Twins Gayle and Gillian Blakeney are back home to reprise their infamous roles, as sisters Christina and Caroline Alessi on Channel Ten’s Neighbours.
Speaking to New Idea, the siblings tell us all about what it’s like to be back back on Ramsay Street!
When the sisters first appeared on the Aussie favourite – 27 years ago – their characters had moved to Ramsay Street under police protection having witnessed a murder.
While Christina, played by Gayle, went on to marry neighbourhood bad boy Paul Robinson, he later had an affair with her sibling Caroline, played by Gillian.
Speaking to New Idea, Gillian said: “We were asked to come back and we thought, the timing is perfect right now, so let’s do it. The story line is brilliant!”
With the full-time mums now living in Los Angeles, they flew back to film three episodes, which will air in September.
“What’s unbelievable is it’s the same studio – one of the make-up artists is even from back then!” Gillian told New Idea. “The energy on the set is absolutely fantastic and everyone is so wonderful. We’ve had so many great laughs.”
Speaking about their return, Gayle said: “For my character it’s quite rewarding. She has a bone to pick with Paul Robinson – and rightly so!”
While their characters are very well-known by the Australian public, the sisters reveal that their kids don’t really know much about their past on the small screen.
“They don’t know that side of our lives, so they are bit confused by it. But there has certainly been a lot of Googling!” Gillian laughed.
Gayle added: “Our kids knew only a little about our past and know the show has been running for over 30 years but we live in the US, so we didn’t know what was happening on the story lines.”
“So, when they called us it was such a surprise, but a nice surprise. We thought this was a nice opportunity to revisit our past and the storyline is very relevant – and it works!”
