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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Carrie Fairchild" data-source="post: 269969" data-attributes="member: 673">Neighbours - 1985 to present - Part 1 <img src="http://perfectblend.net/reference/ads/seven3.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" />After the onslaught of sex and sin soapies in the 70's, Seven announced that they were going to launch a more family friendly serial in 1980. Two pilots were in the running - A Special Place was about an older woman who took in underprivileged kids and People Like Us was about families living in a suburban street. Neither were picked up in the end but the germ of the People Like Us idea stuck with Grundy's. They'd tried to do soap in suburbia before with the short-lived Until Tomorrow in 1975 and despite it's failure, Reg Watson was convinced the suburban premise could work. In 1984, with cul-de-sac sagas doing well in other parts of the world (namely Knots Landing and Brookside), Grundy's were hoping for third time lucky as they pitched the idea to Seven again. The show would be a cross generational drama following the lives of three friendly families living in the same Melbourne street. Humour would be emphasised over melodrama and as Reg Watson was keen to draw in international audiences, the BBC were approached to co-produce the show on the understanding that some of the characters would be English migrants. The BBC declined, although they would later buy the UK broadcast rights to great success. Early working titles included Living Together, One Way Street, The People Next Door and No Through Road before they mercifully settled on Neighbours (although one Seven exec wasn't convinced as he believed everybody hates their neighbours).Scheduled to launch in March 1985, the press began describing Neighbours as the Australian Coronation Street. Meanwhile, Seven began doing not very much in terms of promotion, despite them reportedly investing $8 million on the first year. Producer John Holmes was shocked by their blasé attitude when Seven's head of promotion said "Oh that's right, you go to air in a couple of weeks, we better do something about some promos". The show would air in the 6pm timeslot around most of Australia but in Sydney, where the evening news had been expanded to an hour, it would air at 5.30pm. It's timeslot competitor was dating show Perfect Match, whose best days were behind it, so Neighbours was seen as a shoo-in to take over the early evening.Opening night saw the rowdy stag party of Des Clarke (Paul Keane) take place. While he was partying it up with neighbours Paul Robinson (Stefan Dennis) and Shane Ramsay (Peter O'Brien) in the company of stripper Daphne (Elaine Smith), his bride to be Lorraine (Antoinette Byron) was hanging out with Des' ex fiancé Julie Robinson (Vikki Blanche) whose criticisms of Des were so endless that Lorraine decided to call off the wedding. Across the street, Max Ramsay (Francis Bell) was being talked out of reporting the stag do for making too much noise by wife Maria (Dasha Blahova) while widower and father of four Jim Robinson (Alan Dale) and his mother in law Helen Daniels (Anne Haddy) were tasked with carrying drunken Paul home from the party. As Des despaired at being jilted the next day, Daphne returned in search of a watch she'd lost the night before and ended up becoming his housemate (and later, his love).The initial response was good, with newspaper ads jumping on the few edgy parts of the show to pronounce "Suddenly 5.30pm isn't kid's TV anymore!". There were certain aspects like jokes about wife beating, the often topless Jim, permanently Speedo clad Shane and hints that Danny Ramsay (David Clencie) might be gay that may have been perceived as "racy" content for it's timeslot but they were later dropped as the show progressed. The Sydney Morning Herald gave a less sensationalised review, describing the show as "charming in it's simplicity" and "destined for a long and popular life and will steal much of the thunder of it's 5.30pm rival Perfect Match". The problem was, that it didn't steal anything from Perfect Match and struggled in Sydney against both it and Nine's Blankety Blanks revival. While it was doing well in Melbourne, John Holmes explained the Sydney situation, stating "It was in all sorts of trouble because it wasn't designed for a 5.30pm timeslot and it had become a huge financial commitment for the network since it wasn't being screened in prime time in one of TV's major markets".Despite shying away from melodrama at the beginning, Neighbours began laying it on thick to try and boost the ratings. Helen fell victim to a conman (played by Anne Haddy's real life husband James Condon), Julie fell in love with her married boss Phillip Martin (Chris Milne) who was subsequently paralysed when his alcoholic wife crashed their car and Paul married Terri (Maxine Klinbingaitis) after one date, only for her to try and shoot him. The extra drama didn't turn the Sydney tide and rumours started spreading that the show would be canned, despite the fact that it was now rating well in every other city. With A Country Practice and Sons & Daughters both riding high, it was also said that Seven felt that Neighbours was surplus to their soapie requirements. Peter O'Brien actually first heard official word of the impending cancellation when he overheard two Seven execs in a Melbourne pub saying they'd come to town to axe the show. Citing financial concerns rather than ratings issues, Seven officially axed Neighbours on July 12th 1985, after only 170 episodes.TO BE CONTINUED.............</blockquote>

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