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“We devoted the whole week on air to it”: why didn’t 10 make a Neighbours special?

Not ruled out, not ruled in, but no more plans to mark 37 years of history for now, says 10 boss.

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EXCLUSIVE:

A number of the Neighbours fans have contemplated why 10 didn’t produce a special for the show after its 37 year run, when another broadcaster, ABC, managed to do just that.

It’s a question I posed to 10 boss Beverley McGarvey.

“We feel like we devoted the whole week on air to it,” she said recently.

“Studio 10 effectively devoted their content to it, and they’re on four hours a day. So we had a lot of wonderful content and we wanted to make sure that we could utilise it all. So we really devoted the whole week to supporting that final episode. At some point in the future would we look at specials? Absolutely.”

Finale coverage included Studio 10 and The Project., plus the episode in a primetime slot. That drew 1.30m Total TV viewers.

McGarvey has not ruled out a special or a return to the brand in the future, but at the same time, isn’t devoting any new resources to it for now.

“It was a moment in time and it was wonderful. We did lots of special content. So I’m not saying there’s no space for a special. Absolutely, there’s space for a special when there’s the right moment and reason to do it again.”

13 Responses

  1. seems a bit of a dismissive response by just saying that Studio 10 had it covered. Nobody is watching Studio 10 these days. At the bare minimum, they could have spliced those various segments from the show together to form a prime time special to air just after the final episode.

  2. Absolute crap Channel 10. A special straight after the finale was called for and instead we got Micallef’s face. Nothing against that guy either but Channel 10 couldn’t of cared less. They cancelled the show. It’s a slap in the face to all the cast and crew. Honestly how hard could have it been to make one last special? If it was a first or second season show sure but this show has been on for over 30 years. It was a wasted opportunity and to do one now or later, it would seem out of place.

  3. My guess is the next we’lll here about potential specials and reunions is leading up to the 40th anniversary of it’s premiere, which will be March 2025. Which sounds a long way off, but is only about 2.5 years.

  4. A ridiculous decision. The morning they saw the finale ratings they should have had Angela Bishop editing a special from her Studio 10 footage. It wasn’t just a wasted historical opportunity – it was over a million viewers.

  5. Yes a special would have been nice, even if u had to switch to 10 peach to watch it. But if i have to see 1 more Hey Hey its Saturday special advertised i think ill throw my tv out the window. Seriously we wouldnt want people to get sick of a show. They clearly did with Hey Hey as a revival didnt work and sometimes leaving things in the past is the best. The specials aired things that were dated and in some cases offensive. Reboots dont always do well and honestly neighbours would have to get better ratings that it was in the last few years for it to be viable. So maybe 1 special or some old episodes played on 10peach maybe back to back on the weekends. But in 5 years time i dont want ‘neighbours special, the juciest storylines’.
    That said i havent watched neighbours properly for years but i watched the whole last week so i knew what was going on at the end and the last episode was lovely.

  6. Thank you for what you did. ie asking the question. I got the impression that ch 10 didnt try too hard re a farewell Special Just by Channel 10, and not by Studio 10. ie Channel 10 doing its own Specials as well as the final eps ie Thursday. ie something akin to ‘Channel 10/10 Peach Presents Flashbacks and special and most remembered scenes from 37 years of Neighbours’. With the actors themselves introducing them.

  7. When a country practice ended on 7 in 1993 seven seven had a 3/12 hour special the first 30 minutes was the filming of the final episode then a 2 hour episode after that they had a 1 hour look back of its 12 year run this is what ten should have done for neighbours

  9. Palming off coverage as content for another show is a tad insulting. ABC came through with what they could, even though they didn’t need to.

  10. Surely this is just a polite way of saying no? Most people had already moved on from Neighbours years ago. I don’t think a revival or specials would be worth the effort.

  11. The problem is nobody watches Studio 10, and non-viewers of The Project would not suddenly watch it just for one or two interviews. People want a reminiscent program, behind the scenes content, and hear from the writers as well as the cast.

  12. I think that 10 forgot to consider that many hundreds of thousands of viewers for the finale may not have watched neighbours for years or decades. So by doing some specials could have helped ease people into viewing the final week better. Personally I hadn’t watched neighbours since around Paul came back looking evil when Lassiters went on fire

    1. What we wanted was a special immediately following the finale, with cast past and present sit-downs, ‘best of’ highlights, etc. Waste of a lead-in too. And surely would’ve been fairly cheap plus bang for buck after getting so many stars back. Good call David and read the room. Hopefully 10 do consider, very soon.

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