{"id":11638,"date":"2022-03-01T12:05:42","date_gmt":"2022-03-01T11:05:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/?p=1593935"},"modified":"2022-03-01T12:05:42","modified_gmt":"2022-03-01T11:05:42","slug":"when-is-neighbours-ending-returns-and-plans-for-final-episodes","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/rss_feed\/when-is-neighbours-ending-returns-and-plans-for-final-episodes\/","title":{"rendered":"When is Neighbours ending? Returns and plans for final episodes"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Naomi Gordon\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Tuesday, 01 March 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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It\u2019s the end of an era, as beloved Aussie soap Neighbours<\/a> is expected to air its final episode this summer after Channel 5<\/a> announced that it would no longer be broadcasting it.<\/p>\n

Dominating our small screens for almost four decades, the soap opera follows the tumultuous lives of residents on the fictional Ramsay Street, and has been pivotal in the careers of many Hollywood stars; Kylie Minogue, Guy Pearce, Liam Hemsworth and Margot Robbie all began their career on Ramsay Street.<\/p>\n

The longest-running drama series on Australian television, Neighbours continues to bring in 1.5 million viewers in the UK each day it airs. It began on BBC One in 1986 before moving to Channel 5 in 2008. If no other broadcaster picks it up, it is scheduled to end this summer.<\/p>\n

However, the soap plans to go out with a bang, with favourite former cast members returning to Ramsay Street for the soap\u2019s big finale.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s everything we know about what to expect from the final episode and when it will air below\u2026<\/p>

When is Neighbours ending?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Channel 5 recently released a statement confirming that it will no longer be broadcasting Neighbours \u201cbeyond this summer\u201d.<\/p>\n

A spokesperson said: \u201cNeighbours will no longer air on Channel 5 beyond this summer. It\u2019s been a much-loved part of our schedule for more than a decade, and we\u2019d like to thank the cast, Fremantle and all of the production team for their fantastic work on this iconic series.\u201d<\/p>\n

They added: \u201cWe\u2019d also of course like to thank the fans for their loyal support of Neighbours across the years. We recognise that there will be disappointment about this decision, however our current focus is on increasing our investment in original UK drama, which has strong appeal for our viewers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fremantle Media executive producer Jason Herbison told staff and crew that the show\u2019s future had been uncertain for a while now and that although he\u2019d love for it to find another broadcaster, it needed to be \u201crested\u201d.<\/p>\n

Australian broadcaster Channel 10 released a statement to similar effect, adding: \u201cAs outlined in the email to Neighbours cast and crew, it is our intention to continue our association with Neighbours if another broadcast partner comes forward. Channel 10 has an ongoing commitment to the show, the cast and crew and is hopeful that Fremantle will find a new production partner. We will provide further updates as they become available.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, long-running star Alan Fletcher told This Morning that hope of the show having a last-minute reprieve was slim.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow, if somewhere down the track, a different type of\u00a0Neighbours was born or a different funder came along, of course, that would be marvellous,\u201d noted Fletcher. \u201cBut the reality is the show really must end in August and finish production in June.\u201d<\/p>\n

At present, no other broadcaster partner has come forward to pick up the soap, so we\u2019re still expecting the finale to air in August 2022.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Who is returning for the final episodes of Neighbours?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

It\u2019s not all doom and gloom, as Neighbours fans can expect to see some Ramsay Street favourites returning for the soap\u2019s finale. Alan Fletcher, who plays Karl Kennedy, has confirmed that Harold Bishop (Ian Smith) will be back for the big farewell.<\/p>\n

\u201cI do know that it has been announced the wonderful Harold Bishop will return to Ramsay Street towards the end of the show,\u201d Fletcher told This Morning hosts Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield in February. \u201cSomeone from Karl\u2019s sordid past is definitely coming back and there are many, many other names in the pot.<\/div>\n
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\u201cI can assure you that the producers are working very, very hard to try and entice some of the most loved characters from Neighbours to at least make some appearances.\u201d<\/p>\n

\""neighbours-axed"\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n

He wasn\u2019t able to confirm whether big name stars who kickstarted their career on the show \u2013 such as Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan \u2013 would be back, although he did concede: \u201cI can\u2019t give away any spoilers on that yet but that\u2019s going to be the joy of those last episodes. Just sitting there and going \u2018oh look who\u2019s here!’\u201d<\/p>\n

Kylie and Jason played married couple Charlene and Scott respectively in the soap between 1985 and 1989.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Natalie Imbruglia \u2013 who recently won The Masked Singer<\/a> \u2013 said she\u2019d consider returning to reprise her role as apprentice builder Beth Brennan.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would consider going back, I think it would be lovely to walk through those doors. I mean, I probably won\u2019t recognise anyone \u2013 not even my [on screen] son,\u201d she told the Mirror<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Ben Hall plays Beth\u2019s on-screen son Ned Willis, whom Beth had with long-time love Brad Willis.<\/p>\n

Is there any hope of Neighbours being saved?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Neighbours\u2019 Australian broadcaster Channel 10 had seemed optimistic that the production company Fremantle will find a new production partner to continue the show.<\/p>\n

However, as time has gone on, it is seeming less and less likely, with Fletcher noting that production will finish in June and the final episode airing in August.<\/p>\n

Fans of the soap have already begun using #SaveNeighbours on social media in a bid to encourage support for the soap\u2019s survival.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Neighbours usually airs on Channel 5 on Weekdays at 1:45pm. A repeat of the episode also airs later in the day at 5:30pm.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Visit our dedicated\u00a0<\/strong>Neighbours<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0page for all the latest news, interviews and spoilers. If you\u2019re looking for more to watch check out our\u00a0<\/strong>TV Guide<\/strong><\/a>.<\/strong><\/section>
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By Naomi Gordon Published: Tuesday, 01 March 2022 at 12:00 am It\u2019s the end of an era, as beloved Aussie soap Neighbours is expected to air its final episode this summer after Channel 5 announced that it would no longer be broadcasting it. Dominating our small screens for almost four decades, the soap opera follows […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":0,"template":"","categories":[2,5],"acf":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":false,"thumbnail":false,"medium":false,"medium_large":false,"large":false,"1536x1536":false,"2048x2048":false},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"By Naomi Gordon Published: Tuesday, 01 March 2022 at 12:00 am It\u2019s the end of an era, as beloved Aussie soap Neighbours is expected to air its final episode this summer after Channel 5 announced that it would no longer be broadcasting it. Dominating our small screens for almost four decades, the soap opera follows…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/11638"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11638"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11638"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}