first episode as a director. So I really hope you enjoy that.”
Neighbours originally aired on BBC One in the UK between 1986-2008, before Channel 5 bought the rights to the show to make an ‘Aussie Soap Hour‘ having previously acquired the rights to Seven Network’s Home and Away .
In 2022, Channel 5 axed the show to free up money to produce more original dramas, with the final episode airing in July 2022. However, the show was given a reprieve by Amazon Freevee with new episodes streaming on the service since September 2023.
