Closer online caught up with bonafide soap LEGEND Alan Fletcher to find out the life mantras he lives his (very successful) life by
What are you most proud of in life / what is your biggest achievement?
I have a 23-year-old daughter and a 29-year-old son and they’re both wonderfully bright and fun people and that clearly has to be the greatest achievement.
What personality trait do you wish you had and why?
I wish I was a little more disciplined so that I could focus a bit better on getting tasks done. I can dither a bit.
What’s your biggest regret?
My mum was a spiritualist and she taught me very early on that her belief was everything in life happens for a reason, there’s a reason for something happening and there’s plenty of self-help books as well that say you learn from your mistakes so to have regrets, yes there are some things that I wish I hadn’t done but the fact is they’re just part of wonderful life lessons so I don’t regret them I just sort of go that was a bit of an ugly moment but I got through it.
WATCH the full interview, below
What’s the bravest thing you’ve done?
Becoming an actor when I was slated to be a chemist, industrial chemist. All my highest marks and study were in history and chemistry and physics and mathematics, that was my natural bent but I just loved acting so much from the age of 12 years old really and so I had to front up to my father and say sorry but I’m gonna be a professional actor instead and he was incredibly supportive.
CHECK OUT ICONIC Neighbours cast – where are they now?
Classic Neighbours cast - then and now SLIDER
Max Ramsay
The patriarch of the prolific Ramsay family, Max lived at No. 24 with his wife, Maria, and his teenage sons and Shane Danny when the first episode aired in 1985. He lasted on the soap only a year – when it's revealed that Danny is not in fact his son, Maria leaves the family to be with her lover and by 1986, Max has left the street for Queensland, leaving Erinsborough behind for good.
Francis Bell
Francis Bell was a New Zealand-born actor who was active for 20 years, from the mid '70s until his death in 1994. He appeared in 15 films during this time, but playing Max was his biggest role.
Jim Robinson
Next door at No. 26 lived the Robinson family. Jim Robinson is the wealthy, powerful patriarch and widowed father, who Max has a neighbourly rivalry with.His wealth and charisma attract plenty of suitors, eventually marrying Beverly Marshall and suffering two miscarriages with her. When he enters into a relationship "gold digging" Annalise Hartman, the stress becomes to much for him and he suffers a heart attack and dies, with Annalise making off with his money.
Alan Dale
Alan Dale has gone onto enjoy major career success since his time on neighbours, and well and truly conquered the US serial market with roles as Caleb Nicolls in The O.C and Bradford Meade in Ugly Betty. He's also got credits in Lost, Star Trek Nemesis, Hollywood Homicide, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and Captain America: The Winter Soldier.Phew!
Des and Daphne Clarke
The very first episode of Neighbours opens on local bachelor Des Clarke's stag do (known as a Buck Night over in oz) as he prepared to wed Lorraine Kingham, but he ends up falling in love with the stripper hired to perform. Des was involved in a battle for Daphne's affections with his best friend, Shane Ramsay, but in the end real love won out and they were married in 1986, and went on to have a son together, Jamie.
Scott Keane
After his exit from the soap in 1990, actor Scott Keane had a very public battle with drink and drugs and fell from grace as one of the country's most loved actors."I have had a lot of problems. It's only years and years later that I have realised that I was struggling with mental health issues _ with anxiety disorders and depression. I was hospitalised numerous times for substance abuse," he told the Herald Sun in 2015. "The doctors were so focused on treating the addictions that they didn't diagnose the underlying conditions that were causing it."That same year he returned for a one off reunion episode featuring the twelve original characters.
Elaine Smith
Elaine Smith decided to leave Neighbours in 1987, agreeing with producers that fans wouldn't accept her leaving Des and so became the first regular character to be killed off.Since then, she's moved away from acting and works as a primary school teacher in her native Sydney."I found all the attention pretty overwhelming because I'm quite a private person and people would shout "stripper" at me in the street!' she said.
Harold and Madge Bishop
Perhaps the most loved couples to have graced Ramsay Street were Harold and Madge Bishop. Madge Mitchell was a single mother raising her teenage children alone when she met Harold, a church-going, tuba-playing, Salvation Army donating salesman in 1987. Despite their differences, the two married and were deeply in love until Madge's death in 2001 from pancreatic cancer.
