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Features > 20 Comedy Moments by Steve

Neighbours is famed for its comedy plots and characters, so we thought it would be fun to look back at 20 of the best! Obviously, humour is a matter of individual taste, but hopefully there’s something here to suit everyone.

Clive moves in...
Max Ramsay had already tolerated the arrival of a stripper in his street, but the final straw came the following year when a gorilla moved in next-door. When Max found out that his new neighbour, Clive Gibbons, ran an animalgram service from number 22, he did everything he could to drive the newcomer out of “his” street. The war escalated to playing loud music in the middle of the night and soon the whole street was involved. Max only calmed down when he suffered heart problems and found out that Clive used to be a doctor, giving him a new respect for the young man.

Eileen's singing lessons...
Following a Sunday morning when the whole of Ramsay Street went to church together, it was revealed that Eileen Clarke had a singing voice like a foghorn, but she was the only one not to realise it. Clive decided to play in her ignorance, and make some money, by giving her singing lessons. Her “dulcet tones” rang out through Ramsay Street for several days, until everyone had finally had enough and they were forced to put a stop to it.

The Ramsay Street Olympics
It all began when some friendly banter between Des and Jim got out-of-control and before long, the whole of Ramsay Street was involved in a war to see who was the fittest. With Scott and Mike racing in the pool, Madge and Mrs Mangel on bikes, Jane and Charlene on rollerskates and finally, Jim and Des running around the sports oval, it was truly a sight to behold. But when Jane dropped the baton down the storm drain and it was suggested that her team be disqualified, all kinds of chaos broke out.

Mrs Mangel's portrait
The prestige of sitting for a portrait was something that Nell Mangel couldn’t resist and she made sure that all of the neighbours knew that Helen would be painting her. However, she was in for a cruel shock when the painting was finally unveiled – and she ended up looking like a giraffe!

Henry gives Madge a driving lesson...
One of Neighbours’ most famous scenes came about when Madge won a car and decided that she wanted to learn to drive. After Helen attempted to teach her, she turned to her son, Henry and they hadn’t even made it out of Ramsay Street before disaster struck. Madge managed to reverse straight into the water hydrant, causing Mrs Mangel and Eileen Clarke, both dressed in their finest bowling clothing, to get drenched.

Henry's naked dash...
Henry and Bronwyn had been seeing each other, despite the feelings of Bron’s absent Aunt Edie. However, while they were at home one day, Edie suddenly returned and Bronwyn had to shove Henry out the back door in nothing but a towel. When the towel got stuck in the door, Henry was forced to do a naked sprint through the back gardens of Ramsay Street, until he was safely back at number 24.

Dishwasher dramas...
When Edie started complaining about the lack of dishwasher at the Coffee Shop, Joe convinced Des that he could get them one, and install it, on the cheap. Harold was reluctant, but realising that it might shut Edie up for a while, he agreed. When Madge turned up for work later that day, she didn’t realise that the detergent was industrial strength and put too much in. Combined with a faulty seal on the machine, this caused the kitchen to be full of soap suds within minutes. Madge was busy putting the rubbish bags outside, little realising that Harold and Des had waded in, believing she was trapped. She could barely contain her laughter when Harold, or Frosty the Snowman as she called him, emerged through the back door. Harold was not amused.

Aunt Edie the drug smuggler...
When Joe found out that his nosy neighbour Edith Chubb had been spying on him and sending information to his ex-wife, Noelene, he decided to get his own back. Enlisting Henry’s help, he managed to get a marijuana plant and left it on Mrs Chubb’s doorstep, with an anonymous note, claiming it was a gift to thank her for her recent help. While Edie was busy trying to work out what type of plant it was, Joe had called the police. Edie’s niece, Bronwyn, realised what the plant was and they were just going out the back door as the police arrived, in time to hear Bronwyn ask her aunt what she was going to do, and Edie reply with “Burn it”.

Harold's birdwatching antics...
Harold’s interest in birdwatching got him into trouble when Melanie Pearson was sunbathing topless and spotted something in the trees above the garden. She realised that someone had been photographing her and accused Harold, who pleaded his innocence. Even Madge wasn’t quite sure what had happened, until the photos came back and proved his innocence. In the ten years that followed, Harold obviously didn’t learn his lesson, as he did exactly the same thing ten years later with Lyn Scully, shortly after she moved to the street.

