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Colette Mann (re)joins Neighbours

Colette Mann is joining the cast of Neighbours for the second time in her career, back at her former 'Prisoner' studios.

Colette Mann is joining the cast of Neighbours, for the second time.

She first appeared on the soap in 1995 as an emergency replacement for eight weeks when Caroline Gillmer fell ill.

Now she returns in a regular role as Sheila Canning, the very opinionated grandmother of Kyle (Christopher Milligan). Sheila makes a surprise visit to see her favourite grandson and sparks fly immediately between the family matriarch and Kyle’s girlfriend Jade (Gemma Pranita).

“Chris is a lovely boy, however like my sons, he’ll wonder what has hit him after working with me for a few weeks,” joked Mann.

Of course Mann is no stranger to the TEN’s former Nunawading studios, which doubled as Wentworth Detention Centre for Prisoner. She only spent three years from 1979 on the cult soap, but is still remembered as one of the show’s iconic characters.

Ironically, Prisoner is enjoying popular reruns on Pay TV in the very same timeslot as ELEVEN’s Neighbours. Over 30 years since it first aired, it is one of 111HITS’ most popular shows.

Mann has also been seen on The Circle and continues as a regular guest host.

13 Responses

  1. neighbours needs a big cast shake up,it needs to bring back some of the robinsons and ramsays,invent some new robinsons and ramsays if they have to,also they need a super bitch,and they need to add some comedy and give it a bit of twist and unpredictability…otherwise its just to dreary and very ordinary

  2. It will be great to see Colette back on one of our Soaps. Neighbours really needs some older characters, not that Colette is that old. They should also bring back Maggie Millar ( also ex Prisoner ). She palyed Summer’s Gran who was also a Reverened, in the early 00s.

  3. Fantastic! Neighbours has been desperately lacking a regular character in her demographic – a possible love interest for Paul Robinson (or Lou), and Susan Kennedy needs someone to gossip with over a cuppa. Big thank you to the writers and new producers!

  4. Hi David,

    Sorry if I misread your post.

    Ian Smith also featured in Prisoner as department official Ted Douglas.

    Louise Le Nay who did an excellent job portraying Sandy Edwards in Prisoner also appeared in the original series of Neighbours in 1985 as the character Barbara Hill.

    Great to see that Prisoner is doing good numbers for 111Hits.

  5. Its interesting seeing people come back as new characters. For instance Alan Fletcher (Karl Kennedy) played a mechanic named Greg for a short time in the late 1980’s, and Scott Major (Lucas Fitzgerald) played Darren Stark originally for a breif time until he was replaced with Todd McDonald when the character was brought back full time.
    Talking of Prisoner, the actress Lois Ramsey, played two characters in the show, a cat obsessed social worker named Agnes Forster in 1980, then she came back in 1985 as Ettie Parslow who was an inmate. (Lois is actually my deceased fathers step sister).

    1. I remember Lois. There were a few actresses in Prisoner in double roles, including Margot Knight (who also had two Neighbours roles) and Leslie Baker. Then there are those who acted in one and wrote for another: Ian Smith, Louise LeNay. Others such as Janet Andrewartha and Jackie Woodburne have barely left the Nuna building! There’s a great Grundys synergy going on.

  6. Oh wow. That’s interesting. Somewhat like if Michala Banas came back and started playing a new character after previously filling in for Kym Valentine to play Libby.

    I still remember when Colette was on the show temporarily playing Cheryl Stark and playing off Lou Carpenter. Would like to see them get a scene together again!

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