Moloney: Toadie had the worst haircut in the world
Neighbours stalwart Ryan Moloney has confessed that snaps of his early days on the soap make him blush. The actor joined the soap nearly 18 years ago as teen tearaway Toadie Rebecchi, who was known for his distinctive long ponytail. "It's a little embarrassing when you look back at those photos and go, 'Wow, what was I thinking?'" Ryan said. "I think it was the worst haircut in the world, it looked like I had a dead rat hanging out the back of my head. And unfortunately the producers made me keep it for a number of years. It was quite hard being an 18-year-old guy with that kind of thing hanging on your head." Toadie's ponytail was eventually chopped off by Lou Carpenter (Tom Oliver) during an episode, which Ryan joked was the high point of his career. "It was the most fantastic moment of my Neighbours life. It's gotta be the most freeing part of the whole thing. They auctioned it off for a charity. Someone in England got it." Ryan - who said his job "beats working for a living" - also revealed what storyline he would like next for dad-to-be Toadie. "I'd like to see him take up flying and that way Neighbours can pay for my flying lessons, that would be brilliant. I'm going for my commercial license. It's a little pricey so it'd be nice if Toadie did the same thing."
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Patrick McLennan is a London-based journalist and documentary maker who has worked as a writer, sub-editor, digital editor and TV producer in the UK and New Zealand. His CV includes spells as a news producer at the BBC and TVNZ, as well as web editor for Time Inc UK. He has produced TV news and entertainment features on personalities as diverse as Nick Cave, Tom Hardy, Clive James, Jodie Marsh and Kevin Bacon and he co-produced and directed The Ponds, which has screened in UK cinemas, BBC Four and is currently available on Netflix.
An entertainment writer with a diverse taste in TV and film, he lists Seinfeld, The Sopranos, The Chase, The Thick of It and Detectorists among his favourite shows, but steers well clear of most sci-fi.