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

[Alison Carr]

any news on when the classic episodes will be available on amazon?

 

[ChrisSumner]

Amazon has added the 2012 season and a 50 episode "Best Of" collection. So far I've watched the first 25 episodes of the Best Of, which is mostly 80s episodes with one episode each for 1991 and 1992. The rest starts in 1996 and is mostly early 2000s episodes.

So far I found some of the episodes to be fun, but it's kinda boring. It's a little more wholesome than I tend to like my soaps. Not much drama to be found. I had to role my eyes at the big drama around Scott and Charlene's wedding being her getting the measles. The characters are fun, but the stories could be better. I'm hoping the second half of Best Of episodes are more exciting. I've told myself if I can make it through these 50 episodes that I will watch 2012 and commit to the series from there.

The rumor is that they will be launching a new season every month, ending with the new season towards the end of the year.

 

[tommie]

Great news, not only for Neighbours, but the genre overall. Hopefully it can show executives that there's not just life for soaps on streaming platforms, but also for their archive material.

 

[Alison Carr]

Sorry if this is in the wrong place, or already asked, but... I have started watching the Neighbours episodes on Amazon, from the iconic episodes I am watching episode 323 and noticed that the opening titles/credits have been slightly edited and I can see no reason why. After the final character shot featureing Charlene and Mike soaking Clive as they wash the car we should get the rolling Grundy logo over an aerial shot of ramsay street but instead it cuts to the famous Neighbours opening credits map with the static Neighbours logo. Has anyone else noticed this?

I've attached an image to show the difference

 

[Alison Carr]

ok so now I see they have also edited the end credits and all other episodes by the looks of it to remove the Grundy Logo, why would they have to do that?

 

[Carrie Fairchild]

ok so now I see they have also edited the end credits and all other episodes by the looks of it to remove the Grundy Logo, why would they have to do that?

Could it be something to do with licensing and Grundy’s now being defunct?

 

[Luke_Krebbs_Ewing]

Could it be something to do with licensing and Grundy’s now being defunct?

Possibly as Fremantle now own the show.

However even as the new owners they shouldn't have removed the Grundy logo from the episodes which were actually produced by Grundy.

It's sound to me that it's been done for marketing reasons by Fremantle. The fact that Grundy's no longer exists means that they can't challenge the fact that their logo has been removed from the show.

 

[Alison Carr]

I find this sad, it is like erasing history, regardless of who own a company now at the time it was made by Grundy, a fact that cannot be changed and should be celebrated, and that rolling dodecahedron (I think thats what it was!) is an iconic part of such shows as Neighbours, Sons and Daughters, Richmond Hill etc....

 

[Luke_Krebbs_Ewing]

I find this sad, it is like erasing history, regardless of who own a company now at the time it was made by Grundy, a fact that cannot be changed and should be celebrated, and that rolling dodecahedron (I think thats what it was!) is an iconic part of such shows as Neighbours, Sons and Daughters, Richmond Hill etc....

Grundy's were responsible for some of the most iconic soaps and one of my favourites as well as Neighbours is Prisoner Cell Block H in which a lot of Neighbours stars got their first big TV break.

Fremantle owns Prisoner too and one of the main reasons that show hardly gets repeated any more is because of the cost of the broadcast rights to show it! Thankfully I own all twenty boxsets of it, it was fun collecting them all about ten years ago. Those boxsets go for silly money online now because of Fremantle.

 

[Englishboy]

Grundy's were responsible for some of the most iconic soaps and one of my favourites as well as Neighbours is Prisoner Cell Block H in which a lot of Neighbours stars got their first big TV break.

Fremantle owns Prisoner too and one of the main reasons that show hardly gets repeated any more is because of the cost of the broadcast rights to show it! Thankfully I own all twenty boxsets of it, it was fun collecting them all about ten years ago. Those boxsets go for silly money online now because of Fremantle.

I agree with what you say about the legendary PCBH.

