Kylie and Jason return for 'Neighbours' finale

Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan have returned to Neighbours for the long-running soap opera's final episode.

The show announced its cancellation in March, following the loss of its main UK broadcast partner Channel 5.

"Scott and Charlene are the ultimate Neighbours couple and it would not feel right to end the show without them," Neighbours executive producer Jason Herbison said in an Instagram post.

"We are thrilled that Jason and Kylie have come home to play a very special part in our series finale."

The experience of filming the episode was an emotional one for the pair and also for the show's production team, he said.

Two million Australians and almost 20 million viewers in Britain tuned in to watch Donovan's Scott Mitchell and Minogue's Charlene Robinson tie the knot in episode 523, aired in 1987.

The wedding scene, complete with Minogue's lacy dress, coral-coloured bridesmaids' outfits, and Donovan's mullet, became a touchstone of '80s television in Australia.

It also launched Minogue's international career, with her first hit song Locomotion released just weeks after it aired.

The adventures of Ramsay St residents have been entertaining viewers for almost 37 years since 1985, with almost 9000 episodes broadcast.

But after Channel 5's decision to concentrate on local UK drama, producers Fremantle were unable to find another broadcaster to back the show.

The final episode will air on Monday, August 1.