Farewell to Neighbours: “This was Ground Zero for the show that would take Australia & the UK by storm”

In this second Farewell to Neighbours feature,
I turned to Paramount ANZ Head Of Drama And Executive Production, Rick Maier
to reflect on the show he has been associated with for decades
-first as writer and later network drama exec.

Rick has kindly penned this piece exclusively for TV Tonight:

“That sounds so cheesy”, I thought. I was listening to a cassette player outside Reg Watson’s office. We were on Level 3 of Grundy House, two floors above a carpet retailer, sandwiched between the local Kentucky Fried Chicken and the Shore Motel in Artarmon, Sydney.

Jackie Trent and Tony Hatch, most famous for writing “The Two of Us” and “Downtown”, had delivered a theme song for the new Grundy serial Neighbours. That cheesy song became an earworm I would be associated with for a large chunk of the next 36 years. If only I’d known.

We call them the “run from the kitchen” themes; they trigger an audience call to action. How strong that call to action? The story goes that years later breastfeeding women would start lactating as they recalled being breast-fed themselves as their mothers watched their favourite soap.

This was Ground Zero for the show that would take Australia and the UK by storm. Of course, none of us knew it then. In another office nearby I could hear actresses on tape: “What are you looking at Vinegar TITS?” as Casting Director Kerry Spence worked her way towards the incredible ensemble that became the cast of Prisoner.

Casting skill was in abundance at Grundys. Jan Russ famously put together a group that would become household names on Neighbours. Everyone, up to and including Margot Robbie, would be aware of Jan’s influence on the show. Not just a great eye for talent and potential, Jan also understood the power of the ensemble. She may have single-handedly launched a thousand dazzling careers, matching inexperience with some our very best performers from stage and screen. Truly one of the unsung heroes.

This was a golden time to be working at Grundys. The Young Doctors, The Restless Years, Prisoner, Neighbours and more – Reg Watson, not just a genius, but a one man hit machine.

And it had to be the definition of right place, right time. What a privilege. And so many great mentors: Betty Quin, David Phillips, Hugh Stuckey, Ray Kolle and dozens more. It’s not well known that all these shows were created and developed by Reg Watson in Sydney. And the writing teams were all Sydney based to start.

As a staff writer and script editor I was asked to work alongside the story team for the re-boot on TEN. Again, what a great piece of luck.

There were two changes to cast, and a slight shift in tone. The material was a little lighter, but the scaffolding was always family and community. The Robinson and Ramsay families feuding, and of course forbidden love.

Phil East and I were the first script editors on this re-incarnation and the ratings usually arrived by fax sometime around 10am. We enjoyed a monumental seven share for the re-launch. Total disaster. Without a whole lot of irony, I looked at Phil and asked him what his next show would be.

It’s fair to say the odds were against us. Neighbours was weeks away from a second cancellation.

Now we all know about Charlene, Scott, Mike and Plain Jane super-brain. But it took a little while for the show to find its voice and the audience to jump on board. Karl and Susan, Toadie, Harold, Madge – and Paul Robinson all built the foundation. And again, it was the relentless work of Ten’s publicity and marketing team fighting for column inches and turning shopping centre appearances into a military operation.

Years later, we discovered the back story to this commission. Tom Warne was keen to find a show to bring the Ten network together, to strip five nights a week and to under-pin his prime time schedule. Back then every city had their own station, and they knew their market best. Denis Spencer thought Neighbours might fit the bill. The show had done well on 7 for a year, but HSV and ATN couldn’t agree on a future.

Pretty quickly Eileen O’Shea and Brian Walsh were brought into the conversation. One show, one huge campaign. It would unify ATV, TEN and the Network. Some people still recall the cheek of the low-loader and the backing flats travelling across town from 7 to 10. Neighbours had a new address. Eileen and Brian deserve a huge amount of credit for the re-fresh. Without them it may have been a very short innings.

Jump forward to 1997 and Ross Plapp asked me to join Ten to work in Drama. Around that time Ten had State Coroner, Medivac, Big Sky and Neighbours. I thought it would be interesting to understand how and why Networks made their commissioning and programming decisions. And just who were these geniuses giving terrible network notes. I didn’t expect to last, and I wasn’t sure I’d enjoy it. But I did.

Since then, we’ve all had the chance to see Neighbours flourish. The transition from the BBC to Channel 5, the rise and rise of multi-channels, catch-up, and streaming. So much change, but the little engine that could continued to break new ground.

It’s to Jason Herbison’s great credit that the show will wind up as progressive and relevant as ever. The legacy? Where do you start.

Prior to Neighbours becoming such a hit on the BBC Australian dramas weren’t as easy to sell overseas. These days many of our series have significant UK investment, either as a pre-sale or a distribution guarantee. It’s become a truly International business.

It’s also impossible to quantify the multiplier effect of inbound tourism and migration – over decades now. Eternal Spring, inclusive and progressive community, unwavering strength of the family unit, and oh, everyone seems to be incredibly good looking too.

How can you quantify the on-the-job training for all our technicians, writers, directors and post producers? Not to mention the incredible success of our ensemble (both to date and in the future).

Or to hear that The Bold and the Beautiful wanted to know how Neighbours could be back safely in production when Covid had just shut down Hollywood.

Over my time at Ten, we’ve gone through a lot of our own well-documented changes, Neighbours has been a constant. It has been our brand in many ways. Punching above its weight and surviving as the industry evolved around it almost daily. New channels, streaming services, so many other forms of media. But there has always been a brilliant fan base, and we have no doubt the show will be sorely missed.

We’re just as sure Reg Watson would be so proud. And he always loved that song.

Neighbours Finale Week:
Monday July 25 6:30pm – 8pm 10 Peach
Tuesday July 26 6:30pm – 8pm 10 Peach
Wednesday July 27 6:30pm – 8pm 10 Peach
Thursday July 28 7.30pm – 9pm on 10 and 10 Peach

Attention British fans: TV Tonight will be filing a finale story following the Australian broadcast.