AN AUSTRLIAN actor famous for being part of the country’s longest running drama show says he will “absolutely” visit Clacton Pier when he comes to town.
Actor Ryan Moloney is best known for appearing as Jarrod Vincenzo Rebecchi also known as “Toadie” in the soap opera, Neighbours.
Neighbours first aired in 1985 and focuses on the residents of Ramsay Street, a cul-de-sac in a fictional suburb of Melbourne.
More than 9,000 episodes of Neighbours have aired, and there was a finale in 2022 after Channel Five announced it was dropping the series, but it has been revived by Amazon Freevee and is still going strong.
Many famous faces have come from the beloved show, including popstar Kylie Minogue, and Hollywood actor, Margot Robbie.
Ryan’s character Toadie has been a firm favourite amongst fans for the last 30 years, and now the actor is set to bring his UK tour to Clacton’s West Cliff Theatre, in Tower Road.
On September 12, the Toadfish: Toad On The Road will take place and it will offer an insight into Ryan as an actor, Neighbours and more.
Ryan has spoken to The Gazette about the forthcoming show.
He said: “Look, I’m going to be brutally honest, it was the producer who I’m working with, he does this kind of stuff all the time.
“So, he knows the type of venues to go for and the areas that are successful.
“He obviously knows there is a whole bunch of Neighbours fans in Clacton.
“It makes sense to pop in and say g’day.”
Ryan was merely a young teenager when he joined Neighbours, although he couldn’t “remember” the audition process, he did recall how exciting it was to be on the set.
“I certainly remember my first scene, being on set and kind of how quick it went, that was something else, that was really cool being in the studio," he said.
“I thought I wouldn’t mind doing a bit more of this and lo and behold, luckily, they called me back to the set and asked me to do a bit more.”
The Clacton show will focus on his 30 years in Neighbours, where it started some of his favourite bits and “behind the scenes” stories.
As a man who regards himself as fairly “private” and “terrible at social media” it will also introduce the audience to the man who plays Toadie.
It will also focus on what makes Ryan “tick” and in the spirit of getting to know Ryan, he told the Gazette some of his passions.
He’s currently building a farm, so he does a lot of manual labour, loves looking after animals, helps his son with go karting, and also has a commercial pilot licence.
Alongside all that, he’s also “started breeding queen bees”..
As Neighbours has spawned many huge names in the entertainment industry, Ryan has delved into what makes the show so special.
He said: “I suppose Neighbours is very entrenched in the UK’s psyche.
“It’s very much part of your culture and I think we’re incredibly lucky to be included in it to be honest.
“To have such a large fanbase and you guys have such a fond place in your hearts for Neighbours.
“As to why it is so successful, it is quite sunny, everything got solved over a cup of tea, as the show progressed, the storylines are larger and more relentless and keeps delivering, the bar keeps being risen.
“As to why so many people, given that the UK love it so much, I think it is natural that there would be a stepping stone into either more work or singing within the UK market.
“Certainly Neighbours is one of the fastest shooting shows in the world and you get such a large amount of content.
“Pretty much anyone who comes through Neighbours, when they leave, their skillset is very high.”
Finally, although he often has “no idea where” he is going for these tours, he’s always up for exploring, and yes that includes a trip to Clacton Pier.
He said: “Yes absolutely, anything beautiful, anything adventurous, certainly I’m there.
“A pier, of course, who doesn’t like going to a pier at the seaside.”
To find out more about the forthcoming show, head to westcliffclacton.co.uk/shows/toadfish-toad-on-the-road.
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