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Bin Night with Tak and Matty
Candice Leask (Wendy Rodwell): 5 Auditions to Land a Role on Neighbours | 06
“You get so overwhelmed by, sh*t, now I actually have to act!”
“I remember I was walking home from Moonee Ponds… and I got the email to say congratulations, you got the job,” Wendy says.
Takaya Honda and Matty Wilson host Bin Night with Tak & Matty, the Neighbours podcast for UK and Australian fans. This week, Candice Leask (aka Wendy Rodwell) takes the bins out with the boys and proves why Wendy is one of Ramsay Street’s brightest gems.
In this episode, Candice, Tak and Matty get into:
- Wanting a part on Neighbours so badly you audition five times
- The creative influence of Ally McBeal
- Using The Sprinkler (dance move) to win over a Grade Four history presentation
- What Candice said to her mum the first time she saw Tak on Neighbours
- Candice (Wendy) and Matty (Aaron) learning lines in The Waterhole
- Birth stories, IVF, and the weird sounds of hospital hallways
- How getting married will absolutely deplete your Lego resources
- Plus Producer (Peeping) Tom emerges from the trash with a Bin Chicken dilemma
Matty gives a chicken coop population numbers update, live from Snaketown.
Plus producer (Peeping) Tom pops up with a very (very) curly Bin Chicken dilemma - to circumcise or not to circumcise?! Got a dilemma for Tak and Matty to help with? Send a voice memo or email: takandmatty@gmail.com
Bin Night with Tak & Matty is your unofficial Neighbours after-party, where your favourite Ramsay Street couple wheel the bins out, talk trash, and bicker like an old married couple about the show, the cast, the fans, and what really happens after the credits roll.
New episodes every Thursday. Watch the full episode on YouTube (and subscribe so you don’t miss live events with special guests).
Follow the chaos: @takandmatty on Instagram, TikTok and Facebook.
Support
If you’re having a tough time, please don’t struggle alone.
Australia: Lifeline 13 11 14 (24/7). If life is in danger call 000.
UK: Text SHOUT to 85258 (free, confidential, 24/7). If you are in immediate danger call 999.
Sponsors
BeautyBoat.com: Use code BIN25 for 25% off your entire order.
RØDE: Thanks for the mics making us sound so good.
Watch Bin Night with Tak and Matty on YouTube (and subscribe so you don't miss special live events).
Catch up with all the Bin Night hi jinx @takandmatty on Instagram, TikTok, or Facebook
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17. Brett Blake: Lights, Camera, Carnage - The Rise of a Loose Unit | 17
01:24:15||Season 1, Ep. 17Comedian and former Neighbours lighting technician Brett Blake joins Bin Night and brings absolute chaos with him. From his early days behind the scenes on Ramsay Street to life as a professional stand-up comedian, Brett shares the moments that shaped him — including a few that nearly finished him.What we get intoHis time working as a lighting technician on Neighbours and why he reckons he spent most of it on the toiletMaking the jump from behind the scenes into stand-up comedy and life in front of the cameraTales from the Neighbours set and working with Tak, Matty and the wider teamThe trials and tribulations of being a professional stand-up comedian and how he handles people leaving mid-showHow being arrested when he was younger changed the course of his life and pushed him to turn things aroundLiving with dyslexia and the unique way he learns lines for roles in The Twelve and The TouristWhy being part of Taskmaster was one of the best experiences of his life despite never watching it beforehandBeing attacked by a shark while working as an underwater camera operator and other times he’s nearly died on setHis time working at the airport and the wild story about what happens if horses freak out mid-flight #BinNightPodcast #BrettBlake #Neighbours #AustralianComedy #TaskmasterAU #TheTwelve #TheTourist #StandUpComedyGot a dilemma for Tak and Matty to help with? Send a voice memo or email: takandmatty@gmail.comBin Night with Tak & Matty is where your favourite Ramsay Street couple wheel the bins out, talk trash, and bicker like an old married couple about the show, the cast, the fans, and what really happens after the credits roll. New episodes every Thursday.Sponsors:BeautyBoat.com: use code BIN25 for 25% off your entire order.RØDE: thanks for the mics making us sound so good.Support:If you’re having a tough time, please don’t struggle alone.Australia: Lifeline 13 11 14 (24/7 crisis support and suicide prevention). If life is in danger, call 000.United Kingdom: Text Shout to 85258 (free, confidential 24/7 crisis text support). If you are in immediate danger, call 999.
