Alan Fletcher is one of the most beloved stars to ever appear on Aussie soap opera Neighbours. 

As the show nears its final episodes, the actor, who has played Karl Kennedy on the Australian soap since 1994, arrived for work this week looking rather different than he did in his heyday. 

The 68-year-old arrived on set on Tuesday for what is the last week of filming for the iconic series.

Alan was sporting grey and white hair and appeared unshaven as he exited his vehicle. 

He opted for a striped dress shirt in tones of red, white and blue, along with a pair of grey trousers. 

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Alan Fletcher (pictured), who has played Karl Kennedy on the Australian soap since 1994, arrived for work this week looking rather different than he did in his heyday

The 68-year-old arrived on set on Tuesday for what is the last week of filming for the iconic series

Alan was sporting grey and white hair and appeared unshaven as he exited his vehicle

The veteran actor completed his ensemble with a pair of brown dress shoes.  

Alan previously revealed he once nearly died while filming Neighbours.

He recounted a ‘terrifying’ incident which saw him nearly drown while filming scenes on a cruise.

During an upcoming appearance on Saturday Night With Hayley Palmer, Alan told the presenter how his character had been attempting to rescue his fiancée Izzy Hoyland (Natalie Bassingthwaighte), when things went south.

Alan claimed he only survived the near-death-experience after a speedboat came to his rescue.

He went on to tell viewers he collapsed a week later due to ‘delayed shock’, but has lived on to tell the tale.

The Perth native said: ‘This was a terrifying incident, Karl proposed to Izzy… she got so excited she pitched into the water.

‘After they fished her out, I had to dive in to try and rescue her, obviously in a fictional way, but I forgot to take my shoes off so they filled up with water and every time I went down I thought, “Gee, am I gonna come up again?

Alan is pictured on Neighbours alongside Jackie Woodburne who plays Susan Kennedy 

Alan is seen here alongside Natalie Bassingthwaighte who plays Izzy Hoyland 

‘The third time I went down, I thought, “I don’t know if I am gonna come up,” so I got a bit flustered, put my hand up in the air and the speedboat had to rush out and rescue me.

‘A week later, I actually collapsed from a delayed shock to the body. It was very weird.’

It comes after the long-running soap opera was abruptly axed in February. 

Amazon did not renew their contract with production company Fremantle Australia.

In response to the shock announcement, an Amazon spokesperson told MailOnline: ‘Neighbours has brought so much joy over the last 40 years to its fanbase globally.

‘Forty years is an incredible milestone and we are proud that Amazon MGM Studios was able to have a small part of bringing further episodes to Freevee and Prime Video customers over the last two years.’

In a heartwarming post, the crew assured fans that new episodes from the 40th anniversary season would continue to be broadcast on Prime Video and Ten, with ‘all the big soapie twists and turns that our viewers love’.

The show’s Executive Producer Jason Herbison went on to celebrate the many years of Neighbours and the success it had experienced since its inception.

‘Audiences all around the world have loved Neighbours for four decades,’ he said. 

Alan previously revealed he once nearly died while filming Neighbours. Alan is pictured in 2019

‘We are proud of the success over the last two years including often appearing as one of the Top 10 titles in the UK and the show’s first-ever Daytime Emmy nomination. 

‘As this chapter closes, we appreciate and thank Amazon MGM Studios for all that they have done for Neighbours – bringing this iconic and much-loved series to new audiences globally.’

He ended the post, saying: ‘We value how much the fans love Neighbours and we believe there are more stories of the residents of Ramsay Street to tell in the future.’

The final ever episodes will air at the end of 2025 with fans forced to say goodbye to Ramsay Street for a second time, after first being axed in February 2022.