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The Neighbours heart-throb quits and heads for the UK… via Paradise Beach!

Popular Neighbours heart-throb Scott Michaelson is leaving Ramsay Street… bound for Paradise Beach! Ending months of speculation, and as predicted by TV Week in July, Michaelson, who plays Brad Willis, will shoot his last scenes at the end of the year.

And, in a major Neighbours shake-up, actresses Natalie Imbruglia (Beth Brennan) and Rachel Blakely (Gaby Willis) will exit the soap at the same time. According to Michaelson’s management, contract negotiations with Grundy, the producers of Network Ten’s Neighbours, started in July. “It’s been very amicable, but it fast became evident we couldn’t give them the long-term commitment they wanted,” a spokesman says.

“Grundy also have plans to take the show in a new direction and I don’t think Scott would fit in with those plans too well. Scott has work lined up in the UK next April and he wants to be free to do it.”

In the meantime, the keen surfer has been snapped up by the Nine Network’s Paradise Beach in a bid to boost that series’ flagging ratings over summer. It is believed the deal will allow him to pursue his UK plans. His management spokesman declines to elaborate on what work the 25-year-old has waiting for him in the Old Dart, but it is believed to be a theatre project.

Michaelson, a TV Week Silver Logie nominee last year, is reported to have been taking voice coaching and singing lessons. He joined Neighbours more than two years ago and signed on for another 12 months last October, but became restless mid-year. He took a four-week break in July to go to London and was expected to announce he wanted to leave Ramsay Street on his return.

Contract negotiations began, but ended earlier this month with Michaelson and Grundy deciding it was better to part company. Michaelson, Imbruglia and Blakely are expected to film their exit scenes next month.

This article originally appeared in TV Week magazine dated 23rd October 1993 and was written by David Brown

Article submitted by Steve