Two new guest characters have been announced. First is Clint Bizzell, who will be playing Adam Clarke, a professional football player who leads Ringo astray as he begins his AFL career. Clint, a retired AFL player himself, will be filming with Neighbours for five weeks. And TV Week reports that Peter Bensley is returning to Ramsay Street. Peter, well-known for his roles in The Young Doctors and Water Rats previously appeared as Tony Chapman back in 1986, and he'll be appearing in two episodes in 2009 as Professor Dean Naughton, the man Miranda almost chose over Steve back when she was at university.

It seems that stories of Steve Bastoni's exit are true, and Steve won't be the only Parker heading out of town. Nikki Coghill (Miranda) and Eloise Mignon (Bridget) will also be filming their final scenes. The Herald Sun reports that the decision to write out the Parkers came about when Eloise quit her role as Didge to return to her university studies. All three will film their final scenes in April, and last appear on Australian screens in July. It's not known what this will mean for the future of the other two residents of 26 Ramsay Street, Fletcher O'Leary (Mickey) and Tom Oliver (Lou).

TV Week is also reporting that Steve Bastoni has quit his role as vet Steve Parker after two years in the role. No further information on this, or the future of the remaining Parkers, is available at present, but we'll let you know just as soon as we know anything.

TV Week has provided more details of the upcoming Ramsay plot, and it seems that the three newcomers will have strong ties to Ramsay Street, beyond just their surname. Kate, Harry and Sophie will be children of Jill Ramsay, set to be played by Perri Cummings, who is the product of an affair many years ago between original character Max Ramsay, and Anne Daniels, the mother of Paul Robinson, who had died almost a decade before Neighbours began. And if rumours of Jill's death in a car crash are true, it looks like Paul could have a new set of nieces and a nephew to look after!

We can exclusively reveal the names of the characters and actors who will make up the new generation of Ramsays on Ramsay Street. Ashleigh Brewer, who has previously appeared in H20 Just Add Water and The Sleepover Club has been cast as eldest sibling, 18-year-old Kate Ramsay, Will Moore will play 16-year-old Harry Ramsay, while Kaiya Jones (pictured), who previously appeared in The Saddle Club will play 12-year-old Sophie Ramsay.

No details of contracts or plots are currently available, but we can expect the Ramsays to hit Australian screens in June.

TV Tonight has exclusively revealed that the Ramsays are heading back to Ramsay Street later this year. A family, comprising three siblings, will be moving in in a few months' time, forming a new generation of Ramsays - a name not heard in Ramsay Street since Gemma Ramsay moved out in 1991.

In addition, we can reveal that the first to be cast is 18-year-old Ashleigh Brewer as Kate Ramsay. She and her two siblings, who are yet to be cast, will come to Ramsay Street when their mother dies in a car accident.

The Herald Sun reports that Fletcher Humphrys has just finished filming a Neighbours guest stint, reprising his role as criminal Guy Sykes from 2006. Guy was last seen being arrested in the 2007 season premiere, after holding Katya, Zeke and Steph hostage, then shooting Toadie. With that saga long forgotten, it is unknown why Guy will be returning, but he'll be back on screen for five episodes.

Hany Lee has joined the Neighbours cast in the regular role of Korean exchange student Sunny Lee. Hany was one of the finalists from the Dolly Magazine Neighbours' Next Big Stars competition, and although she missed out on that 6-week contract, she's now been signed up to play Sunny, who'll move in with the Kennedys at number 28, filling the gap when Rachel departs for London in March.

In other casting news, former Big Brother contestant Heath Tournier, who appeared on the reality series' 2005 edition, will have a one-episode role in Neighbours as a plumber on a building site where Ty is working.

Dean Geyer has announced that he will leave Neighbours, after a year playing musician Ty Harper. Already famous in Australia thanks to a stint on Australian Idol, Dean joined the show in late 2007 but has announced that he wants to return to his first love of music, also mentioning that some of Ty's storylines went against his Christian beliefs, and he struggled with being in the public eye following his well-publicised split from The Veronicas' Lisa Origliasso. Dean will film his final scenes as Ty on Friday 19th December, and make his final appearance on Australian screens in April 2009.

