Neighbours: Iconic Australian Soap Opera Ends After More Than 37 Years On Air
- Beloved Australian soap opera Neighbours has officially come to an end after 37 years on air
- The show where household names such as Margot Robbie and Kylie Minogue had their start wraps for the last time in June
- The longest-running drama was known for its tumultuous romances, acrimonious break-ups, and tearful reunions by soap lovers
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Australian soap Neighbours will shoot its final scene in June following a record 37-year run after producers Fremantle failed to secure another UK broadcaster.
Source: UGC
The soap premiered on Australian TV in 1985 and featured the goings-on of the families living on Ramsay Street, an ordinary road in a fictional borough of Melbourne.
Ratings were initially unimpressive, but the series soon became wildly popular and proved an important export success, rapidly gaining a devoted following in the United Kingdom on its premiere in 1986.
Broadcast on BBC1 in an early evening slot, Neighbours famously appealed to schoolchildren and parents alike, and viewing figures surged.
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The soap was so popular then that it would command audiences of over 20 million, a third of the country’s population.
Now broadcast in over 60 countries, including Canada, New Zealand, Germany, Ireland, and the United States (where Hulu briefly picked up the show).
Its storyline features drug addiction, illnesses, moral dilemmas, gambling, and adultery and was the first broadcast on BBC1.
However, Fremantle Australia, last month announced that due to the impending withdrawal of funding by Channel 5, it had no choice but to "rest" the show.
The announcement of the show’s cancellation has rocked fans worldwide, but mostly in the U.K. where it continues to command a huge viewership almost four decades later.
"Bathong why": 'Durban Gen' gets canned, e.tv confirms in statement
In more TV news, Briefly News previously reported that e.tv has confirmed that it has canned Durban Gen. The medical drama set in Durban only started airing on the channel in October 2020.
The telenovela's last episode will air in January, 2023. The sad news was shared on social media by entertainment commentator Phil Mphela.
Phil took to Twitter and posted a statement from e.tv which confirmed that the it's the end of the road for the drama series.
Source: Briefly News
Kelly Lippke (Senior Editor) Kelly Lippke is a copy editor/proofreader who started her career at the Northern-Natal Courier with a BA in Communication Science/Psychology (Unisa, 2007). Kelly has worked for several Caxton publications, including the Highway Mail and Northglen News. Kelly’s unique editing perspective stems from an additional major in Linguistics. Kelly joined Briefly News in 2018 and she has 14 years of experience. Kelly has also passed a set of trainings by Google News Initiative. You can reach her at kelly.lippke@briefly.co.za.
Naomi Kobbie Naomi is an entertainment writer with 3 years experience in the world of radio and print media. She is a language graduate from the University of Pretoria (2020) and has worked for Briefly News since 2021. Naomi has a passion for the written word, whether through her work as a journalist or as a soulful singer. "When I'm not working, I spend my time producing music, travelling or snuggling up with a good movie and some butter popcorn."