Ian Smith and Anne Charleston
Actors Ian Smith and Anne Charleston reunited for the first time since Harold's vision of his late wife in 2015, during a special reunion episode. The old colleagues even appeared in Harold's cafe to speak to the Loose Women and reminisce about their time on the soap.Since making his official exit in 2009, Ian has eased into retirement from acting, but has appeared as himself on plenty of panel and radio shows. Meanwhile, Anne has been living in Ireland since 2001 and made a career in theatre and pantomime.
Scott Robinson
The first bonafide Neighbours heart throb, Scott Robinson was one of four Robinson children. Despite their fathers' rivalry, Scott was great friends with Danny Ramsay. Scott begins dating young Charlene Mitchell and quickly proposed despite both their parents, Jim and Madge, being against them marrying at such a young age. They eventually leave Erinsborough for Brisbane in 1989 and have two children together, Daniel and Madison.
Jason Donovan
In 1989 a reporter from the Canberra Times confirmed that Jason Donovan's contract had been altered and he was leaving the show to pursue a singing career.He went onto enjoy success with solo hits like Too Many Broken Hearts and 10 Good Reasons in the late '80s and early '90s. After Neighbours, he's best known for his year long run as Joseph in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, but has worked on plenty of stage productions and reality shows since.
Charlene Robinson (neé Mitchell)
Charlene Mitchell was the sassy teen daughter of Madge, who had been living with her dad after her parents marriage broke down before moving to Erinsborough following an abortion. She was a self-confessed tomboy who liked to be known by her nickname Lenny, and had ambitions of becoming a mechanic. After marrying Scott and becoming Charlene Robinson, she was offered an apprencticeship in Brisbane and left Erinsborough and Scott, only to be joined by him months later.
Kylie Minogue
After leaving Neighbours in 1988 to focus on her own pop career, Kylie Minogue became – well, she became Kylie Minogue. One of the biggest pop icons of our age, Kylie has had 7 UK number one singles and countless more across the globe. In 2015, she won the right to trademark her name 'Kylie' around the world (minus the USA), and this year she's headlining the coveted oldies slot at Glastonbury. That's how big she is.
Paul Robinson
Brother of Scott, Julie and Lucy and eldest son of Jim, throughout the '80s Paul's character was developed into a ruthless, arrogant businessman who was often at loggerheads with others on the street and had a reputation for cheating in all his relationships.
Stefan Dennis
Stefen left the show in 1994 after producers realised his bad behaviour had gone too far. Though they considered killing him off, the role was left open and he returned in 2004. During the late '80s he (surprise, surprise) launched a music career and had some success with the single 'Don't It Make You Feel Good' which reached number 11 in the UK charts. During his haitus he played Mickey in Blood Brothers, touring in New Zealand and Australia, before appearing in the West End production, and lived for a while in the UK where he met and married his wife, Gail
Dr. Karl Kennedy
Dr. Karl Kennedy was introduced in 1994 after producers realised their was a gap in the cast for a normal, stable family. Karl was introduced as the local GP so that the family could have immediate links with other characters. The family arrived in Erinsborough under difficult circumstances, with Karl having been accused of being responsible for a patients death, and though they initially struggled, the Karl Kennedy has been a solid character on Ramsay Street for over 20 years.
Susan Kennedy
Susan took on a job as a teacher at a local primary school when she first came to Erinsborough with her family, and has since worked as a journalist and the principal of a high school. In 2007, Susan was diagnosed with MS, but despite her illness offered to act as her daughters surrogate in 2009. She and Karl's marriage suffered multiple infidelities on both parts, but have always found their way back together.
Alan Fletcher and Jacki Woodburn
Despite their sometimes rocky on screen marriage, actors Alan Fletch and Jackie Woodburn both still star on the soap after twenty four years, and count each other among their closest friends. Awh!
Billy and Libby Kennedy
Karl and Susan Kennedy were parents to these cherubic beauties, Billy and Libby Kennedy.
Billy Kennedy
And boy, did they GLOW UP during their time on the show. Billy becomes close friends with 'Toadie' Rebecchi' and falls in love with local girl Anne Wilkinson, and gets a job as a local lifeguard. After school, Billy narrowly misses out on a university place in Queensland with Anne and the couple try to do a long distance relationship.Eventually Billy is offered a carpentry apprenticeship where he is reunited with Anne and the couple have a son. In 2017, Susan reveals that the childhood sweethearts are married, and have given birth to twins.