Andre Rieu, the world-renowned Dutch violinist, will reportedly film a Neighbours cameo shortly, after being approached by executive producer Susan Bower. The musician, a huge Neighbours fan, recently toured Australia, with concerts which featured a version of the Neighbours theme tune, leading to his invitation onto the show.

In other news, Peter Flanigan, currently appearing on Australian screens as school principal Andrew Simpson, has had his initial three month contract extended by another three months, meaning he'll be around until at least April 2009.

Robert Mammone, who's appeared in numerous Australian dramas over the last 20 years including Satisfaction and Underbelly, has joined the Neighbours cast for a two-week guest role. The unnamed character, according to our sources, "has something very suspicious about him", and will appear on screen early next year.

Meanwhile, Tottie Goldsmith, Mauricio Merino and Chelsea Jones, who recently joined the cast as Cass, Simon and Teagan Freedman, have all had their initial contracts renewed for an extra six weeks and will be filming until at least January.

Simone Buchanan is set to make a return to Neighbours as the popular Samantha Fitzgerald later this month. A pregnant Sam will return to Erinsborough in episode 5591, set to air in Australia on Monday 24th November, and put a spanner in the works for ex-husband Dan, who's busy moving on and planning a new life with Libby. This latest guest stint will last for eight weeks.

After a brief appearance last month, Peter Flanigan, former face of men’s toiletries brand Gillette, returns to Australian screens next week as Erinsborough High’s principal, Andrew Simpson, the beginning of an extended guest appearance. And Mr Simpson will waste little time getting to know the ladies of Erinsborough, as he heads straight into a love triangle with Elle and Lucas.

Meanwhile, Ian Smith (Harold) recently filmed his final scenes, which will feature in episode 5635, while Caitlin Stasey is set to wrap up filming as Rachel shortly, with her final episode being number 5643. Harold will leave Australian screens at the end of February while Rachel will go in mid-March.

Following on from last year's appearance by Marcia Hines, another Australian Idol judge is set for a Neighbours cameo. Ian 'Dicko' Dickson filmed his appearance this week, playing himself, and offering music career advice to Ty (Dean Geyer) and Rachel (Caitlin Stasey). The cameo will air in Australia in February 2009, and with Caitlin set to make her final appearance around the same time, could a recording career be what takes Rachel out of Erinsborough?

20-year-old Chris Milligan has joined the Neighbours cast in the recurring role of Erinsborough High student Kyle Canning. Chris recently moved down from Queensland to study at Melbourne's Film & Television Studio International, and will make his debut on Australian screens early next year.

4-year-old Jacob Brito has taken over the role of Steph Scully's son, Charlie Hoyland from Aaron Aulsebrook-Walker. With the producers wanting more interaction between Steph and her little boy, it was felt that Aaron, who's approaching three years old, was not ready to be given dialogue yet. Jacob will make his first appearance on screen this Friday, October 10th.

Today's Herald Sun reports that Caitlin Stasey (Rachel Kinski) has announced plans to leave Neighbours after three and a half years. 18-year-old Caitlin first joined as Rachel in 2005, but has now decided to cut her contract short and concentrate on her schooling, returning to complete year 12. Caitlin will film her final scenes as Rachel next month, though the door is being left open for a possible return, and will leave Australian screens early in 2009.

Brisbane's MXX newspaper has revealed that Brodie Young, a contestant in the 2002 series of Big Brother and now an actor, will be appearing in Neighbours next month. Brodie will be playing a gay plumber named Shane Dooley in two episodes.

And we can exclusively reveal that, despite rumours that he would be playing a returning Andrew Robinson, Mauricio Merino, recently cast thanks to the Dolly magazine competition, will be playing Simon Freedman, the younger brother of Donna. Simon will appear in Erinsborough in December 2008 and find himself living, along with his sister, under Paul and Elle's roof.

