Neighbours AXED after 37 years (now saved and returning to screens in 2023)

[Englishboy]

I believe that in Australia the final ever episode will now air on the 28th July and is to be given the compliment of screening on Channel 10 - the main terrestrial channel in addition to being carried on the off shoot digital channel known as Peach which it currently airs on.

This brings the finale forward from the original date of August 1st.

It isn’t clear if this means Australia will see the final scenes ahead of the UK.

Neighbours finale confirmed on 10 | TV Tonight

It's a finale week for long-running soap, with a brand new date and time for the last ever episode.

tvtonight.com.au

 

[Pamela_E]

I believe that in Australia the final ever episode will now air on the 28th July and is to be given the compliment of screening on Channel 10 - the main terrestrial channel in addition to being carried on the off shoot digital channel known as Peach which it currently airs on.

This brings the finale forward from the original date of August 1st.

It isn’t clear if this means Australia will see the final scenes ahead of the UK.

Neighbours finale confirmed on 10 | TV Tonight

It's a finale week for long-running soap, with a brand new date and time for the last ever episode.

tvtonight.com.au

I understood the UK air date to be July 29th at 9pm. Australia will air it first if that is the case.

 

[Alison Carr]

First images of Scott and Charlene back on Ramsey Street have been released

 

[Alison Carr]

First images of Scott and Charlene back on Ramsey Street have been released

 

[Mel O'Drama]

First images of Scott and Charlene back on Ramsey Street have been released

Oh - the nostalgic attention to detail in these pictures is great.

Both standing by the window where Charlene punched Scott out in her first scene wearing an all denim outfit. Scott's shirt is a even similar shade to the t-shirt he wore in that same scene.

My favourite little flourish is that they evidently return in an an updated version of the classic lime green Mini in which Lennie was last seen.

 

[Carrie Fairchild]

I understood the UK air date to be July 29th at 9pm. Australia will air it first if that is the case.

Channel Five have announced their plans for finale night on the 29th.

NEIGHBOURS: CHANNEL 5 MARK FINALE WITH NIGHT OF SPECIAL PROGRAMMING

Channel 5 will mark the end of Australian soap Neighbours on Friday 29th July with two special programmes, plus the finale itself. Details on the three main events below.Neighbours: The FinaleIn the first of the final two episodes, Jane gives Mike a tour of all the Ramsay Street houses before...

www.tvzoneuk.com

 

[Mel O'Drama]

Channel Five have announced their plans for finale night on the 29th.

When I read the text box in your link I was excited and all set to settle in for a full night of Neighbours nostalgia. Looking more closely, it's a little disappointing they couldn't devote one of the specials to the ups and downs of the series itself rather than both seeming to fixate on post-Neighbours pop careers.

Still, it looks like I may get my wish in the series proper. Jane giving Mike a tour of the houses looks like a golden opportunity for reminiscences and flashbacks galore.

Does anyone know if there'll be a good jumping on point for those of us who are tuning back in after many years for the finale? I've seen a trailer promoting the final week, so that seems logical. I might even watch the last couple of weeks if there's an omnibus of the penultimate week or a way to stream it.

 

[Carrie Fairchild]

When I read the text box in your link I was excited and all set to settle in for a full night of Neighbours nostalgia. Looking more closely, it's a little disappointing they couldn't devote one of the specials to the ups and downs of the series itself rather than both seeming to fixate on post-Neighbours pop careers.

Yes, I thought the same. The focus of the “What Happened Next” documentary is a bit narrow considering the show’s long history while the “Greatest Hits” one is standard Channel Five fare. They love a music compilation interspersed with D-list talking heads.

I too hope to jump back in for the final weeks. I’d initially planned to watch the final month or so but after a few episodes, I dropped off as they weren’t holding my interest. I imagine I’ll pick up from when the first returnee appears.

 

[JamesF]

Harold returned last week but Shane Ramsay is back tomorrow and looking at the spoilers for the rest of the week, that's the start of various returns.

When I read the text box in your link I was excited and all set to settle in for a full night of Neighbours nostalgia. Looking more closely, it's a little disappointing they couldn't devote one of the specials to the ups and downs of the series itself rather than both seeming to fixate on post-Neighbours pop careers.

Yes I was pretty unimpressed when I saw the actual content... I'm not too surprised; I've seen cast members starting to do the media rounds over here but very little publicity for it on Channel 5 at all.

