Craig McLachlan reveals "devastating" rejection from Neighbours finale due to allegations

28 July 2022, 14:44

Former Neighbours star Craig McLachlan played Henry Ramsay - the older brother of Kylie Minogue's character Charlene - from 1987 to 1989, but will not appear in the Australian soap's final episode.

Neighbours star Craig McLachlan has hit out at the Australian soap for not asking him to be part of the show's final ever episode.

Neighbours will air its final ever episode on Friday, July 29 at 9pm on Channel 5.

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Craig played heartthrob Henry Ramsay from 1987 and 1989. He was one of the show's early big names, with Henry being Charlene's (Kylie Minogue) older brother and Scott's (Jason Donovan) best friend.

When Scott and Charlene got married with 19.8 million UK viewers tuning in, Henry walked Charlene down the aisle.

However, Craig has now said he was not invited to appear or have any mention of his character in the programme's final episode, due to "cancel culture".

This is related to his sexual assault charges against him in 2020. Craig was cleared of seven charges of assault and indecent assault on four women when he was in an Australian production of The Rocky Horror Show in 2014.

In 2021, fresh allegations were made about Craig McLachlan's behaviour, including from Jeanne Downs, a former UK TV star who accused him of groping her live while he was a guest on her CITV show in 1990.

A spokeswoman for Craig said: "Henry’s dead mother is being reincarnated for the final episode — but cancel culture won’t allow her son Henry to appear or even be acknowledged.

"What Craig and his partner have endured over the past four-and-a-half years — only to come out the other side and be confronted by, among other things, the attempted permanent erasing of his part in Neighbours history — is devastating.

"Craig was not invited to take part in the closing episode or indeed to contribute in any way to the end of Neighbours."

Craig McLachlan – Mona - TOTP - 1990

Kylie and Jason will reprise their roles in the final episode, alongside a host of other famous stars from yesteryear, including Guy Pearce, Margot Robbie and Delta Goodrem.

Craig McLachlan was one of the show's biggest breakout stars in the late 1980s and early 1990s. In particular, he scored a number two hit with his cover of 'Mona' in 1990.

Neighbours was cancelled after 37 years after Channel 5 dropped the show from its line-up to "focus is on increasing our investment in original UK drama".

The Australian soap thus lost a large source of its funding, and had "no option but to rest the show" after 8,891 episodes.