16. George Burgess: From Rabbitohs to Kicking Goals with Hollywood’s Finest | 16
59:54||Season 1, Ep. 16Tak & Matty step off Ramsay Street this week and sit down with George Burgess - from NRL powerhouse to rising force on the big screen 🎬🔥What we get into: The transition from South Sydney Rabbitohs enforcer to rising actor, now sharing the screen with Ethan Hawke, Luke Hemsworth and Dan MacphersonLearning the craft alongside close friend and mentor Russell Crowe, and what it’s really like working with one of the greatsThe unbelievable on-set moment he accidentally broke Dan Macpherson’s hip while filming BeastGrowing up in Yorkshire before making the life-changing move to Australia at just 18Losing his father at just 15, a defining moment that drove him to become a young dad and build a strong, supportive family of his ownBecoming a father in his twenties, raising three children by his late twenties while balancing elite sport and a new acting career#BinNightPodcast #GeorgeBurgess #NRL #SouthSydneyRabbitohs #EthanHawke #RussellCrowe #LukeHemsworth #DanMacphersonGot a dilemma for Tak and Matty to help with? Send a voice memo or email: takandmatty@gmail.comBin Night with Tak & Matty is where your favourite Ramsay Street couple wheel the bins out, talk trash, and bicker like an old married couple about the show, their wider world, and what really happens after the credits roll. New episodes every Thursday.Sponsors:BeautyBoat.com: use code BIN25 for 25% off your entire order.RØDE: thanks for the mics making us sound so good.Support:If you’re having a tough time, please don’t struggle alone.Australia: Lifeline 13 11 14 (24/7 crisis support and suicide prevention). If life is in danger, call 000.United Kingdom: Text Shout to 85258 (free, confidential 24/7 crisis text support). If you are in immediate danger, call 999.
15. Liam Maguire: The Rhett Time for a Happy Ending with Aaron… (Then Real Love with Colton) | 15
01:18:46||Season 1, Ep. 15From missing out on one role to landing another, to real-life romance, throuple storylines and life after Ramsay Street, Liam Maguire gets properly honest about how Neighbours changed everything.What we get into:The full audition story, originally going for Logan, missing out, and how that ultimately led to him being cast as Rhett Norman insteadWhy he was so keen to play a gay villain in the first place, and what excited him about that kind of character on a show like NeighboursHis real-life relationship with Jakob Ambrose (Colton), how they met on set, and how their connection grew alongside their storylineWhat it was actually like filming the throuple scenes with Matty and Jakob, and the surreal moment when some viewers genuinely thought those scenes were something very differentHow life after Neighbours has been shaped by the show, and why his relationship with Jakob still feels tied to that worldHis long-term ambition to move into comedy writing, and why that is where he sees his future more than actingWhy he would hesitate to ever write a romantic project and cast Jakob in it, even nowThe real story of their first kiss and how their off-screen romance properly began#BinNightPodcast #Neighbours #LiamMaguire #RhettNorman #RamsayStreet #AustralianTV #TVPodcast #BehindTheScenes #SoapOpera #LGBTQTVGot a dilemma for Tak and Matty to help with? Send a voice memo or email: takandmatty@gmail.comBin Night with Tak & Matty is your unofficial Neighbours after-party, where your favourite Ramsay Street couple wheel the bins out, talk trash, and bicker like an old married couple about the show, the cast, the fans, and what really happens after the credits roll. New episodes every Thursday.Sponsors:BeautyBoat.com : use code BIN25 for 25% off your entire order.RØDE: thanks for the mics making us sound so good.Support:If you’re having a tough time, please don’t struggle alone.Australia: Lifeline 13 11 14 (24/7 crisis support and suicide prevention). If life is in danger, call 000.United Kingdom: Text Shout to 85258 (free, confidential 24/7 crisis text support). If you are in immediate danger, call 999.
