Neighbours teases sneak peek of Harold Bishop's return

Neighbours legend Ian Smith, who played Harold Bishop on the Australian soap, has appeared in a special video ahead of his return to the show.

The touching video was made to celebrate Neighbours 37th birthday, which also featured other famous cast members, all wishing the iconic soap a Happy Birthday.

But the appearance of Neighbours superstar Ian has had fans excited for his upcoming return to the soap.

The caption of the video read: “Today is our birthday - it's been 37 years since we first appeared on screen! We can't think of a better day to have a #Neighbours LEGEND return to Erinsborough!” 

Ian was the last person to feature in the video, as he said, “Happy birthday Neighbours. On your 37th birthday!”

The soap legend played the much-loved Harold for 28 years and became one of the longest-running characters in the soap’s history.

Now, after seven years away from the soap, he has returned for the show’s final episodes since it was announced that Neighbours would be axed after 37 years.

In February, Channel 5 said: "Neighbours will no longer air on Channel 5 beyond this summer. It’s been a much-loved part of our schedule for more than a decade, and we’d like to thank the cast, Fremantle, and all of the production team for their fantastic work on this iconic series. 

"We’d also of course like to thank the fans for their loyal support of Neighbours across the years. We recognise that there will be disappointment about this decision, however, our current focus is on increasing our investment in original UK drama, which has strong appeal for our viewers."

Neighbours has launched some of the most famous names in TV, film, and music, including Kylie Minogue, Liam Hemsworth, Russell Crowe, Jason Donovan, Margot Robbie, and Guy Pearce.

Since the news was announced, former Neighbours stars have spoken out about how sad they are that the famed soap is getting the chop, including Natalie Imbruglia, who won The Masked Singer UK season 3 this year and starred in Neighbours between 1992–1994 as Beth Brennan.

Speaking on Heart FM with hosts Kelly Brook and JK, she said: "Who wants life without Neighbours let's face it? I think at this point we just thought it was going to go on forever. People are petitioning, let's hope they pull it off!"

She went on to say: "Well, there's a character on the show who's my son! I mean, I think it’d be devastating. What's going to happen to my son?"

Neighbours airs weekdays at 1.45pm and 5.30pm on Channel 5.