 

[Ome]

Does anyone know if there'll be a good jumping on point for those of us who are tuning back in after many years for the finale

I decided to jump back in on Tuesday. I was surprised to see Jane Harris back there and Clive. It was also great to see Harold Bishop and Shane Ramsey.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

I decided to jump back in on Tuesday. I was surprised to see Jane Harris back there and Clive. It was also great to see Harold Bishop and Shane Ramsey.

Well, since you mentioned that Shane's back, I had to drop in on Ramsay Street. Since Thursday, Neighbours has replaced The Six O'Clock News as the default backdrop to dinner preparations.

Jane and Clive haven't featured in either of the episodes, but I actually saw them when I randomly clicked onto Neighbours several months ago and recognised Jane along with this very familiar-looking middle aged actor I couldn't quite place. I was thrilled when I realised it was Geoff Paine, and even more so when I realised he was playing Clive.

Neighbours seems really good at reintroducing characters from its history, and it helps that originals like Paul and long-termers like the Kennedys are still around to give older characters a reason to drop in.

I think in long-running soaps nostalgia can sometimes win out with older characters and an actor can get lucky by simply having appeared during a fondly-remembered era. Melanie's a case in point. I found her extremely annoying when she was on it back in the late-Eighties, and I think her becoming a regular character was one of the nails in the coffin of my regular viewing. Now, though, she's almost welcome as I watch because at least I know her name.

I'd liken reconnecting with Neighbours with going to a relative's wedding and trying to spot familiar faces among all the strangers in a familiar environment. Even those I wasn't particularly close to are a welcome sight. I'm in the same position as many of the returnees, trying to work out who's who. Fortunately, I love the way this series is structured and written to be incredibly accessible from any starting point. It's very easy to work out who's connected to who and how. Like the Kennedys' situation. I had only the vaguest idea who the Kennedys were as they were after my time (my partner recognised the woman and asked if the man was played by the same actor and I had to confess I didn't know), and no idea at all who the son and his new lover were. But after a damp squib of a cliffhanger in which his prune pouting new lover was revealed, it quickly became evident though dialogue that she'd had an affair with Kennedy Sr. in decades past.

The scenarios are reassuringly familiar. The trouble Mel is being given from her critical mother-in-law-to-be feels very much like Daphne and Eileen, with poor Toadie/Des caught in the middle.

The little Easter eggs to the past are great. Not just returnees such as Shane, Harold and now Joe Mangel through the wonders of Zoom. But there have been references to situations from the earliest days. In the first episode I watched, Paul mentioned moving into No. 30 with Terry, and also mentioned other early residents from that house such as the Browns (and possibly the Suttons). I think he even made a little quip about the Simpsons who "kept themselves to themselves" (a knowing nod to the fact that the family was referenced but never seen). Even Home James got a name-check!

The houses themselves are enjoyable. Of course, the decor and styles (and the sets themselves, no doubt due to changing technologies such as HD) have changed so much that it's become a little game for me to work out who's living in which house.

I'm not keen at all on the previews, so that's my switch-off point. Why subject the entire viewing audience to spoilers before the current episode has even finished?

 

[Mel O'Drama]

I've now watched a consecutive week's worth of Neighbours.

It's fascinating that it's exactly the same series in so many ways. The locations, situations and relationships mostly feel comfortably familiar to the point it feels like stepping back in time.

At the same time, the demographics on the series are completely different. There was no real diversity back in the day. I can't think of a significant ethnic minority character, and homosexuality simply didn't exist. Now you've got Paul's Asian son* living in blissful heteronormativity with his male spouse. And Jane's creaky voiced daughter getting together with a black woman. All on one tiny cul-de-sac. What on earth would Mrs Mangel say?

I've decided Jane is the Gail Potter of Neighbours, progressing from a reasonably sensible young woman to a hand-wringing, ostensibly conservative-ish-but-accepting mother with a confusing love life who smiles through even with the troubles of the world on her shoulders. I really like who she's become.







*Just this morning, while trying to work out who was who in last night's episode (after Paul's Zoom call with half a dozen offspring, none of whom I knew), I discovered that David's mother is Kim, Scott's girlfriend who wanted to go on the pill in the opening episodes of the series. Mind blown. And I suppose it shows early Neighbours wasn't completely devoid of diversity.

