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<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n\u201cWe had a cruel April fool\u2019s day trick played on us that another network, Channel 7, were going to save the show,\u201d he tells us, in an exclusive interview with RadioTimes.com<\/a> celebrating the much-loved soap. \u201cThat made me laugh because they actually axed us after our first year back in 1985, and we were picked up by their rival Channel 10!\u201d<\/p>\n Dennis tells us the original deal in the early days that allowed the drama to continue for over three decades was done inside of a few months, but despite the best efforts of producers \u2013 and fans \u2013 things were different this time, much to everyone\u2019s disappointment.<\/p>\n In February, UK broadcaster Channel 5 announced they were withdrawing their hefty funding contribution for financial reasons, leaving Channel 10 in need of a new investor to keep the programme on air that, unfortunately, wasn\u2019t found in time.<\/p>\n \u201cIt could\u2019ve gone on forever and eventually we probably would\u2019ve made it more for the UK and European audience,\u201d reflects Dennis. \u201cUnfortunately, there is the financial tie with Australia and the ratings maybe aren\u2019t as good as they\u2019d like them to be. It\u2019s a financial thing.\u201d<\/p>\n Neighbours has notoriously been a launchpad for performers, giving the likes of Kylie Minogue, Jason Donovan, Margot Robbie and Guy Pearce a passport to international stardom. While it\u2019s sad that platform won\u2019t exist for the next generation of Australian talent, Dennis points out the show\u2019s demise is significant for many other reasons.<\/p>\n \u201cTo me, the saddest thing and biggest disappointment is losing what it gives back to the industry,\u201d laments the actor. \u201cI don\u2019t understand why the ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation), which is our government-funded equivalent of the BBC, didn\u2019t pick it up, then it would be owned by the Australian public and we wouldn\u2019t have to worry about sponsorship or any of that. It\u2019s an iconic piece of TV history and would\u2019ve been preserved. There are obviously lots of reasons why that didn\u2019t happen but it\u2019s a shame.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat I\u2019m really upset about, and I\u2019m not referring to myself as I was probably going to retire in the not-too-distant future anyway, is the 200 or so people behind the scenes that will be out of work. We\u2019re forgetting those who won\u2019t have jobs and still have bills to pay, Neighbours has been their employer for nearly 40 years. It will leave a big hole in the industry which people don\u2019t realise.\u201d<\/p>\n The character of Paul is as much a part of the soap as the Ramsay Street sign. Like Coronation Street<\/a>\u2019s Ken Barlow, EastEnders<\/a>\u2019 Ian Beale and Hollyoaks\u2019 Tony Hutchinson, the Robinson rogue has been there since the start and his eventful life epitomises the show itself: whatever he\u2019s up to it\u2019s always entertaining, frequently dramatic and often leaves you aghast. Will Dennis miss his alter ego?<\/p>\n \u201cI never wanted the job at first!\u201d he laughs. \u201cI only committed to six months initially, once I was there and got my teeth into it I started to explore the character, in my naive way as I did back then when I was a young actor!<\/p>\n \u201cAt the start Paul was a happy-go-lucky 20-something and a bit of a blank canvas, vastly different to the person I\u2019m playing now. I left in the early 90s and when I came back in 2004 that\u2019s when he became a proper evil baddie.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"""\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2022\/06\/neighbours-b50ed62.jpeg?quality=90&crop=44px%2C20px%2C5960px%2C3970px&resize=620%2C413"\" "\\"\"\"\\"\/")
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