A Leicester City-themed mug made a surprise appearance on the Australian soap Neighbours after long-time star Alan Fletcher secretly brought it onto the set.
Foxes fan Darren Brooks was on vacation in Melbourne when he handed the mug to Fletcher, who portrays Dr Karl Kennedy on the iconic show.
The mug was later spotted in an episode that aired on Amazon Prime 18 months afterward.
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, had contacted the actor through social media before his trip to Australia to see if they could grab a drink together, but the two couldn’t settle on a convenient time.
However, when Mr Brooks and his wife, Susan, travelled to Australia in February 2024, they arranged to meet Fletcher on the Ramsay Street set, where they gifted him the Leicester City mug.
Mr Brooks, who works as a technical lead for a warehouse automation firm, 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 deliberately positioned the mug within view, 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 knew Fletcher, who was born in Perth, Western Australia, was fond of English football and supported Liverpool, which gave him the idea to bring a football-related mug as a gift.
“I’m not a Leicester City fan, but I’ve been to Leicester many, many times,” Fletcher said.
Mr Brooks added: “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 group, The Alan Fletcher Band, have since toured the UK and performed at The International, a Leicester music venue, where he finally met Mr Brooks for a beer.
Earlier this year, it was revealed that Neighbours had been cancelled again, two years after being revived by Amazon MGM Studios.
Fletcher admitted he has placed other items on the set over the years — and even taken a few souvenirs himself.
“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.”