I saw my first Neighbours episode in 1986, when Kylie made her debut. Scott, played by Jason Donovan, mistook Charlene for an intruder after she broke into her mum’s house. It was love at first sight, not only for Scott and Charlene, but for me, and not just with the couple (I’ve still got my Kylie and Jason’s “Especially For You” vinyl), but with the show.

I amassed a stash of Neighbours annuals. When, aged 14, I went on holiday to Australia, the highlight wasn’t snorkelling in the Whitsundays but watching advance episodes of Neighbours (back then, the soap was on BBC One, and we were several months behind). It was a staple of my university years and, more recently, as a freelancer who works from home, it signified the pause in my working day, when I’d head downstairs to catch up with Ramsay Street’s residents.

In 2015, I got the chance to visit Melbourne and do the set tour in the suburbs of Vermont and Nunawading. However, the official tour actually took place a few hours after I’d visited the studios because, for my assignment – a tribute to Neighbours in its thirtieth year – I had to interview Alan Fletcher, also known as Dr Karl. I first met him in the canteen. There I was, chowing down on a sanger (sarnie) and there was Alan, fresh (well, not exactly fresh) from a jog.

My chat with him turned out to be one of many interviews I carried out that day. A misunderstanding led the publicity team to inform the entire cast that I was keen to interview anybody available, and that they’d find me in the green room.

I declined to correct her, and spent a surreal day holed up there, waiting to see which Neighbours star would appear next.

My second interviewee was Ryan Moloney (Toadie), and at one point, Stefan Dennis (Paul Robinson), ran in, head freshly shaved, and tackled Alan Fletcher mid-interview.

Colette Mann, who played landlady Sheila Canning, moaned about the painfully high heels she wore on set, before recommending her favourite Mexican restaurant; I went there later that evening.

At one point Felix Mallard, who played Karl and Susan’s grandson, sloped in and dozed off on the couch. Later, Tim Phillipps, who played Daniel (Scott and Charlene’s son) and had been dozing between scenes, asked me if I could recommend any Hawaii hotels – I couldn’t.

Crushingly, my favourite cast member – one who’s been in the soap since the start – was the hardest to interview. I remember recoiling when, in response to my question about which part of Melbourne she lived in and loved the most, she snapped: “I’m hardly going to tell you my address, am I?”.

The set tour was fascinating, although somewhat disheartening – I’d never look at Susan and Karl’s home in the same way after seeing the entire set tucked into one corner of a dreary, warehouse-like studio, metres from the Lassiters set, which is purpose built in a studio in Nunawading.

Later, we visited nearby Ramsay Street – or at least, its stand in – posing outside Toadie’s house with a Ramsay Street sign. We learned that residents, most of whom apparently rent from a Neighbours fan who purchased multiple houses, signed agreements relating to modifications – unannounced extensions were a no-no.

There were other fascinating revelations, too. Back then, Neighbours had a G rating, and our guide explained that this meant a reliance on innuendo – hook-ups and deaths weren’t shown in detail; only hinted at.

Incidentally, in 2018 a new PG rating meant storylines got grislier, without going overboard – days after some of the most traumatic events to rock Ramsay Street, Paul would return to his scheming ways and Karl would be pruning his petunias).

The most memorable moment from that day occurred when the head of publicity asked me if I wanted to watch a scene being filmed. We walked to a spot opposite Harold’s café to watch Paul berate his latest victim.

Since then, I’ve lost count of the times I’ve kicked myself for not asking if I could perhaps take a seat in Harold’s or serve Paul his coffee. Who knows where this kind of bit part could lead? Then again, judging by the gruesome demises of certain characters (including the untimely death of legendary Labrador Bouncer, whose most famous scene depicted his dream that he’d married border collie Rosie), perhaps it wouldn’t have ended well.

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