NEIGHBOURS boss has revealed he had planned to bring back soap legend Janet Andrewartha before she died at aged 72.
Janet was best known for her role as Lyn Scully in the hit Australian soap from 1999 to 2006, before returning for numerous guest stints.
The star passed away in her sleep over the weekend in Melbourne with her daughters Eloise and Sarah by her side.
Executive producer at Neighbours, Jason Herbison, did an interview with Angela Bishop on 10 News First on Monday, where he revealed he had “ambitions to bring Lyn back into the show at some point soon.”
He continued: “We are really sad we are not going to be able to do that.”
But Jason did promise that Lyn’s death will addressed on the soap in due course, because the character of Lyn is so “legendary” and she is “Ramsey Street royalty.”
He added: “It is a huge loss to the world of Neighbours and to all of us here who work on it.”
Neighbours star Stefan Dennis – who plays Paul Robinson – also spoke about fun storylines with Janet’s character Lyn, and funny moments on set he shared with her, such as chasing her son who had his character’s fake prosthetic leg.
He added it’s a “sad time for us” as they are still processing the loss of Janet.
Stefan was one of the first of Janet’s heartbroken co-stars to pay tribute following the news of her death on Sunday, alongside Jackie Woodburne, who plays Susan Kennedy.
Jackie was quotes in the tribute posted on the Neighbours official social media pages saying: “Janet was one of the finest actors of her generation, but more than that, she was an extraordinary woman.
“Passionate, political, curious, delightfully eccentric, generous and fun.
“To me she was a steadfast friend for over 45 years. I will miss her every day.”
Stefan wrote on X: “So very upset to lose the lovely Janet.
“As Jackie said, she truly was an exceptional actress who was a pleasure work with and to be around. We will all miss you dear girl.”
Meanwhile, Colette Mann – who played Sheila Canning – added: “I was so shocked to hear this news yesterday and I can only echo Jackie’s words about Janet… brilliant, crazy in the best way, a good friend and great colleague. Vale Ms Janet my friend.”
Carla Bonner, who played her on-screen daughter Steph, took to her Instagram Stories to share a video of a burning candle in the dark and wrote: “I will miss you forever…”
Janet’s character Lynn arrived in Erinsborough with her husband Joe and daughters Steph, Felicity and Michelle in 1999.
She remained on the show until 2006 before leaving Ramsay Street, only to return in 2008.
SOAP RETURN
Janet left her role in 2011 and said at the time: “I originally came back in a guest role and ended up staying for nearly two years, so the extra time has been a bonus.
“It’s been tremendous fun and I’ll miss it, but it’s time to try some new things.”
However, she was lured back again in 2015 and made numerous guest appearances over the following years up until 2019.
During her time on the show, Lyn split from husband Joe, was engaged to Joe Mangel, and went on to marry Paul Robinson.
The pair split soon after their marriage, but their stories remained intertwined throughout the remaining years when Lyn appeared on screen.
During her last appearance on the show, Lyn tried to warn Paul’s fiancée Terese that she was making a mistake by marrying him, before leaving Erinsborough for the final time.
Away from Neighbours, Janet appeared in Prisoner from 1984 to 1985 as Reb Kean.
She was an accomplished theatre actress as well and even turned her hand to directing.
Her last TV role was earlier this year in Fake, where she played Kath Tovey across eight episodes.
