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Neighbours: “We hope to return to Pin Oak Court, but we’re prepared either way.”

Executive Producer Jason Herbison reveals more detail on the Neighbours revival.

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Neighbours producers are hoping to return to Pin Oak Court for filming of new episodes, but that deal appears like it is yet to be secured.

So secretive was the revival that home owners could not be told, with executive producer Jason Herbison even holding the camera for the promo in which Jackie Woodburne, Alan Fletcher, Ryan Moloney and Stefan Dennis teased the show’s (second) revival.

Herbison answered some questions for Digital Spy:

Are you prepared for the possibility that certain cast, and particularly the younger stars, may have landed new work and may not want to come back?

“Neighbours has always been a mix of the familiar and the new. It’s a talent pipeline, on screen and off, and I’m sure that spirit will continue. I know that some young cast members have moved on and I’m always happy for them to do so. I’m proud of each and every one of them.”

Can you confirm at this stage whether you still have the Nunawading studios (location of the Lassiters backlot and the Ramsay Street backyard sets) and Pin Oak Court (real-life location of Ramsay Street)?

“We still have the Nunawading studios. The backlot is standing and the sets are in storage. Lassiters has a few weeds but we’ll fire up the lawnmower and the four star rating will be restored!

“We hope to return to Pin Oak Court, but we’re prepared either way. This is a wonderful new era and if we have to make changes, I see it as an exciting opportunity.”

Can you confirm whether we’ll still have the daily five-episodes-per-week format or something different?

“We have many more announcements ahead, so stay tuned. I can assure you there are a lot of new episodes on the way. We have been a big part of people’s lives and we hope to be again.”

You and the rest of the team created the perfect finale just months ago. How do you feel about having to undo some of that work and the happy endings for certain characters?

“We gave everything we had to the finale and I’m grateful to Channel 5 and Network 10 for getting behind it. Thanks to their support, we went out with a bang rather than a whimper, which has led to this revival. At the time it seemed like it was my one shot to say goodbye and do it justice.

“But life is full of surprises and here we are, sooner rather than later. We will make the most of it. I don’t see us having to undo any work, it’s more a case of – what could happen next? The answer is – lots of amazing things!”

Neighbours returns in mid-2023 on Network 10 and seven days later on Prime Video.

You can read more here.

12 Responses

  1. Worst case scenario is they could work out a deal with residents from pin oak to film for a week or two. Start off with introducing any new neighbours and then have an earth quake scenario. And the residents move to ansons corner or Robinson heights. Because they all want to live near each other because good neighbours become good friends

  2. Kath and Kim 20 years seems to deliver the answers to the conundrum of not having Pin Oak Court.
    All you need is a green screen and some good lighting and you’ve got Ramsay Street.

  3. Agree with Robert, worst case scenario a replica is built on the backlot. This is very common in uk. Of course I’d expect some of the finer details to be different.

    However, this would give some more flexibility in storylines, think fires, earthquakes (which they wanted to do), etc. as they would have rights to “destroy” this set then rebuild where necessary from “damage”. So its not necessarily the worst. But I’m sure production are throwing plenty of money to pin oak court resident, if public will still be visiting the iconic street – may as well make some money from it, right?

    1. Let’s just knock this replica on the backlot idea on the head right now. There’s no space for anything of this kind, let alone the price tage it would entail. If anything homes in Forest Hill have been encroaching more and more on the site owned by NEP Studios. The downturn in the property market is probably the main thing that avoided a redevelopment, and in Neighbours favour.

      2. I don’t know – Paramount just spent a bomb on a replica 90s Kings Cross for the upcoming Ibrahim drama.

        Imagine not having to pay location fees and moving trucks, cast and crew around every week of filming.
        The upfront investment pays itself off really quickly. If they are hoping for another 5-10 years it seems like a no-brainer.

  4. I think securing Pin Oak court should be vital in Freemantles plans. When you look at the other series where bizarrely they shifted states to film a new series after the show had a finale'(A Country Practice and Seachange), it just doesn’t work.

  5. I’m sure a nice cheap replica can be built on the back lot. Likely cheaper in the long run. They couldn’t change the neighbourhood so it’s likely other plans would be exactly that.

  7. David, thanks publishing but really there were no answers apart from “yes we have a studio and sets”. We can all guess at a change in format to be a better package for Amazon and if they don’t have the street, it will stray even further away. I’m starting to think that a revival is a bad idea and Jason H should have just moved on like the rest of the cast and left us with the recent final in our memories.

    1. At the time of being axed, Neighbours had rediscovered its mojo and its cancellation was a great injustice. The problem, at least in part, was that having been shunted to 10Peach in Australia, audience ratings in its home country were terrible.

      Jason Herbison has been a great producer so let’s await the further announcements in due course. Personally, I wouldn’t wish to see too many cast changes, however if a return to Pin Oak Court isn’t possible then I wouldn’t view that as an insuperable obstacle. Here in the UK, Coronation Street, which recently reduced from 5 nights a week to 3 longer episodes, has also demonstrated that audiences can adapt to changes in output.

      Amazon Freevee will definitely attract new viewers as well and I’ve already downloaded its app in preparation for Neighbours’ return, however unless Ten takes a chance in Australia and screens the revival on its main channel, this soap reboot seems likely ultimately doomed to the same fate.

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