Helen and Dorothy go to jail... Helen Daniels and Dorothy Burke found themselves thrown together in a jail cell when Helen was fined for speeding on the way home from the theatre with Dorothy. The two ladies were shocked to find out they’d be sharing a cell for the night with two prostitutes, Rhonda and Simone. However, by the next morning, the four had all bonded, with the two older ladies even managing to persuade the prostitutes to make a fresh start and find a new way of making a living.

Melanie ends up on Paul and Chrissie's honeymoon...
Paul and Chrissie’s wedding was a happy occasion and several of the wedding party joined them afterwards on a ship that they would be cruising on for their honeymoon. Before the ship left the docks, non-passengers had to leave, but a drunken Melanie was still in the toilets of their cabin. It wasn’t until the ship had set sail that she appeared and, to her horror, realised what had happened.

Lou and Madge go skydiving
When Lou Carpenter told his girlfriend Madge that he had a fear of heights, she agreed to help him combat it, and the pair of them started taking skydiving lessons. However, when it came time to do their first jump, Lou managed to overcome his fear, but when it came to Madge's turn, all she could say was "What do you think I am? Stupid?"

Danni's birthday party
When the neighbours throw a party, they tend to do it in style and for Danni’s birthday in 1995, they decided that the theme would involve them all dressing up as each other. Amidst Cheryl’s uncanny impression of Susan, Colin Taylor in a biker jacket as Sam and Annalise with her hair in pigtails as Hannah, nobody noticed that the guest of honour was missing. Danni was busy in the spa next-door with her boyfriend, Mal and, when the entire party descended on number 22, they were forced to streak across Ramsay Street under the cover of darkness.

Angie dresses like Cheryl...
When Angie Rebecchi became unhappy with her image, after attending the Melbourne Cup, she decided that she wanted to be more like her glamorous friend, Cheryl Stark. When Danni caught Angie sneaking a look at the washing line at number 22, to see what labels Cheryl wore, she agreed to help Angie with a makeover. Cheryl was astonished when she came face-to-face with Angie, whose new look was entirely modelled on her. Luckily, she managed to convince Angie to go back to the way she was and the way everyone loved her.

Karl and Susan's skinnydipping...
More than once, Susan and Karl Kennedy found themselves caught out after deciding to strip off for a swim. On one occasion, Karl and Susan snuck into number 22’s backyard for some fun in Cheryl Stark’s spa, but Cheryl happened to return just as Karl removed his underwear. When the Kennedys decided to take a break with Karma the horse and the caravan a few years later, they were shocked when they emerged, naked, from a stream only to find the horse had walked off, leaving them stranded with no clothes.

Lance turns orange...
When Lance Wilkinson grew jealous of his girlfriend, Amy’s, interest in perma-tanned new mechanic, Drew Kirk, he decided to change his image slightly and use some fake tan. Unfortunately, he used too much and ended up looking like an Oompa Loompa.

The Full Monty
It all started as a simply fundraising idea, but it quickly spiralled out of control. Choreographed by Amy Greenwood, five of Ramsay Street's "hottest" men performed a strip show at the pub, which ended in disaster when the lights failed to go off as they threw their hats into the crowd...

Harold the giant bunny...
When Michelle Scully became interested in helping the environment, she found out that a local lab was continuing to test their products on animals. Harold was keen to help her and they came up with the plan of really getting their point across during a protest by dressing up in animal costumes. Unfortunately, things got slightly out-of-hand during the protest and Harold found himself being arrested – dressed as a giant rabbit.

Joe loses his voice
Joe Scully’s chronic snoring was causing many problems in his marriage and Lyn decided that something would have to be done about it. She booked him in for an appointment with Darcy, who said that there was a minor operation that could be done to rid them of the problem. A nervous Joe agreed to it, but everyone was surprised when he went into shock afterwards and lost his voice. Worst of all, he was due to give a speech at his daughter, Stephanie’s wedding. Everything worked out though, when Marc called off the wedding and Joe’s voice suddenly returned in time for him to shout “No!”

Making Mansions
The Scully family were pleased, although a little sceptical, when they were accepted to be the stars of reality makeover show, Making Mansions, on Channel 44. With Sindi Watts as the presenter, things descended into madness from the beginning, with the crew walking out on her. After several weeks, the Scullys were left with a shiny new house, but were shocked when the final product was screened – with Lyn appearing under the heading, “Housewife or Fishwife?”.

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