The recently canceled Aussie soap opera Neighbours is heading back to our screens! It was only a matter of months ago that soap fans the world over were waving a teary goodbye to the Australian hit series. After makers Fremantle Australia found themselves unable to secure funding following the withdrawal of support by British broadcast company Channel 5 (who had underwritten most of the show’s costs since 2008), the long-running show had seemingly breathed its last.
A-listers who got their big break on the show – including Kylie Minogue, Margot Robbie, and Guy Pearce – queued up to cameo in a suitably huge, sentimental final episode aired in late July that brought down the curtain on 37 years of assorted shenanigans between the various inhabitants of Ramsay Street.
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Neighbours: The Plot
Fremantle
But with news of the revival dropping a matter of days ago, it’s too early to say much about plot lines except to point out that Freevee has consistently described the upcoming Neighbours season not as a reboot or reimagining but as a “relaunch” or “revival.” This implies the same families and characters will appear as were seen in the show before last summer’s finale.
Neighbours: The Cast & Crew
But even though it appears the relaunch’s setup will be the same as previously, that is not necessarily the same as saying that all the cast members will return. Fremantle’s announcement did include the news that series regulars Stefan Dennis, Alan Fletcher, Ryan Moloney, and Jackie Woodburne would reprise their roles as Paul Robinson, Karl Kennedy, Toadie Rebecchi, and Susan Kennedy, respectively.
Beyond that, however, nothing is certain. Several other cast members expressed astonishment on social media over the news of a revival, with Takaya Honda (David Tanaka) tweeting that the cast needed “time to process.” The unanticipated salvaging of the series means that some cast members may have already secured long-time roles in other productions.
The show’s writing room has dispersed, though series mainstay Margaret Wilson continues to work on Australia’s other big soap opera, Home and Away, and executive producer Jason Herbison remains attached.
Everything Else We Know: Productions and Sets
Nevertheless, the makers got lucky in all the ways that matter. With the show seemingly done and dusted, backlots were left to nature, and the show’s sets were struck. But executive producer Jason Herbison confirmed in an interview with Digital Spy that the sets have remained in storage and can be restored. At the same time, the Network 10 studios at Nunawading, where interior scenes were shot, will become the show’s home once again.
This represents a remarkable turnaround for a facility whose future was uncertain following the soap’s conclusion. Aside from shooting a few scenes for an upcoming British-Australian thriller series (Riptide, which will feature Outlander’s David Berry, Doctor Who’s Jo Joyner, and Neighbours alum Peter O’Brien), no purpose had been found for the building beyond the end of this year. The prospect of demolition of at least part of the facility had been widely reported in the Australian press in the summer.
The series revival was a closely guarded secret, meaning that even the residents of Pin Oak Court in Melbourne – the real-life cul-de-sac whose houses doubled for those of Ramsay Street in exterior scenes – have yet to be approached to see whether they will permit filming once more. Herbison indicated other arrangements could be made if permission to film was not forthcoming.
