Neighbours spoilers follow.

Neighbours is about to give Karl Kennedy a blast from the past, just as his marriage to Susan comes under further strain.

Show bosses are bringing back the character of Olivia Bell, who was a short-lived love interest for Karl eight years ago.

Need a quick reminder on Olivia? Look no further.

Who is Neighbours character Olivia Bell?

alyce platt in neighbours
Channel 5

If you're struggling to remember Olivia, don't worry – she was a guest character in 2012 and only appeared in two episodes.

At the time, Karl was single and looking to get back into the dating game after yet another split from his wife Susan. With encouragement from local teen Natasha Williams, Karl started looking for love online and embellished his dating profile to impress the ladies.

Karl and Olivia exchanged messages and they arranged a first date in The Waterhole (then known as Charlie's Bar).

By this point, the Erinsborough doctor was already regretting the lies on his profile and planned to come clean, but mischievous Tash had other ideas and took the deception even further.

neighbours stars alyce platt and alan fletcher
Channel 5

Heading over to Karl and Olivia's table, Tash pretended to be starstruck by Karl due to his part-time singing career. She claimed that her mum was Karl's biggest fan and asked for a photo and autograph, hoping Olivia would be fooled into thinking that he was a VIP.

Olivia made life easier for Karl by admitting that she had exaggerated some of her own profile, making out that her writing career was more successful than it was in reality. This gave Karl the chance to confess to his own white lies and end the charade.

With everything out in the open, Olivia and Karl later met for a second date. Karl was out to impress once again, taking inspiration from Heston Blumenthal as he created a posh home-cooked lunch.

Sadly, Olivia was put off by Karl going to such impressive effort when it was only their second date. Karl realised that he'd gone OTT and begged for a third date to put things right, but Olivia couldn't be talked round and suggested they should stop seeing each other.

Karl and Susan went on to reunite in 2013 and all was right in the world again – phew.

Neighbours spoilers – what is Olivia Bell's return storyline?

olivia bell in neighbours
Channel 5

Olivia's return forms part of the ongoing storyline focusing on the Kennedys' marriage issues. Life hasn't been the same for Susan and Karl since the big finale of Finn Kelly's storyline, which left Susan plagued with guilt and regret for bringing the supervillain back into everyone's lives.

This week, Karl crosses paths with Olivia by chance when they're both at The Waterhole. Olivia, who now lives in nearby Eden Hills, recognises Karl from their previous dates and heads over to say hello.

While Olivia is still single, Karl fills her in on how he reunited with Susan. However, he also admits how difficult things have been lately and finds himself opening up to Olivia.

In the coming days, we'll see Karl start to spend more time with Olivia, appreciating having someone to talk to. However, some Ramsay Street residents start to suspect that the dirty doc could be returning to his old tricks…

Who plays Neighbours character Olivia Bell?

olivia bell in neighbours
Channel 5

Alyce Platt is reprising her role as Olivia for this new stint of episodes.

Alyce has an interesting history with Neighbours, as she previously played medical student Jen Handley – a show regular – in 1995 and 1996.

Speaking in 2012 about returning as a completely different character, Alyce laughed: "It was definitely deja vu sitting in the make-up room – and to be playing opposite Fletch, who I worked with all those years ago, is hilarious.

"[It's a] different character and very different time – the internet was a complete unknown when I was first on Neighbours."

Alyce's other screen credits include roles in Sons and Daughters, A Country Practice and City Homicide.

Away from the acting world, Alyce has worked as a TV presenter and singer.

Neighbours airs weekdays at 1.45pm and 5.30pm on Channel 5 (UK) and 6.30pm on 10 Peach (Australia).


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Daniel Kilkelly

Daniel has been writing about soaps on Digital Spy since 2004 and took over as Soaps Editor in 2010.  
He has interviewed hundreds of soap stars over the years, from Bill Roache to Lacey Turner, and regularly visits the sets of Coronation Street, EastEnders, Emmerdale and Hollyoaks for behind-the-scenes trips and press events.  
He has served as an awards judge on numerous occasions for the likes of the BAFTA TV Awards, RTS Programme Awards and British Soap Awards. In 2020, he was Highly Commended for Best Section Editor at the BSME Awards.