Charlie Moyes

''Neighbours'' is an Australian television soap opera, which has aired since 18 March 1985. It was created by television executive Reg Watson. The Seven Network commissioned the show following the success of Watson's earlier soap '' Sons and Daughters.'' Although successful in Melbourne, ''Neighbours'' underperformed in the Sydney market and was cancelled by Seven four months after it began airing. It was immediately commissioned by rival Network Ten for a second production season, which began screening on 20 January 1986. ''Neighbours'' went on to become the longest-running drama series in Australian television history. In 2005, it was inducted into the Logie Hall of Fame.

The storylines concern the lives of the people who live and work in Erinsborough, a fictional suburb of Melbourne, Victoria. The series centres on the residents of Ramsay Street, a cul-de-sac, and its neighbouring area, the Lassiters complex, which includes a bar, hotel, café, police station, lawyers' office and park. ''Neighbours'' began with a focus on three households created by Watson – including the Ramsay and Robinson families, who have a long history, and an ongoing rivalry. Over the serial's early years, three additional houses on the street were introduced as regular settings. Pin Oak Court, in Vermont South, is the real cul-de-sac that has doubled for Ramsay Street. The houses featured are real and the residents allowed the production to shoot external scenes in their yards. The interior scenes were filmed at the Global Television studios in Forest Hill.

Through its entire run in Australia, ''Neighbours'' was screened as a 22-minute episode each weeknight in an early-evening slot. It moved to Ten's digital channel, Eleven (later rebranded 10 Peach) on 11 January 2011, and was broadcast each weeknight at 6:30 pm. The show was produced by Fremantle Australia and has been sold to over sixty countries around the world, making it one of Australia's most successful media exports. ''Neighbours'' had been especially successful in the United Kingdom, where it was first screened on 27 October 1986 on BBC One, and achieved huge popularity among British audiences in the late 1980s and 1990s. In 2008, it moved in the UK to Channel 5; since 2008 it had been largely paid for by the UK broadcaster as it was no longer commercially viable for Ten to fund it alone. In 2018, the show became the first Australian drama to air all year round after securing a new deal with Channel 5. In February 2022, Channel 5 announced that they would be dropping ''Neighbours'' from their network and the cancellation of the show was confirmed the following month. The show's finale was broadcast as a 90-minute long episode in Australia on 28 July 2022 on Network 10 and 10 Peach, while the finale in the United Kingdom aired as an hour-long episode on 29 July 2022. The finale was broadcast in Ireland on 3 August 2022 and in New Zealand on 2 September 2022. In November 2022, it was announced that Amazon Freevee and Fremantle had agreed to a deal that would restart production of ''Neighbours'' in 2023.

History

''Neighbours'' was created by Australian TV executive Reg Watson. Mercado 2004, p.201. Watson got the idea for ''Neighbours'' from his time working on ''Crossroads'' and watching fellow soap ''Coronation Street'' in Britain. Oram 1988, p.24. He had already created successful Australian made soap operas ''The Young Doctors'', ''Prisoner'' and '' Sons and Daughters''. Watson proposed the idea of making a show that would focus on more realistic stories and portray teens and adults who talk openly to each other and solve their problems together. He also wanted the show to appeal to both Australian and British audiences. Several titles were discussed, including ''People Like Us'', ''One Way Street'', ''No Through Road'' and ''Living Together'', before ''Neighbours'' was chosen. Watson said "In the end it came down to being what it is, a story around neighbours." Reporters from the ''Herald Sun'' said that Watson took his idea to the Nine Network in 1982, but it was rejected. He then went to the Seven Network, who commissioned the show in September 1984. The serial went into production that November with an $8 million budget. The show's initial premise focused on three households, made up of 12 core characters, living in Ramsay Street, dealing with everyday life with humour and drama. The first episode was broadcast on 18 March 1985 and reviews for the show were favourable. However, the Melbourne-produced programme underperformed in the Sydney market and Seven announced on 12 July 1985 that it was cancelling the show.

''Neighbours'' was immediately bought by Seven's rival Network Ten. The new network had to build replica sets when it took over production after Seven destroyed the original sets to prevent the rival network obtaining them. Ten began screening the series with episode 171 on 20 January 1986. In 1986, the series was bought by the BBC
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