Also joining after being chosen in the Dolly magazine competition is Chelsea Jones, who will play another Freedman sibling, youngest daughter Teagan.

She announced at the Logies, back in May, that she intended to leave Neighbours at the end of 2008, but it seems that Pippa Black (Elle) has had a change of heart and will be staying on. TV Week has announced that she has just signed a new 12-month contract, meaning she'll be on Australian screens until at least November 2009.

The Sunday Herald Sun reports that Tottie Goldsmith will shortly join the Neighbours cast on an initial six-week contract. Tottie will begin filming for the role of "yummy mummy" Cassandra Freedman, mother to recent arrival Donna, at the end of the month. Tottie, well-known for her roles in series including Fire and Stingers, various presenting jobs and singing career as part of girl group The Chantoozies is said to love that fact that she's "getting a meaty role instead of being cast as a plain old boring mum" and has admitted that she's found it hard to get good roles now she's in her forties.

TV Week reports that Peter Flanigan, who has appeared in US soap As The World Turns and previously had a Neighbours guest role in 2004 as Dr Philip Smith, has won a new extended guest role in Erinsborough and will appear on screen later in 2008. UPDATE: Peter made his on-screen debut on Friday 5th September, playing school principal Andrew Simpson.

Meanwhile, the name of one of the actors cast by the recent Dolly magazine search for Neighbours' next big stars, has been announced. Mauricio Merino Jr, who comes from the Melbourne suburb of Sydenham, will shortly begin filming for the six-week guest role - which could see his contract extended for up to three years. More details of Mauricio's role, as well as information on the young female chosen by the competition, are expected to be announced soon.

Ian Smith has announced that he will make a permanent departure from the Neighbours cast later this year. Monday's Herald Sun reports that Harold's next return to Ramsay Street will see him battling prostate cancer, a story which Ian had a hand in planning, but he won't die from the disease, instead leaving Erinsborough once he's recovered. Ian will finish filming in October, with Harold's last-ever episode airing in Australia in February 2009.

Meanwhile, one of the Parkers could be on their way back to Erinsborough, with Blair McDonough (Stuart Parker) quoted in this week's TV Week as saying that he'd be interested in making a return to the show, if the storyline was right.

Today's Sunday Herald Sun reports that Imogen Bailey filmed her final scenes as Nicola West on Thursday, following a six-month guest stint. Nicola's final plot is said to be sensational, but she won't be killed off, with rumours that she may be back for a guest appearance later in the year.

Also finishing up recently was Erin McNaught, who also had a six month guest contract as Sienna Cammeniti. After being shoehorned into the show by executives, Erin has had little to do as Sienna, though the character will get a story of her own just before she goes. Erin filmed her final scenes on Friday 4th July.

The Sunday Herald Sun has confirmed that Natalie Blair will film her final scenes as Carmella Cammeniti in September, meaning that the character will depart from Australian screens in early 2009. Natalie has played Carmella since 2003, originally only a recurring member of the cast, she returned in a regular capacity in early 2006 after winning the Logie for Most Popular New Female Talent the previous year. It is reported that she made the decision to leave whilst appearing in panto in the UK earlier this year, but was hesitant to give up the role that has made her one of Australia's most popular actresses. Once she finishes filming, Natalie will join boyfriend David Hoflin (who finished filming as Oliver Barnes a couple of months ago) in Europe.

TV Week reports that Benjamin Mitchell, who appeared as a Neighbours regular in 1992 and 1993, is set to return to the cast. Having previously appeared as Cameron Hudson, lawyer and cousin to the Willis family, Benjamin will now play the role of Sergeant Matt Freedman, father of new teenager Donna. Though Donna is set to stay on as a regular, Matt is just a guest character for the time being, though he will find time to pursue a relationship with Rebecca Napier, newly-single following her split from Paul in the wake of his affair with Kirsten.

