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“The reality is the show really must end in August, and finish production in June”

Cast are being pragmatic about the fate of 10 soap, and hoping to send it out in style.

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An online petition to save Neighbours now has over 61,000 signatures …but the cast are looking to a spectacular ending for their show of 37 years.

Alan Fletcher, aka Dr. Karl Kennedy, told ITV’s This Morning they hoped to send the show out in style.

“Channel 5’s been a wonderful, wonderful partner for Neighbours for many, many years,” he said.

“In the current business environment, (Channel 5) have made the decision to change directions and of course, that’s their prerogative. We thank them for the wonderful support they’ve given us over the years, but unfortunately, their priorities have changed.

“I’m afraid that’s just the realities of TV land.”

The interview on a rival broadcaster is a sign of how significant the show’s fate is to British fans, but any hope an announcement would be coming were unfounded.

While fans are hopeful a new British broadcaster will step in to save the Fremantle show, Fletcher is more pragmatic.

“Once you turn the ship and say, ‘We have to head in this new direction of finishing the show up’, it can’t be swung back around super quick,” he said.

“Now, if somewhere down the track, a different type of Neighbours was born or a different funder came along, of course, that would be marvellous. But the reality is the show really must end in August and finish production in June.”

He also confirmed the return of Harold Bishop (Ian Smith) and another figure from Dr. Karl’s past as producers look to return favourite faces.

Last night Neighbours was the top rating show on multichannels.

19 Responses

  2. I’ve watched since it first started on channel 7 before it went to 10/11. Selfishly, I don’t want it to end. I like the idea of changing and moving it (like E Street). I still hold out hope that they will find another backer in the UK. If they can’t, and it has to end, yes, let’s do it on a high. But if it can be saved and reborn in some form, then I hope that happens.

  4. Finale: All the Ramsay Street houses are sold off and the land is turned into a mega apartment complex or shopping centre, run by Lassiters. Everyone moves to QLD where Scott and Charlene have invested in new property estate development on the Gold Coast, and offer a new house to all the former Ramsay Street residents.
    The Estate name? (Reg) Watson Waters.

  6. Thats show business. I have worked on many an Australian drama which only had a run of a year if your lucky. The cast and crew on Neighbours have been lucky being employed for many years. Now its time to move on.

  7. Folks, how many Oz made dramas are currently on air in an ‘M’ rated form? Apart from short run series on ABC and the odd SBS example, not very many. They’re expensive to make and don’t rate all that well or even poorly. The reason that FTA commercial channels are clogged with “reality TV” and US cop/law/medical series is that they’re cheap and fill time, along with a lot of old repeats and films on all the many available channels.

  8. Interesting ideas from other commenters. Sounds a lot like what E Street was. IMO sounds like a good idea. the show needs to evolve certainly in timeslot and themes of episodes. People for the past decade or more have been consuming more M rated content anyway. So I think the show need to move in that direction. If Network 10’s priorities have moved on from Neighbours then it needs a new TV home in OZ. Maybe Nine can pick it up. There target demo has become more youth orientated in recent years. As they say only time will tell.

  9. If the powers that be were smart they would give Neighbours an upgrade to 2 nights a week on 10 & give it a more adult theme, i.e Secret Life & Wonderland (which I miss). Time to have a good Aussie drama on primetime & remove these U.S cop shows to the Bold channel. I usually watch a few eps on Sunday mornings & Neighbours has a great cast & the look of the show has really come of age. It would also be a great opportunity for some of our forgotten actors to have a platform to work, i.e Rowena Wallace. How good is it watching her again in S&D repeats. That’s my 2 bobs worth.

    1. I agree. The cast is strong, it’s an established show. It’s taken on more mature content in recent years. They could absolutely keep the history, the cast and vibe, but move it to a later time slot for an hour twice a week. Increase it to a M rating reinvent t the show. Just don’t get rid of Karl, Susan and Paul 😂

    2. Good idea re stripping and moving it. Rowena was on Neighbours many years ago in a few week guest role – so maybe she and many others could pop back in too as you said. I also agree, her work in S&D is way above and beyond most. Classic character – just love to hate her – and yes, started watching it all again on 7+

        1. Rowena or her character?? Rowena Wallace is very much alive, Pat the Rat from S&D was not killed off but did get transformed by cosmetic surgery to return to the show looking like Belinda Giblin lol

          1. Oh my bad, I thought she died. I must be watching too many soaps and getting mixed up with real life !

    3. The truth is though when such shows are reformatted after decades on air it doesn’t generally save them and a year down the line they get axed. Here in the UK both Brookside and The Bill were retooled into a weekly drama format as the networks, and viewers, fell out of love with them, and in both cases they were still axed within the year.

      Yes, retooling Neighbours as a twice a week hour long show airing Wed & Thu at 7.30pm could actually work really well scheduling wise for Ten given the move of most reality franchises to airing just three nights a week, if that – but sadly if they don’t make money they don’t make money.

  11. Let’s hope they send it out in style. Hopefully 10 will make a bit of a fuss of the last few months of it as well. You’d imagine that storylining for eps to film in June must be well underway already.

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