 

[JamesF]

I'm really enjoying your insights as ever! I'm the same age as the show and have watched (with wavering degrees of affection) for my entire life. I have fairly vivid childhood memories of the "golden" Kylie/Jason era and have watched plenty of it since but I don't have that connection with the zeitgeist at the time to really grasp what it meant. It's fascinating to see the end of the show through your eyes and must be quite surreal to watch these characters 30+ years on.

At the same time, the demographics on the series are completely different. There was no real diversity back in the day. I can't think of a significant ethnic minority character, and homosexuality simply didn't exist. Now you've got Paul's Asian son* living in blissful heteronormativity with his male spouse. And Jane's creaky voiced daughter getting together with a black woman. All on one tiny cul-de-sac. What on earth would Mrs Mangel say?

One of the things I'll miss dearly. Looking at the silver linings of the last 6 or 7 years and the complete lack of interest that Australians had for the show, I think it freed them from a lot of the business shackles that keep modern day Home and Away as such a white, heterosexual landscape. The diversity in the cast is one of its biggest strengths as it bows out.

I've decided Jane is the Gail Potter of Neighbours, progressing from a reasonably sensible young woman to a hand-wringing, ostensibly conservative-ish-but-accepting mother with a confusing love life who smiles through even with the troubles of the world on her shoulders. I really like who she's become.

I love this comparison, it made something click in my brain about who Jane is now! It was Annie Jones' idea to Mrs Mangel-ify her slightly, as part of the intervening story was that she had been 'lumbered' with caring for her in her dying days. She clearly loves getting to grips with a long term character again and has great chemistry with the actress playing her daughter. I think she had to cease acting for a while due to personal circumstances so it's really lovely that she's been able to return in such a strong way and be there to wrap up the show.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

I'm really enjoying your insights as ever!

Oh thanks. That's really nice.

It's fascinating to see the end of the show through your eyes and must be quite surreal to watch these characters 30+ years on.

I imagine there will be an awful lot of viewers like me returning to the series for one last fling after going steady all those years ago, just to see if the magic is still there. And I suspect it's only going to get more surreal over the course of next week as more familiar faces drop by.

Looking at the silver linings of the last 6 or 7 years and the complete lack of interest that Australians had for the show, I think it freed them from a lot of the business shackles that keep modern day Home and Away as such a white, heterosexual landscape.

That's a really interesting observation and I'm sure you're right.

It's many years since I've watched either show, but back in the day I'd have put money on Home and Away ending up ahead of the game in the diversity stakes. It always felt edgier and less conservative than Neighbours, where a slightly twee cosiness was part of the appeal.

The diversity in the cast is one of its biggest strengths as it bows out.

That really has been a big surprise for me. After watching this evening's episode I've realised that Ramsay Street now has more lesbians per head than Hebden Bridge.

I love this comparison, it made something click in my brain about who Jane is now!

Great.

It was Annie Jones' idea to Mrs Mangel-ify her slightly, as part of the intervening story was that she had been 'lumbered' with caring for her in her dying days.

Do you know, the Mrs Mangelification hadn't actually registered with me but it makes perfect sense now you've pointed it out.

She clearly loves getting to grips with a long term character again and has great chemistry with the actress playing her daughter. I think she had to cease acting for a while due to personal circumstances so it's really lovely that she's been able to return in such a strong way and be there to wrap up the show.

As much as I'm enjoying Shane's return, and seeing Paul still doing his Paul thing it's been most fascinating for me to see Jane because of how integrated she is into the series despite having been away for so long before her return.

The same is possibly true of Clive, but from this week or so's viewing he seems more peripheral and isn't coming across as a particularly strong or interesting character in the way Jane is. Perhaps it's just the timing: one of those times where an actor is given less to do for a while after a big storyline.

 

[JamesF]

It's many years since I've watched either show, but back in the day I'd have put money on Home and Away ending up ahead of the game in the diversity stakes. It always felt edgier and less conservative than Neighbours, where a slightly twee cosiness was part of the appeal.

I think that was a perfectly fair assumption given the histories. I've not watched H&A for years though have dipped in to sample over the past year. I know through some tweets and comments of at least two former producers that the LGBT+ representation is an absolute no no for the network. Interestingly, I've also seen plenty of toxic "go woke, go broke" type comments about the more progressive direction Neighbours has taken and the ultimate outcome... Sigh.

