Anne Charleston returns to Neighbours as Madge Bishop as Harold star Ian quits soap amid cancer battle

Anne Charleston makes a triumphant return

ANNE Charleston is set return to Neighbours as Madge Bishop. The actress played the iconic matriarch from 1986 until 1992 before returning for a second stint four years later.

Farewell to Harold Bishop

However, the producers of Neighbours have announced that Ian Smith, 86, will step away from his long-running character, Harold Bishop. He recently revealed on Australian TV that he was diagnosed with "a very aggressive non-fixable cancer" a few months ago.

The iconic couple reunited

As part of his final scenes, his famous on-screen wife will make a huge comeback to Ramsay Street. Despite his diagnosis and apparent terminal prognosis, Ian will continue to appear on-screen until at least next year.

A bittersweet reunion

The official show account on X – formerly known as Twitter – announced that Anne Charleston will be joining Ian on set for some of his last scenes. In what context Anne will appear is yet to be revealed, but to have the iconic couple reunited will be one final treat for fans.

Multiple comebacks for Anne

This is set to be the third comeback for Anne after the death of Madge as she previously reprised her iconic role on a number of occasions. She appeared as her spirit for the show's 30th anniversary celebrations in March of 2015.