TV Tonight pays special attention to the end of a beloved soap opera, starting with Annie Jones, who spent more than half her life associated with Neighbors.
Over the next ten days, TV Tonight greets the Neighbors
brings you interviews with key cast members.
We start today with Annie Jones,
“Jane Harris” 1986–1989, 2005, 2018, 2020–2025.
Annie Jones has been connected for more than half her life Neighbors.
“It’s amazing when you think about it that way,” she says Television tonight.
“I was a 19-year-old young actor when I first went on the show.
“I had only been on it for three years at the time, but I feel very privileged and blessed to have been part of the show at its peak in the 80s.
“Then I got to come back and recreate Jane as an older, middle-aged woman who’s been a little bit battle-scarred and has lived a little bit. That was a really great opportunity to be able to recreate the character and move on again, and be part of the great machine that is Neighbors.”
Annie Jones first stepped onto Ramsay Street in 1986 after auditioning for the role of Charlene (Kylie Minogue). As ‘Plain Jane Super Brain’ Harris, she would be a Logie as the most popular actress, and remained until 1989.
After a few guest stints, she would return in 2020 as a regular alongside on-screen daughter Nicolette (Charlotte Chimes) and famously reunited with Mike (Guy Pearce) for the show’s final finale in 2022.
She took time out from acting for personal reasons, but there were a number of other productions.
“In my early years I did a lot of shows for Crawfords: Newlyweds, The flying doctors I’ve done a few episodes and unfortunately Crawfords is now of course a Bunnings and Neighbors works now too.
“My mother unfortunately had Alzheimer’s so I worked as a carer for her for about 15 to 20 years which didn’t allow me to pursue anything that would take me away from Melbourne and away from home too much. So I’ve done quite a few little guest-type bits and pieces here and there which is great but there’s nothing like working on a show like Neighbors. It’s a standalone soap opera genre and I love it.
“I’m so sad I can’t do it anymore. It’s such an adrenaline rush for everyone involved because it’s just a big machine. Everyone has their own little part to play, in whatever department of the crew, and we all just thrive on the adrenaline of getting it done. Every Friday we get new scripts and get back to work.”
“So it’s an endless cycle of studying, memorizing lines and performing, and it’s a wild ride. It really is. I’m going to miss it so much.”
If there’s a sense of deja vu at the end of this chapter—the Amazon Age—Jones admits it feels different, too.
“I think we’re even sadder because the last two years have been such a gift. We were so grateful to Amazon for saving us, but we also felt so loved by all the fans who took the time to write and email and make so much noise to let us know how much they were going to miss the show. That kind of continues,” she explained.
“We’re getting a lot of sweet, sweet comments from people online, telling us how much the show means to them and how devastated they are now that it’s ending again. So we’re feeling the weight of all that even more this time. It’s going to leave a big hole in a lot of people’s lives, unfortunately.”
What will she miss most about her character?
“Everything, really. It’s so great to have a character that has such a long history with the show that I have so much to draw from. You know, so many different aspects of Mrs. Mangel (Vivean Gray) that I bring to Jane, and also her mother, Amanda Harris (Briony Behets), who just came off a return stint.
“It’s hard to put into words, it’s like I have a parallel life that I live. I have two lives. I have my own life, and then I have the whole life.” Neighbors life, so if I don’t have that anymore, there will be a little hole left, I’m sure.
“And it just leaves a big hole in the industry for mainstream work, for both actors and crew, because apart from the occasional big series or big films that are made in Melbourne, if you don’t get a gig for that, then that’s it. You know, you’re missing out.”
Her final thoughts are for the fans.
“I just want to thank you. Thank you for watching. Thank you for being so loyal. We know you love us and we love you right back.”
Neighborhood screens 4 p.m. Mon – Thurs at 10.
Final 8:40 PM Thursday, December 11 at 10.
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