Jesse Spencer
Jesse starred on the soap from 1994 - 2000, then again briefly in 2005. He has since co-starred in films such as Winning London, Uptown Girls and Swimming Upstream. From 2004 to 2012, he starred as Dr. Robert Chase on the Fox medical drama House.
Libby Kennedy
Opinionated and with lofty political ambitions, Libby studies Journalism and followed in her mother's footsteps when she took up teaching at the local high school.Her most controversial storyline was when Susan offered herself to act as surrogate during Libby's pregnancy with husband Dan Fitzgerald, which ended in tragedy when the baby miscarried.
Kym Valentine
Since working on Neighbours, Kym Valentine has become a much loved Australian actress , appearing as the lead character, Baby, in Dirty Dancing: the classic story on stage and following the show to London's West End. In 2016, she gave birth to a healthy baby boy with partner Trent Croad, who they named Phoenix.
Julie Martin (neé Robinson)
One of the original Robinson clan, Julie was characterised as a classic nosey neighbour who was always a little stuck up.She came to a tragic end in 1994 when, during a murder mystery weekend, which was attended by many Erinsborough residents, Julie's body was found at the bottom of a staircase. Mullins explained that originally Julie was going to commit suicide, but the writers changed the storyline a couple of days before filming without telling her
Julie Mullins
Julie Mullins wasn't the first actress to play Julie Robinson, but the second incarnation when the character returned in 1992. She's since moved to Ireland and has been playing Mrs Lovett in the Lyric Belfast's production of Sweeney Todd, and is very politically engaged, by the looks of her Twitter.
Shane Ramsay
Shane Ramsay was the eldest (and favourite) son of Max Ramsay, and was initially Des Clarke's love rival when he began dating Daphne Lawrence.Throughout his run on the soap, Shane was involved in two car crashes, and is locked in a wine cellar by an obsessive stalker, before leaving Ramsay Street in 1987 to travel around Australia.
Peter O'Brien
Peter O'Brien is another to have done very well for himself following his time on Neighbours. He's earned heavyweight credentials in both Australia and the UK, and even some in the US, having starred in Queer as Folk, White Collar Blue, Hell Has Harbour Views and Gossip Girl.
Kenny Larkin
You may not remember little Kenny Larkin, who appeared in just four episodes in 1987 scamming Madge out of $50 and costing her and Henry their jobs.
Russel Crowe
So he might not be a genuinely CLASSIC neighbours character, but Kenny gets a mention on this list because he was played by the actual Russel Crowe, who went onto have actual Gladiator fame. Talk about a career boost.
Jarrod 'Toadie' Rebecchi
Ahh, Toadie. Toadie, Toadie, Toadie. A much loved character since 1995, Jarrod Rebecchi was intitially introduced as a troubled, misunderstood teen, but we've watched him grow into a great friend (particularly to Billy Kennedy) and father, and has recently returned to the street.
Ryan Moloney
Although Neighbours has remained Ryan's biggest acting gig, he's also starred on ABC's Shaun Micallef's Mad as Hell and the 11th series of Celebrity Big Brother. He married fellow actress Alison Hayward in 2003.
Danny Ramsay
Danny Ramsay was the misunderstood youngest son of Max Ramsay, who made firm friends with Scott Robinson and had some groundbreaking storylines where he struggled to come to terms with his sexuality.
David Clencie
David Clencie has gone on to work as a voice over artist.
What makes you annoyed?
Intolerance and injustice. Just the fact that there is so much behaviour by people where there’s clearly, clearly manifestly unjust and unfair and it can be justified in the name of sometimes it’s religion, sometimes it’s capitalism, sometimes it’s socialism. People find amazing ways to justify bad behaviour towards other human beings and it’s terribly saddening.
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Is there anything you fear in life?
Snakes, I’m very fearful of poisonous snakes, they freak me out. Non-poisonous snakes I’ll walk over and pick one up. There’s something about snakes that has always had me, I’ll dream about them and have horrible, horrible dreams about them. But, yeah that’s my principle fear.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given?
Don’t take yourself too seriously I think. I mean we’re here for a period of time, some of us might get remembered a little bit longer than others but ultimately, we all disappear so why beat ourselves up about what we do.
Read more celeb secrets in this week's Closer magazine, out now.