Tiffanie Turnbull
BBC News, Sydney
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Jackie Woodburne and Ian Smith have been stalwarts of Ramsay St for decades
Beloved Australian soap drama Neighbours has been cancelled again, two years after it was saved by Amazon MGM Studios.
Without specifying a reason, Amazon confirmed the series will finish at the end of 2025 – 40 years and more than 9,000 episodes after its television debut.
It was dropped by Channel 5 in 2022, but revived by Amazon for its streaming platforms just four months after a star-studded farewell episode watched by millions.
The soap – which helped launched the careers of Kylie Minogue, Guy Pearce and Margot Robbie – has long been a huge hit with Australian and UK audiences, and last year received its first Emmy nomination.
A statement on the show’s social media said the soap would be “resting” from December.
“Audiences all around the world have loved and embraced Neighbours for four decades and we are very proud of the huge success over the last two years,” executive producer Jason Herbison wrote.
“We value how much the fans love Neighbours and we believe there are more stories of the residents of Ramsay Street to tell in the future,” Mr Hebrison added, hinting that the producers will again hunt for a new backer.
New episodes will continue to air on Amazon Prime Video and Australia’s Channel Ten four times a week until the end of 2025.
In a statement, Amazon MGM Studios said it was “proud” to have played “a small part” in Neighbours history.
“Forty years is an incredible milestone,” a spokesperson said.
Fans vented their disappointment at the decision.
One wrote on social media: “I refuse point blank to accept that they will try to take @neighbours from me AGAIN!!! It’s sometimes the only 20 minutes in the day I can escape. Absolutely blooming well not!!”
‘Sad to say goodbye again’
Someone else wrote: “I can’t begin to count the number of times I’ve logged into @primevideouk to be greeted by #Neighbours sitting at the top of the weekly charts.
“Now @amazon have cancelled the soap. At least a few of us will save money when we cancel though, right?”
Another said: “Will be so sad to say goodbye again, the joy & comfort this show has given for 40 years.”
Set and filmed in Melbourne, Neighbours was first broadcast in Australia in 1985 and launched on BBC One a year later.
The show has lately featured more diverse characters and storylines, amid questions over how well it reflected modern Australia. It featured the first same-sex marriage on Australian TV.
It also had its controversies, however. A number of actors recently came forward with racism allegations, prompting production company Fremantle Media to promise a review.
News of the show’s cancellation comes after actor Ian Smith – who plays Ramsay Street stalwart Harold Bishop – last year announced he would leave the show, revealing he has terminal cancer.
It also follows cutbacks elsewhere to TV soaps, including to the numbers of episodes of British shows Coronation Street, Emmerdale and Hollyoaks.