That really has been a big surprise for me. After watching this evening's episode I've realised that Ramsay Street now has more lesbians per head than Hebden Bridge.

Indeed.

The same is possibly true of Clive, but from this week or so's viewing he seems more peripheral and isn't coming across as a particularly strong or interesting character in the way Jane is. Perhaps it's just the timing: one of those times where an actor is given less to do for a while after a big storyline.

He's been a semi-regular for the past five years and was stuck for a lot of that time in a pretty irritating romance with Collette Mann's character. I think the actor has been reluctant to do anything more committed but yeah, I don't think there is anywhere near the same level of characterisation.

 

[Ome]

I think in long-running soaps nostalgia can sometimes win out with older characters and an actor can get lucky by simply having appeared during a fondly-remembered era. Melanie's a case in point.

When I read this last week, this comment went over my head. Then, this week I looked at Melanie and out of nowhere, I recognised her from something she did or the way she spoke. I had no idea that I'd been watching her in the 80s.

At the same time, the demographics on the series are completely different. There was no real diversity back in the day. I can't think of a significant ethnic minority character, and homosexuality simply didn't exist.

Until you pointed this out, I hadn't realised. I was trying to understand why it didn't click with me, and I think it might be to do with me still watching the current soaps. I didn't jump from a different era as you have done.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

I've not watched H&A for years though have dipped in to sample over the past year.

Although H&A effectively replaced Neighbours in my affections pretty much as soon as it began, whenever I've caught a snippet of an episode of either in recent years H&A feels far more inaccessible and less recognisable than Neighbours. I've never felt compelled to watch more than a scene or two, whereas I have very occasionally watched a Neighbours episode to the end if I've clicked in during the last ten minutes.

While H&A has had some very long term characters, it also feels more transient by its nature. I think Ramsay Street itself helps. It's perhaps the most important "character" in the series and comes with its own history and sense of community.

I know through some tweets and comments of at least two former producers that the LGBT+ representation is an absolute no no for the network.

It seems very wasteful. H&A's very premise is rooted in celebrating non-traditional families and integrating into local communities. Having LGBT+ characters seems a natural fit.

I'm not a fan of affirmative action, or forcing certain character types into a series to fill a remit. I can also understand why people might comment on the sheer number of LGBT characters on Neighbours (which to me does seem disproportionately large for such a small group of characters). But to have a blanket rule prohibiting such an option and limiting dramatic potential seems bonkers for an ongoing series of this kind. Especially given what I assume is still a high turnover rate of characters.

Speaking of H&A, it's been amusing to see Rebekah Elmaloglou as a middle aged woman looking so different from when I last saw her playing skinny little Sophie. It seems Ray Meagher has been in touch with Rebekah in a show of H&A/Neighbours solidarity and has described the cancellation as a "travesty".

He's been a semi-regular for the past five years and was stuck for a lot of that time in a pretty irritating romance with Collette Mann's character. I think the actor has been reluctant to do anything more committed but yeah, I don't think there is anywhere near the same level of characterisation.

Thanks for filling this in for me. That explains it. At the moment he's feeling to me like a bit of a token character, there to add a bit of history and nostalgic value, but rather removed from it all. I'd wondered if there was some kind of deal about a reduced workload to sweeten his return, but it sounds like it's more complex than that.

When I read this last week, this comment went over my head. Then, this week I looked at Melanie and out of nowhere, I recognised her from something she did or the way she spoke. I had no idea that I'd been watching her in the 80s.

She did that laugh [shudder] in one of the episodes I watched this week. Could it have been that?

How great that the penny dropped after watching a bit and you've got to enjoy her on a different level.

I was trying to understand why it didn't click with me, and I think it might be to do with me still watching the current soaps. I didn't jump from a different era as you have done.

Do you mean that current Neighbours lacks something compared with the other soaps like Corrie? (I'm just checking I've got this right as I haven't had enough green tea this morning).

 

[JamesF]

Although H&A effectively replaced Neighbours in my affections pretty much as soon as it began, whenever I've caught a snippet of an episode of either in recent years H&A feels far more inaccessible and less recognisable than Neighbours. I've never felt compelled to watch more than a scene or two, whereas I have very occasionally watched a Neighbours episode to the end if I've clicked in during the last ten minutes.

