How a Leicester City mug ended up on Neighbours

A Leicester City branded mug has appeared on Australian soap Neighbours after long-running star Alan Fletcher smuggled it on to set.

Foxes supporter Darren Brooks was on holiday in Melbourne when he handed the mug to Fletcher, who plays Dr Karl Kennedy.

The mug then appeared in an episode which aired on Amazon Prime 18 months later.

Fletcher said: “I’m not sure if I asked permission, sometimes you’ve just got to ask for forgiveness! I love Leicester, it’s a lovely part of the world and I thought this would be a nice thing to do.”

Mr Brooks, from Leicester Forest East, reached out to the actor via social media before his visit to Australia to ask if he would like to share a drink, but they were unable to agree on a suitable time.

However, Mr Brooks and his wife, Susan, then went on holiday to Australia in February 2024 and arranged to meet the actor at the Ramsay Street set, where they presented him with the Leicester City mug.

Mr Brooks, who is a technical lead for a warehouse automation company, said: “Eighteen months later, in Neighbours episode 9319 shown in late September, the Leicester City mug suddenly appeared in a household scene in prime view right in front of the camera.”

Fletcher, who strategically placed the mug into shot, said: “It took a bit of skill.

“I can’t remember if I told anyone in the production what I was doing.

“There are a couple of things in the set that people have snuck in, but this is something that me and Darren had talked about – it was a bit of a lark and I thought, ‘Yeah, why not, it’s a bit of fun.'”

Mr Brooks said he was aware Fletcher, born in Perth, Western Australia, enjoys watching English football and is a fan of Liverpool, which prompted the idea to get him a football-related mug.

“I’m not a Leicester City fan, but I’ve been to Leicester many, many times”, Fletcher said.

Mr Brooks said: “For several days the Neighbours Facebook pages were all trying to figure out how it was there and who was responsible.

“There were so many theories about it on many of the Neighbours bulletin boards.”

Fletcher and his band, The Alan Fletcher Band, have recently toured the UK and played at The International, a music venue in Leicester, when he did finally meet Mr Brooks for a beer.

Earlier this year, it was announced Neighbours had been cancelled, two years after it was saved by Amazon MGM Studios.

Fletcher said he had placed other items on the set over the years, but he has also helped himself to some of the props.

“I’ve also sneaked a bit of memorabilia off the set, I’m going to be honest with you, at the end of the show”, he said.

“Neighbours wasn’t just a TV show, it was something that bonded families together… I think that was a hallmark of the show.

“I think the dedication to Neighbours is legendary because of that wonderful, sort of, bonding experience.”