In my opinion it is the BEST ever Australian soap opera followed by The Young Doctors and then with Number 96 taking the third spot.

I would say that PCBH is a difficult soap to get into but that once you have “cracked it“ and suddenly “get it” that it then becomes one of the most rewarding viewing experiences around.

I think at one point most of the episodes were on YouTube but that these may now have been taken down due to copyright infringement issues.

I too am also the proud owner of all 692 episodes on DVD. I also bought and own the “uncut“ Edna Pearson episodes (which never aired on Australian television) when these were released as a separate DVD box set.

 

[Luke_Krebbs_Ewing]

I agree with what you say about the legendary PCBH.

In my opinion it is the BEST ever Australian soap opera followed by The Young Doctors and then with Number 96 taking the third spot.

I would say that PCBH is a difficult soap to get into but that once you have “cracked it“ and suddenly “get it” that it then becomes one of the most rewarding viewing experiences around.

I think at one point most of the episodes were on YouTube but that these may now have been taken down due to copyright infringement issues.

I too am also the proud owner of all 692 episodes on DVD. I also bought and own the “uncut“ Edna Pearson episodes (which never aired on Australian television) when these were released as a separate DVD box set.

I have that Edna Pearson boxset too.

We're both lucky to have that DVD set as it was only released for the UK market.

Fans in Australia had to import it.

She was played by the lovely Vivean Gray years before her fame as Mrs. Mangel on Neighbours.

 

[Englishboy]

Recording of new Neighbours episodes will commence on April 17th in Australia.

It’s not yet known when these new episodes will air but it’s thought that it will be some time in the second half of this year

 

[Carrie Fairchild]

Recording of new Neighbours episodes will commence on April 17th in Australia.

It’s not yet known when these new episodes will air but it’s thought that it will be some time in the second half of this year

I've seen that Alan Fletcher, Jackie Woodburne, Stefan Dennis, Ryan Moloney, Annie Jones, and April Rose Pengilly are due to return. Any word on which other stars will be featuring in the new episodes?

 

[Englishboy]

Any word on which other stars will be featuring in the new episodes?

I‘ve heard it said that Ian Smith (Harold) will apparently be returning but on a part time basis and also that Melissa Bell will be returning in the recurring role of Lucy Robinson.

 

[Carrie Fairchild]

Filming resumed in Melbourne today.

 

[Monzo]

I wonder what Neighbours was "embraced" in the Netherlands, in Belgium and in Iceland really means. Did the show aired there at all in recent years or is it one of those pieces of information that actors are told that hasn't been correct for many years.

I liked Annie Jones' part of the interview best. I also felt that I was happy that some of the daily soaps that I watch still aired new episodes during the dark times of the pandemic.

 

[Carrie Fairchild]

Interesting tidbit in this podcast around the 6min30s mark where they discuss the revival of Neighbours. I’d take the Kylie story in the Daily Fail with a pinch of salt but the conversation it spurs is interesting. Was the series saved before the actual finale and they just carried on with the fanfare in order to drum up hype for its eventual return?

PODCAST | Kylie Minogue is an unhappy Neighbour PLUS Special Guest Janet Fielding from Doctor Who

It was the ending that brought Neighbours fans together, but now it seems Kylie feels that she's been duped | TV BLACKBOX S08E08

tvblackbox.com.au

 

[James from London]

I watched the first ever ever ever episode other day. You could tell Danny Ramsay is a troubled teen cos he's got posters of The Jam, Iggy Pop and David Lynch's Eraserhead on his bedroom wall.

 

[Carrie Fairchild]

I see The O.C’s Mischa Barton has been cast in the revival. Not sure if it’s a guest spot or a regular role. Guy Pearce has also said he’ll return to tie up the Mike & Jane ending that we got in the finale.

 

[James from London]

Guy Pearce has also said he’ll return to tie up the Mike & Jane ending that we got in the finale.

What an absolute diamond.