While H&A has had some very long term characters, it also feels more transient by its nature. I think Ramsay Street itself helps. It's perhaps the most important "character" in the series and comes with its own history and sense of community.

I think there could be something in this, certainly based on the past ten years or so of H&A and what the show is aiming for. It clearly still has an audience in Australia but I can't find anything in the show that I connect with any more and it's not doing the kind of "soap" that I personally am drawn to - the stories seem to be based on things like biker gangs, illegal poker games, 20something triangles.

This week I've had my first visit from Covid and out of sheer boredom I took a look at the cast lists for each of the remaining big, English speaking soaps - for each, I was interested to see roughly how many current teen/adult characters were born during the show's duration. There was a proportionate difference between them (The Young and the Restless, Days of Our Lives and Coronation Street seemed to have the most unsurprisingly) but what was most striking was that I couldn't identify a single one for H&A. The only soap without a single current character born from its lifespan, yet maybe 15 years ago or so, I remember it having a really keen sense of its own history.

Speaking of H&A, it's been amusing to see Rebekah Elmaloglou as a middle aged woman looking so different from when I last saw her playing skinny little Sophie. It seems Ray Meagher has been in touch with Rebekah in a show of H&A/Neighbours solidarity and has described the cancellation as a "travesty".

And I had completely forgotten that Sophie's storyline was tied up with Guy Pearce's character! In fact, I'd forgotten that Guy Pearce was in H&A at all until this morning. That adds another layer to him being back on set for the end of Neighbours and I wonder if they'll share a scene or two.

She did that laugh [shudder] in one of the episodes I watched this week. Could it have been that?

Less is most definitely more... (although I do enjoy the character).

 

[Ome]

Do you mean that current Neighbours lacks something compared with the other soaps like Corrie? (I'm just checking I've got this right as I haven't had enough green tea this morning).

Oh, no. I mean that I hadn't noticed how much Neighbours had changed since the early days. If I watched an old episode, then it would stick out like a sore thumb at the lack of diversity, whereas now it didn't register with me. I'm currently watching Prisoner Cell Block H and apart from the lesbian aspect, it lacks everything else and it's evident all the time. Tuning into Neighbours while watching Emmerdale, Corrie and EastEnders and they are all more or less the same when representing the diversity in everyday life.


When I'm watching Wentworth, which is a reimagined PCBH it stands out how different the two shows are. So, I'm saying that Neighbours fits in with the likes of all the other soaps I'm currently watching.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

It clearly still has an audience in Australia but I can't find anything in the show that I connect with any more

Yes, that matches my experience perfectly.

the stories seem to be based on things like biker gangs, illegal poker games, 20something triangles.

Those aren't my thing either. Not on a repeat cycle, anyway.

In a way it's a shame what it's become. But I suppose it's just acquired a different audience and that seems to keep it afloat.

This week I've had my first visit from Covid and out of sheer boredom I took a look at the cast lists for each of the remaining big, English speaking soaps - for each, I was interested to see roughly how many current teen/adult characters were born during the show's duration.

Sorry to hear Covid's caught up with you, but what a great project for you to get stuck into while you recover.

what was most striking was that I couldn't identify a single one for H&A.

Oh yes. I just had a look at the current cast and I can see exactly what you mean.

I had completely forgotten that Sophie's storyline was tied up with Guy Pearce's character! In fact, I'd forgotten that Guy Pearce was in H&A at all until this morning.

Oh wow. I'd forgotten that as well. I remember Craig McLachlan's switch very clearly, but I'd forgotten about Guy. Even now I can't remember a thing about his character or storyline.

I associate Sophie with Terence Donovan, who played her father, so there's another Neighbours connection.

Oh, no. I mean that I hadn't noticed how much Neighbours had changed since the early days. If I watched an old episode, then it would stick out like a sore thumb at the lack of diversity, whereas now it didn't register with me.

Ah yes. I'm with you now. The green tea has kicked in at last!

Tuning into Neighbours while watching Emmerdale, Corrie and EastEnders and they are all more or less the same when representing the diversity in everyday life.

Interesting. And I seem to remember Corrie and Emmerdale weren't very diverse at all during the Eighties, so perhaps they've all made progress along the same lines.