Synopsis
"Episode 6646", also known as "The Eclipse", is the 6646th episode of the Australian soap opera Neighbours. It premiered on Eleven on 20 May 2013. The episode was written by Jason Herbison and directed by Laurence Wilson. "Episode 6646" revolves around an annular eclipse, which changes the lives of several Ramsay Street residents. It was first teased by executive producer Richard Jasek in January 2013. The episode saw several storylines play out with Kyle Canning sustaining serious damage to his eyesight, a child kidnapping, the introduction of a new family and the return of two past characters; Mark Brennan and Brad Willis.
Two promotional trailers for the episode were released by Eleven and British broadcaster Channel 5 respectively. A real annular eclipse occurred in Australia ten days before the episode was broadcast. "Episode 6646" was watched by 353,000 Australian viewers, which made it the top rated programme on the digital multichannels that day. In the UK, the episode was seen by 780,000 viewers during the first showing and 1.07 million viewers during the second. Television critics thought the episode was full of dramatic incidents, while others felt sorry for Kyle and agreed that Lucas and Vanessa's happiness had been short lived again.