Following the success of the 2006 talent search, which brought us Adelaide Kane (Lolly) and Sam Clark (Ringo), Dolly magazine is launching another hunt for Neighbours' next big stars. They are looking for a male and a female, aged between 12 and 17, and the prize will be a six-week contract, with the possibility of extending it up to three years. More information can be found in the July issue of Dolly, on sale in Australia this week.

Fiona Byrne's column in the Sunday Herald Sun reports that Katrina Milosevic will join the Neighbours cast for an extended guest role. Milosevic, best known for her recurring role as Sophie Novak in the final two seasons of crime drama Stingers has signed a three-month contract.

The latest name to announce her departure from Neighbours is Pippa Black. Pippa has been playing Elle Robinson for almost three years, but told TV Week during the Logies that she planned to head off later this year. It is thought that the recent departures of Daniel O'Connor (Ned) and David Hoflin (Oliver), as well as Natalie Blair's (Carmella) announcement that she also intends to go in the second half of 2008, have played a part in Pippa's decision to move on.

Also rumoured to be considering saying goodbye to Erinsborough is Caitlin Stasey (Rachel). She was quoted as saying, "I've been there three years now. I think the fourth year is in order. It depends how long they want me and how long it suits me."

She's only been on Australian screens for a week, but Imogen Bailey's new role as Nicola West is already attracting plenty of attention, with news in today's Sunday Mail that The Australian Family Association has condemned her first storyline as "sick". The plot sees Nicola in a secret relationship with her adoptive nephew Riley Parker, and the AFA have claimed that the show is using recent news stories, such as the Josef Fritzl case in Austria, to grab ratings, despite the fact that the initial idea for the story came in a planning meeting over six months ago.

Executive producer Susan Bower has spoken out against the condemnation of the plot, saying "It is controversial, but all our stories are handled carefully." She has also answered reports that the hiring of ex-models such as Imogen and Erin McNaught (Sienna Cammeniti) is failing to have any positive effect on ratings, stating that Neighbours will "grow in leaps and bounds this year" and that the new additions to the cast are doing "extremely well".

Australian comedians and radio DJs Hamish & Andy are the latest names reported to be making a cameo appearance in Neighbours. The duo will be filming soon, and are offering a member of the public the chance to appear in the scene with them. Click here for more details.

Friday 25th April will see Natalie Saleeba make her final appearance as Rosie, as the character leaves Erinsborough for an extended trip to Italy with husband Frazer. The following week will then see the debut of Erin McNaught as Cammeniti cousin, Sienna. There've been numerous rumours doing the rounds about how long Sienna, and Erin, will be sticking around, but this weekend's Sunday Herald Sun confirms that she does not intend to sign a new contract once her current one runs out in July. Also thinking about life away from Erinsborough is another Cammeniti woman - Natalie Blair, who's played Rosie's sister Carmella since 2003, is quoted in the Sunday Herald Sun as saying that "I am itching to get overseas. I would love to get to New York, I want to do the whole Broadway musical theatre thing. I just love being out on stage and I really miss it. Don't worry, I won't be releasing any music. I have no desire to do that." Natalie's contract is due to expire in September.

In the last few weeks, Steve Parker has made several mentions of his cruel father, Jim, and this week's TV Week reports that the role has now been cast. Roger Oakley, who has had roles in Something In The Air and Prisoner Cell Block H, but is best known in the Australian soap world for playing Tom Fletcher in Home & Away, will play Jim, who will tear himself away from his farm in Oakey to make an appearance in Erinsborough later this year.

Today's Sunday Herald Sun reports that Scott Major has joined the Neighbours cast. He will play Lucas Fitzgerald, brother to teacher Dan, and started on set this week. Scott previously appeared on Neighbours for several weeks back in 1993, as the first actor to play the role of Darren Stark. The role was taken over by Todd MacDonald when Darren became a regular fixture in 1996, but, in our 2005 interview with Scott, when asked if he'd ever consider a return to Ramsay Street, his response was "Never say never". Scott is best known for his regular roles as Rivers in Heartbreak High and as Tom in Always Greener.