14. Ben Jackson: Don’t Get the Wrong Impression, I’m Living Life to the Max | 14
01:28:59||Season 1, Ep. 14Ben Jackson joins Bin Night to talk about landing the role of Max Ramsay on Neighbours, from catching the acting bug as a kid to surviving terrifying auditions and early stage mishaps. He shares behind-the-scenes stories from Ramsay Street and shows off his brilliant cast impressions.What we get into: Getting the acting bug at a young age and earning a place at drama school, the moment he realised performing might actually become his career.His terrifying first professional experience on stage, cast as an understudy and suddenly having to go on during opening night, including the unforgettable moment he completely fluffed a line in front of a packed audience.Landing the role of Max Ramsay on Neighbours and the hilarious story of his very first encounter with Alan Fletcher that instantly made him feel part of Ramsay Street.The nerve-wracking audition process for Neighbours, including the moment he nearly messed it up while auditioning opposite Stefan Dennis and why the whole experience was genuinely terrifying.What life on the Neighbours set was really like behind the scenes, and the genuine shock and devastation felt by the cast when news came through that the show had been cancelled.Discovering just how talented an impressionist he is, with uncanny impressions of Lucinda Cowden, Ryan Moloney, Sally-Anne Upton and Annie Jones, plus a cheeky take on Bin Night’s very own Peeping Tom.And of course, Peeping Tom has another dilemma, so Tak calls in reinforcements and brings in Ben Jackson and Riley Bryant (JJ) to help solve it in classic Bin Night fashion.Got a dilemma for Tak and Matty to help with? Send a voice memo or email: takandmatty@gmail.comBin Night with Tak & Matty is your unofficial Neighbours after-party, where your favourite Ramsay Street couple wheel the bins out, talk trash, and bicker like an old married couple about the show, the cast, the fans, and what really happens after the credits roll. New episodes every Thursday.Sponsors:BeautyBoat.com: use code BIN25 for 25% off your entire order.RØDE: thanks for the mics making us sound so good.Support:If you’re having a tough time, please don’t struggle alone.Australia: Lifeline 13 11 14 (24/7 crisis support and suicide prevention). If life is in danger, call 000.United Kingdom: Text Shout to 85258 (free, confidential 24/7 crisis text support). If you are in immediate danger, call 999.
13. Majella Davis (Krista): Small Town Flame, Ramsay Street Fire | 13
01:34:00||Season 1, Ep. 13This week on Bin Night, we’re joined by Majella Davis for a heartfelt and hilarious deep dive into the journey that took her from rural New South Wales to Ramsay Street. From twin sister dynamics and early band dreams to almost quitting acting altogether, Majella shares the real story behind the resilience, rejection and random twists that led her to Neighbours.*Content note: This episode contains discussion of miscarriage and baby loss.What we get into: Growing up a country gal in rural NSW and why Bananas in Pyjamas helped spark her love of performingHaving a twin sister, competing for the spotlight and their band Girl in a Drum Drama school struggles, brutal audition knockbacks and the moment she nearly quit acting to become a midwifeHer first audition for Neighbours for the role of Nicolette and a chemistry screen test with Tim KanoLanding her first major TV role as Krista Sinclair and adjusting to sudden fameHer close friendship with Tak and how they bonded between scenesThe emotional toll of filming Krista’s miscarriage scenes, including the research she undertook to portray it truthfully and sensitively#Neighbours #MajellaDavis #KristaSinclair #RamsayStreet #AustralianTV #binnightpodcast Get involved:Send a voice memo or email for Neighbourly Advice: takandmatty@gmail.comFollow the chaos: @takandmatty on Instagram, TikTok and FacebookNew episodes every Thursday.Sponsors:https://beautyboat.com/ : use code BIN25 for 25% off your entire order.https://rode.com/en-au : thanks for the mics making us sound so good.Support:If you’re having a tough time, please don’t struggle alone.Australia: Lifeline 13 11 14 (24/7 crisis support and suicide prevention). Red Nose 1300 072 637 or https://rednose.org.au/ (support for miscarriage, stillbirth and neonatal loss). If life is in danger, call 000.United Kingdom: Text Shout to 85258 (free, confidential 24/7 crisis text support). Sands 0808 164 3332 or https://www.sands.org.uk/ (support for miscarriage, stillbirth and neonatal loss). If you are in immediate danger, call 999.
