Fans were dealt a cruel blow over the weekend when news broke that Neighbours was facing the end of the road after 37 years on the air.
Neighbours facing the axe is hardly a new thing and there have been several instances in the past when the Aussie soap been threatened with termination – it originally only lasted one year before being cancelled in Australia before Network 10 swooped in to give it a new home.
But this time we aren’t just dealing with the threat of the show ending: it’s extremely unlikely that Neighbours will be on the air here or in Australia by the time 2023 rolls around.
Channel 5, the current home of the soap, has confirmed that it will no longer air Neighbours after this coming summer. While Network 10 is keen for it to continue on its digital channel 10 Peach, a large portion of the financial backing for the show comes from Channel 5 and, with that gone, it is not in the position to support it on its own.
With Michael Grade, former BBC One Controller, ITV Executive Chair and Channel 4 CEO, telling the BBC Radio 4’s Today programme he predicts Fremantle will find another buyer given the soap’s “ready-made audience”, it’s easy to assume Neighbours’ salvation would be simple.
“It may not have the audience size that Channel 5 needs to keep the advertisers happy but someone will pick it up. It’s a big brand and will get a lot of publicity,” Grade said.
However, RadioTimes.com understands many possible routes have already been explored to no avail.
Neighbours’ only hope (and it’s the smallest of hope at that) is that another UK broadcaster steps in and picks the show up. Choices here are of course limited but let’s look at each option available and the chances of them saving the day. Disclaimer: those odds are as slim as they could possibly be.
Could Neighbours move back to the BBC?
Upon hearing the news, many thought the BBC may be the ones to take on the show – fitting, as it spent the first 22 years of its life there. The recently relaunched BBC Three would be a good home for it too, which has added fuel to the fire.
However, the BBC airing Neighbours again seems like the biggest long shot of them all. The BBC didn’t seem to mind too much when it jumped ship for Channel 5 and the show cost it significantly less then than it would now. The BBC is also keen on making sure it has enough UK dramas from various places around the country – a large factor in why Holby City is coming to a close shortly.
Funding and airing an Australian drama would therefore make little sense even without the cost factor included. And worth noting here too that the recent freeze to the licence fee cost means that it will likely be watching its pennies even more. In short, it would be a huge shock if Neighbours went back to the BBC and we are confident enough that it wouldn’t happen to rule it out.
RadioTimes.com reached out to the BBC for any information but it declined to comment on the story.
Will ITV save Neighbours?
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But what about Neighbours moving to ITV? Out of all the options that are possible, ITV feels like the most likely. Ratings for Neighbours were high, relatively speaking, on Channel 5 and it would be a great addition to the ITV daytime line-up. ITV too showed interest back when the show moved from the BBC, but that was a different time.
ITV already has two of the healthiest soaps, in terms of daily eyeballs, on the schedule in Coronation Street and Emmerdale. Quite simply, it doesn’t need a third one and it feels unlikely that it would be willing to cough up the cash to keep it running as a co-production. Were this funded mainly in Australia we would be feeling more confident, but the way things are now, this looks like another non-starter.
ITV also declined to comment when asked if there was any interest in picking the show up.
Will Neighbours move to Channel 4?
That leaves Channel 4 and as many have pointed out, a soap power hour of Neighbours and Hollyoaks seems like a natural fit. But Neighbours itself sadly does not. Channel 4 has a remit they stick to for the type of shows that they air, and an Aussie imported soap does not fit in with that at all.
Add to that the fact the ratings for Hollyoaks have been on the decline and you can see why the option to take on Neighbours does not seem like something that would get more than a passing consideration.
We have contacted Channel 4 for comment and will update this if we hear back.
What other options does Neighbours have?
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Other than the main channels, the only other potential option for a UK home exists on the digital channels. But if the likes of the BBC would be unable/unwilling to funnel in the cash injection that Neighbours needs, then smaller digital-only channels are even less likely to.
Streaming is another thing that has been thrown into the mix with both Netflix and Amazon Prime Video being brought into the conversation – along with the Viacom owned Paramount Plus, which is gearing up for a UK launch later in 2022. While it would be amazing for them to take a chance with it – and to potentially add the back catalogue for good measure – soaps are a very different kettle of fish from what they usually air and we just can’t see them being able to offer a platform to something that runs daily and all year round.
Realistically, the best chance Neighbours has of getting a miracle reprieve lies with the home it already has: Channel 5. We have seen over the last couple of days that there has been an outpouring of love for the show, with Neighbours dominating the conversation on social media and entertainment news in general since the news broke. Fans will no doubt hope that the heads of Channel 5 see this for themselves and reconsider their decision to wield the axe.
We did reach out to Channel 5, which echoed its original statement and added that it has nothing further to add – not a good sign and one that suggests that we are already past the point of that being even an outside possibility.
Will Neighbours really end this year?
As things stand, yes. Barring a miracle rescue that seems to have nowhere to come from, the cast and crew will wrap production on the final ever episode of Neighbours in June.
Keep in mind that while the news has come as a shock to us – and the cast and many of the crew by all accounts – there is no way it was a surprise to everyone, and exploring new homes is something that was done some time ago.
A source close to the show told us: “Fremantle have already explored several options to continue the show with a different UK partner. The sad truth is, no one has shown any interest.” While there is always an outside chance someone could show an interest now the fans have spoken out, it does appear the end of the road is nigh.
Add to that production ending in only four months and, well, it really does feel as though it’s time to accept that it will be 37 years and out for Neighbours no matter how much noise its dedicated fanbase continue to admirably make.
Neighbours airs on weekdays on Channel 5. Want something else to watch? Check out our full TV Guide or visit our Entertainment hub for the latest news.
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