★★★★★ 0/5

The one moment the Logies really missed….

After 37 years, the Neighbours cast should have taken to the stage for a final bow.

28
Leave a comment

It was great to have the Logies back after a three year break, with a genuine feeling of camaraderie rippling through the room last night on the Gold Coast.

Having mates from opposing networks rubbing shoulders and catching up after difficult years gave everybody a spring in their step.

But there was one moment the Logies really needed to get right last night… a genuine tribute to Neighbours.

Only a week ago the show wrapped 37 years of production, unsurpassed in Australian drama history.

That cast should have been on the stage and taken a bow.

The entire room would have given them a standing ovation. The Home & Away team would have been their biggest fans on the night.

Instead they were relegated to a short video package with Dan MacPherson and Natalie Bassingthwaighte acknowledging the show as part of the Most Popular New Talent Award. It was nowhere near as good as the reel that ran at the British Soap Awards last week.

The cast who were present, headed up by Stefan Dennis and Ryan Moloney, were forced to watch from tables with an obstructed view due to cameras.

None of it was worthy of a grand send-off, and I feel for the cast.

I know the night is long. I know Neighbours is already in the Hall of Fame. But a bow in front of their peers should have been the least we could have done to say thank you on an absolutely amazing run.

28 Responses

  1. Agreed, David. Well said.

    And while it could be argued that Neighbours is still on air and theoretically still in contention for a nomination/mention in the 2023 awards, the chances of that happening are practically nil. Neighbours winds up on Mon 01 Aug, so it will be forgotten by next year’s Logies.

    The time to acknowledge Neighbours’ 37 year history was this year. Poor form Channel 9.

  4. It’s almost as if the organisers were actively trying to do as little as possible to acknowledge Neighbours. At least Margot Robbie (apparently) sent 37 bottles of champagne to the cast and crew on the last day of filming…now that is nice meaningful gesture.

  6. Agree.
    I must say when Daniel McPherson and Natalie Bassingthwaighte came out to present they were the first two of the night to speak naturally and not seem forced and awkward like most of the other presenters, maybe it’s their speaking experience overseas etc that made it seem more natural.

  7. At the very least they could have got a couple of the current long serving cast members up, if not the whole cast, rather than a couple of actors who left the show many years ago. A real backhanded compliment Nine.

  8. It might have also been a cost issue in flying the entire cast (25+ people) up to GC and putting them up for the night. I don’t think TV Week or the production company who staged the awards and most certainly not Network Ten would have footed the bill. Perhaps if the awards were still in Melbourne where most of the actors are based, it could have happened. Would’ve been good for Jackie Woodburne and Alan Fletcher to have been there too, but I’m guessing tickets/seats were limited for Ten.

    1. Given the fact that it’s their last Logies, I doubt cost would have been a factor. And even if it was, I’m sure the actors, Fremantle or Ten would have happily covered those costs.

      If you look at the Logies photos, a large contingent of the cast did go. So it wasn’t a cost factor, it was incompetence by the organisers.

    2. There were 10 cast members present at the ceremony who could have been brought on stage; I’m sure it wasn’t beyond the skills of the organisers to have featured others by video link.

  10. As a longtime viewer (from the start), I thought that wasn’t good enough. I agree with most of the previous replies here. The entire cast should have taken to the stage for an ovation, and a thank you. But it was just like 37 years didn’t matter! Well, it does to the fans! With the amount of garbage on tv, this show should still be there!

  11. Yes, so disappointed! If I was in charge, I would have had a long presentation with past Gold Logie nominees for Neighbours all come out and one by one share what Neighbours means to them: Eve Morey, Ian Smith, Nat Bass, Natalie Blair, Delta Goodrem and Jason Donovan. Then afterwards, they introduce and applaud the *current* cast of Neighbours who come out and take their bow!

  12. I could not agree more with the pathetic moments that Neighbours received. I said to my partner that Julia Morris was a bad choice, and why she wasn’t taken off before she went, She just went on and on with garbage. Good to see “The Newsreader” with a couple of Logies for Best Actress and best Drama. Well Done I am looking forward to Season 2.
    All in all not too bad with a couple of cringe moments.
    I do not like Jimmy Barnes singing at all but last night he sang first off a song from the sixties that people remember, that being said it was a shame that the other couple of singers sang their own songs…..sorry I did not know either song. Maybe my musical education is sadly lacking, but too me it showed with a song every one knows even a bad singer is watchable.

  13. Seriously disappointing tribute. Needed to be full blown 5 minutes minimum. Although with Neighbours eligible for awards next year (at least i believe that is the case), maybe they could get it right this time but honestly the whole event was terrible and it all started with Julia Morris and was downhill from there. They seriously need change and a good start would be change of network.

  14. Really bad treatment for the Neighbors cast last night. The casting and story lines have been appalling in recent years, but it used to be such a great show in the 80’s and 90’s and will always have a special place in peoples hearts.

  15. What was there was plenty for a non-viewer of Neighbours. I can understand why fans of the show would want more, but for the rest it would have been overkill. When you consider that the show went way over time (it must have, the recording, with padding, cut out just after Best Actress), I would rather spend more time on the In Memorium which is the main reason I watch. Also, someone needed to edit Patti down to about a fifth.

    1. Agreed, I like her on other shows but that was just embarrassing, even worse when they went up to collect the award for I’m a Celebrity I felt embarrassed for her carrying on like that just rambling nonsense that made no sense, luckily the poor Dr Chris actually thanked the staff and crew that bring the show together.

  18. I am still in hope they will do it next year, considering it is still airing. And I assume it will still be in contention to be able to be nominated.

    If that was it, well that was pathetic, just pathetic. And the cast may as well has been sat outside in the foyer with where their table was, and the cast didn’t look that impressed either.

  19. It was a beyond disappointing tribute … as well as seeing the cast not even given a once-off VIP table treatment.

    I was really hopeful that after the Covid hiatus, the Logies would return with a fresh vibe but where was the entertainment last night? No comedy song and dance number? Humour was scarce between Julia Morris, Hamish and Andy and Hughesy. And don’t even get me started on those ridiculous bar scenes with the Gold nominees.

    Here’s hoping 10 unveil their plans soon on the final weeks of Neighbours … the bar has not been set very high.

  21. Wow that was a woeful clip package, looks like they grabbed a few scenes used on Studio 10’s special and threw in any old random scene in no particular order of year.
    Hopefully 10 have a proper highlights package after the finale.

    1. Yeah the montage had really random scenes. The only iconic scenes were both of the Scott and Charlotte scenes (their meeting and the wedding). But then they had the car explosion when Prue died, she was a fairly minor character that everyone hated so that was an odd choice to include. And they left out the Susan slaps Karl moment that is a true iconic moment.

Leave a Reply