Neighbours moving out
- Published by David Knox
- on
- Filed under News
Reports today that the BBC have officially withdrawn from negotiations to continue screening Neighbours in the UK and that bidding will now turn to ITV and Five.
A BBC insider said, “We made a very generous offer and we were very disappointed when they went off in search of more cash. It shows how greedy they are. There is no hope of us keeping the programme in the face of such fierce competition from the commercial channels.”
It follows previous reports of a bidding war and word that Fremantle raised the price from £25,000 to £100,000 per episode – snubbing the BBC’s offer of £70,000.
If Five takes the soap it would air back to back with Home and Away.
The only possible bright hope is a belated denial by the BBC to Digital Spy claiming, “negotiations are still under way.” This comment follows the Daily Mirror breaking a report that the BBC had withdrawn.