In other casting news, it was recently reported in TV Week magazine that former Blue Heelers regular Charlie Clausen will join the cast in an, as yet unnamed, extended guest role.

It seems that reports in TV Week magazine two weeks ago, suggesting that newcomer Erin McNaught had already quit her role as Sienna Cammeniti, were premature. A story in the weekend's Sunday Herald Sun confirms that Erin is still filming, and has signed an extension to her initial three-month contract, which will see her remain in the role until June. Sienna is still being classed by Neighbours as a guest character, however, and it is thought that Erin will return to her home in Sydney after her second contract finishes up.

TV Week is reporting that another cast member has quit - and this one hasn't even made it to screen yet. Erin McNaught, the former Miss Australia, was announced to be joining the cast in the role of Carmella's cousin, Sienna Cammeniti, commencing filming at the beginning of January on an initial three month contract but, only two months later, reports suggest that she's gone.

Meanwhile, more details are slowing emerging about a few other previously announced Neighbours newcomers - Dean Geyer's character of Ty Harper will make his Australian on-screen debut on Thursday 27th March, and Ty will be the cousin of recurring character Taylah Jordan. Simone Buchanan will first appear as Samantha Fitzgerald, the estranged wife of teacher Dan, on Friday 21st March, and the character will be around for five months with a major storyline centring around her mental health. And finally, Imogen Bailey is set to debut as Miranda's vixen sister Nicola in May, and it seems that her first major story will lead to the departure of Nicola's adoptive nephew, Riley.

You'd be forgiven for thinking that a revolving door had been installed at the end of Ramsay Street, with news that three more cast members will be packing up and moving out in the coming months. A PB team member heard during a Neighbours event this week that, hot on the heels of the departure of David Hoflin (Oliver Barnes), three more cast members will be going - Jesse Rosenfeld (Marco Silvani), Sweeney Young (Riley Parker) and, most surprisingly of all, Daniel O'Connor (Ned Parker) will all film their final scenes in around three months' time. It is unknown what will become of poor Elle and Carmella, as they each lose their latest love interests, or how young Mickey is going to cope with losing his dad.

It is suspected that some of the upcoming cast changes are the work of new executive producer Susan Bower, who was appointed in December. With Australian ratings still very disappointing, it is unlikely that these will be the last of the changes for Neighbours in 2008.

David Hoflin is the latest name to depart from Ramsay Street. In an interview added at LastBroadcast, he's quoted as saying that he'll miss Sarah May, the baby who recently started playing little Chloe Cammeniti, when he finishes filming later this year. It is currently unknown exactly when David will leave, or how Oliver's departure will come about.

Janet Andrewartha has returned to the set of Neighbours this week to resume her role as Lyn Scully. During an appearance at a Meet Your Neighbours Trivia Night on Monday, she revealed to the audience that she was returning, and later told a member of the Perfect Blend team that she was returning to filming this week and would be staying for a month, with some of her first scenes being filmed with Stefan Dennis (Paul), Carla Bonner (Steph) and Jackie Woodburne (Susan).

Janet left Neighbours in late 2006, as Lyn left Erinsborough for her honeymoon following a brief and disastrous marriage to Paul, later settling with Valda in Shelley Bay, rather than returning to Ramsay Street.

Former supermodel Imogen Bailey has been announced as the latest signing to the Neighbours cast. Imogen commenced filming on Monday 21st January in the role of Nicola West, Miranda's vixen of a younger sister. She is quoted in the Sunday Herald Sun as saying, "Acting is a passion of mine. It has been a slow burn. I have done bits and pieces over the years. When my agent called and said I had the role, I thought he was joking." 30-year-old Imogen has previously appeared on reality shows Celebrity Big Brother, Skating On Thin Ice and Celebrity Survivor and had several minor film roles, but is best known for her modelling work. She reportedly filmed 14 scenes on her first day, and will debut on Australian screens in May.

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