12. Lucinda Cowden (Melanie): From Arthur to Martha with a Honking Seal and a Braying Donkey | 12
01:28:19||Season 1, Ep. 12This week we’re joined by the brilliant Lucinda Cowden for a proper trip down memory lane. Expect Neighbours secrets, kids’ TV chaos, theatre, London life and a few stories she probably shouldn’t admit to.What we get into: Life as a kids’ TV presenter in the 90s… and the very accidental moment that got one of her mates fired Her early days as an actress, leaving home young, and the resistance she faced from her parentsHer brand-new plays at Melbourne Fringe, including one featuring our very own Tak, plus Ryan Moloney and Sally-Anne Upton The unexpected inception of the song she wrote for the Neighbours tour (and how it took on a life of its own)Auditioning for Neighbours - originally going for Charlene and Jane - and the true origin story of Mel’s iconic laughReturning to the show later in life, and why the second time around was so much betterHer years living and working in London, and what eventually drew her back home to AustraliaSee Lucinda’s plays: ‘SoapBoxed’ and ‘From Arthur to Martha’ https://flindersfringe.com.auGot a dilemma for Tak and Matty to help with? Send a voice memo or email: takandmatty@gmail.comBin Night with Tak & Matty is your unofficial Neighbours after-party, where your favourite Ramsay Street couple wheel the bins out, talk trash, and bicker like an old married couple about the show, the cast, the fans, and what really happens after the credits roll. New episodes every Thursday.SponsorsBeautyBoat.com: use code BIN25 for 25% off your entire order.RØDE: thanks for the mics making us sound so good.SupportIf you’re having a tough time, please don’t struggle alone.Australia: Lifeline 13 11 14 (24/7). If life is in danger call 000.UK: Text SHOUT to 85258 (free, confidential, 24/7). If you are in immediate danger call 999.
11. Sally-Anne Upton (Vera): Nobody Predicted Boris Johnson Taking a Punt on Me | 11
01:30:05||Season 1, Ep. 11From an extraordinary childhood journey to an acting career full of unexpected turns, Sally-Anne Upton reflects on the life experiences that shaped both her craft and her resilience as a performer. A wide-ranging, funny and deeply human conversation about chance, craft and the moments that no one — not even a psychic — could ever have predicted.What we get into: Moving to Australia by boat from the UK at just seven years old, an experience that would quietly shape her independence and sense of adventureBeginning her working life as a nurse, and how caring for others ran in parallel with the early years of her acting careerHer time on Wentworth, where she fully embodied the raw, unforgettable character of Juicy LucyJoining Neighbours and how the pandemic unexpectedly transformed Vera Punt from a short-term role into a regular characterThe early beginnings of her stage career and the importance of live performance in shaping her confidence as an actorCollaborating with the iconic Lynne McGranger, and what she learned from working so closely with a true Australian television legendThe surreal and slightly unbelievable stories of discovering that Boris Johnson and Mel Gibson are genuine fans of her work (kind of). How she’s ‘genuinely psychic’ and incredibly, predicted a Neighbours reboot (not once, but twice).Got a dilemma for Tak and Matty to help with? Send a voice memo or email: takandmatty@gmail.comBin Night with Tak & Matty is your unofficial Neighbours after-party, where your favourite Ramsay Street couple wheel the bins out, talk trash, and bicker like an old married couple about the show, the cast, the fans, and what really happens after the credits roll. New episodes every Thursday.SponsorsBeautyBoat.com: use code BIN25 for 25% off your entire order.RØDE: thanks for the mics making us sound so good.SupportIf you’re having a tough time, please don’t struggle alone.Australia: Lifeline 13 11 14 (24/7). If life is in danger call 000.UK: Text SHOUT to 85258 (free, confidential, 24/7). If you are in immediate danger call 999.
