#Neighbours is an Australian television soap opera. It was created by #RegWatson and first broadcast on 18 March 1985. The following is a list of characters that first appeared in the soap in 2001, by order of first appearance. All characters were introduced by the show's executive producer Stanley Walsh. The 17th season of Neighbours began airing on 15 January 2001. #JessFielding made her debut in the following month. #MattHancock arrived in March, while his father, #Evan.