10. Sara West (Cara Varga-Murphy): Liza, Logies & Life After Ramsay Street | 10
01:10:34||Season 1, Ep. 10Sara West, best known to Neighbours fans as Cara Varga-Murphy, joins us in this episode of Bin Night with Tak & Matty.Sara opens up about her journey from being a “wayward kid” whose mum sent her to drama school to keep her out of trouble… to becoming an award-winning filmmaker and Logie nominee.We talk about:• How university changed her life and gave her the discipline she needed • Winning an award for her debut feature film • The first acting job that required her to shave her head – and how it temporarily made her “unemployable” • Landing the role of Liza Minnelli • Being nominated for a Logie (against Hannah Monson!) • Joining Neighbours at a personal crossroads • The responsibility and honour of representing the LGBTQIA+ community on Ramsay Street • The impact Neighbours has had on the Australian TV industry and the hole it leaves behindAnd yes… Matt gets attacked by a wild animal. Again.Got a dilemma for Tak and Matty to help with? Send a voice memo or email: takandmatty@gmail.comBin Night with Tak & Matty is your unofficial Neighbours after-party, where your favourite Ramsay Street couple wheel the bins out, talk trash, and bicker like an old married couple about the show, the cast, the fans, and what really happens after the credits roll. New episodes every Thursday.SponsorsBeautyBoat.com: use code BIN25 for 25% off your entire order.RØDE: thanks for the mics making us sound so good.SupportIf you’re having a tough time, please don’t struggle alone.Australia: Lifeline 13 11 14 (24/7). If life is in danger call 000.UK: Text SHOUT to 85258 (free, confidential, 24/7). If you are in immediate danger call 999.
9. Hannah Monson (Nicolette Stone): Imposters, Identity & ADHD (& a reunion with daughter Isla) | 09
01:16:41||Season 1, Ep. 9Hannah Monson (Neighbours’ Nicolette Stone) joins Takaya Honda (David Tanaka) and Matty Wilson (Aaron Brennan) for Bin Night, the Neighbours podcast for UK and Australian fans.In this episode, Hannah opens up about:the path into acting (Shakespeare first, singing absolutely not)her most unhinged auditions (including a leopard monologue)ADHD: diagnosis, relief, and how it showed up in her workimposter syndrome, Glitch, and the “screw-in tooth” storybeing cast as Nicolette, replacing Charlotte Chimes, and embracing Nicolette’s darker sidepushing back on storylines and collaborating with writersNicolette’s love life on Ramsay Street (including working with Chrishell)Plus, a very special Bin Night family drop-in: Hana Abe Tucker, who played Aaron, David and Nicolette’s daughter. Hana’s also here with her mum Claire, sharing what life was like as a child actor on Neighbours and what Hana’s been up to since the show wrapped.Got a dilemma for Tak and Matty to help with? Send a voice memo or email: takandmatty@gmail.comBin Night with Tak & Matty is your unofficial Neighbours after-party, where your favourite Ramsay Street couple wheel the bins out, talk trash, and bicker like an old married couple about the show, the cast, the fans, and what really happens after the credits roll. New episodes every Thursday.SponsorsBeautyBoat.com: use code BIN25 for 25% off your entire order.RØDE: thanks for the mics making us sound so good.SupportIf you’re having a tough time, please don’t struggle alone.Australia: Lifeline 13 11 14 (24/7). If life is in danger call 000.UK: Text SHOUT to 85258 (free, confidential, 24/7). If you are in immediate danger call 999.