London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Oct 17, 2025

Neighbours under threat after Channel 5 drops show

Neighbours under threat after Channel 5 drops show

Neighbours has been dropped by Channel 5, putting the long-running Australian soap opera's future under threat.

The UK network announced on Sunday it would stop showing the programme later this year, after airing it for more than a decade.

Singer and former Neighbours star Jason Donovan said the soap "changed the Australian television landscape".

Australian broadcaster Network 10 said it would look for a new partner to work with to keep it on air.

The television network denied filming of the show - which began in 1985 - was being paused.

The broadcaster added it was committed to keeping the show going if a new broadcasting partner could be found.

Set and filmed in Melbourne, Neighbours was first broadcast in Australia in 1985 and launched on BBC One a year later.

It became a huge hit in the UK and in Australia, and helped launch the career of numerous stars, including Kylie Minogue, Jason Donovan, Guy Pearce and later Margot Robbie.

Channel 5 said it knew the decision to axe the show - which attracts more than one million viewers per day in the UK - would disappoint many, confirming it would no longer air "beyond this summer".

But it added its "current focus is on increasing our investment in original UK drama, which has strong appeal for our UK viewers".

Neighbours stars over the years
Singer Kylie Minogue was one of the first stars to come out of the programme in the 1980s


The soap has featured many notable Australian actors, actresses and performers over the years, many of whom have gone on to have glittering careers.

Perhaps the most high profile of these stars to make her name on Neighbours is singer Kylie Minogue, who acted in the early years of the soap, playing Charlene between 1986 and 1988.

Russell Crowe briefly featured in the soap opera in 1987


Other people to come off the Ramsay Street set include Oscar winner and Gladiator star Russell Crowe, musician Jason Donovan and actor Guy Pearce.

More recently, the show featured Suicide Squad star Margot Robbie from 2008 to 2011 and Liam Hemsworth between 2007 and 2008.

Margot Robbie starred in the show before launching her Hollywood career


Other people to have made their names from appearing on the show over the years include the singers Natalie Imbruglia, Holly Vallance and Delta Goodrem.

Actor and singer Donovan, who played Scott Robinson from 1986 to 1989, wrote on Twitter: "It launched many careers over decades including mine.

"Engaged and entertained audiences for generations. Hoping that it will find a new home with another UK broadcaster and continue to provide opportunity and entertainment."

In a statement, Network 10 said: "As 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.

"Network 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."

The soap, which launched in 1985, has been more popular in the UK than in Australia for years - so Channel 5's announcement has thrown its future into doubt.

In Australia it has been shown on digital channel 10 Peach since 2011, when it lost a slot following the nightly news on the main Network 10 schedule, leaving it reliant on the UK broadcaster for production costs.

Fremantle Media, which makes the soap, is yet to comment.

However, in an email to staff, Fremantle Media executive producer Jason Herbison said production would stop indefinitely because of the lack of a broadcast partner to provide financial backing.

In the message, seen by the Sydney Morning Herald, staff were asked to attend a meeting on Monday by Mr Herbison, who added filming would go on until 10 June.

The email said: "Our audience remains steady and Channel Ten would love the show to continue if we could find another broadcast partner to replace [Channel 5].

"These discussions are ongoing, however there is no new broadcaster at the moment and production must end, effectively resting the show.

"We are so proud of the show, you all and everything that you've achieved. But for now, this chapter is closing and we want to work together to give Neighbours the amazing send-off it deserves."

The soap has featured many guest stars from the UK in recent years, including Amanda Holden, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Ryan Thomas and Janet Street-Porter.

In 2016, BBC Newsround had kids react to the show's iconic wedding scene between Scott and Charlene - played by Donovan and Minogue - from 1988.

One boy described their hair styles as "long, shaggy and uncut", adding he was unsure if "they had barbers in those days".


The soap aired a special scene in January 2020 about the bushfires that were devastating Australia at the time


Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Europe Emerges as the Biggest Casualty in U.S.-China Rare Earth Rivalry
HSBC Confronts Strategic Crossroads as NAB Seeks Only Retail Arm in Australia Exit
U.S. Chamber Sues Trump Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Shenzhen Expo Spotlights China’s Quantum Step in Semiconductor Self-Reliance
China Accelerates to the Forefront in Global Nuclear Fusion Race
Yachts, Private Jets, and a Picasso Painting: Exposed as 'One of the Largest Frauds in History'
Australia’s Wedgetail Spies Aid NATO Response as Russian MiGs Breach Estonian Airspace
McGowan Urges Chalmers to Cut Spending Over Tax Hike to Close $20 Billion Budget Gap
Victoria Orders Review of Transgender Prison Placement Amid Safety Concerns for Female Inmates
U.S. Treasury Mobilises New $20 Billion Debt Facility to Stabilise Argentina
French Business Leaders Decry Budget as Macron’s Pro-Enterprise Promise Undermined
Trump Claims Modi Pledged India Would End Russian Oil Imports Amid U.S. Tariff Pressure
Surging AI Startup Valuations Fuel Bubble Concerns Among Top Investors
Australian Punter Archie Wilson Tears Up During Nebraska Press Conference, Sparking Conversation on Male Vulnerability
Australia Confirms U.S. Access to Upgraded Submarine Shipyard Under AUKUS Deal
“Firepower” Promised for Ukraine as NATO Ministers Meet — But U.S. Tomahawks Remain Undecided
Brands Confront New Dilemma as Extremists Adopt Fashion Labels
The Sydney Sweeney and Jeans Storm: “The Outcome Surpassed Our Wildest Dreams”
Erika Kirk Delivers Moving Tribute at White House as Trump Awards Charlie Presidential Medal of Freedom
British Food Influencer ‘Big John’ Detained in Australia After Visa Dispute
ScamBodia: The Chinese Fraud Empire Shielded by Cambodia’s Ruling Elite
French PM Suspends Macron’s Pension Reform Until After 2027 in Bid to Stabilize Government
Orange, Bouygues and Free Make €17 Billion Bid for Drahi’s Altice France Telecom Assets
Dutch Government Seizes Chipmaker After U.S. Presses for Removal of Chinese CEO
Bessent Accuses China of Dragging Down Global Economy Amid New Trade Curbs
U.S. Revokes Visas of Foreign Nationals Who ‘Celebrated’ Charlie Kirk’s Assassination
AI and Cybersecurity at Forefront as GITEX Global 2025 Kicks Off in Dubai
DJI Loses Appeal to Remove Pentagon’s ‘Chinese Military Company’ Label
EU Deploys New Biometric Entry/Exit System: What Non-EU Travelers Must Know
Australian Prime Minister’s Private Number Exposed Through AI Contact Scraper
Ex-Microsoft Engineer Confirms Famous Windows XP Key Was Leaked Corporate License, Not a Hack
China’s lesson for the US: it takes more than chips to win the AI race
Australia Faces Demographic Risk as Fertility Falls to Record Low
California County Reinstates Mask Mandate in Health Facilities as Respiratory Illness Risk Rises
Israel and Hamas Agree to First Phase of Trump-Brokered Gaza Truce, Hostages to Be Freed
French Political Turmoil Elevates Marine Le Pen as Rassemblement National Poised for Power
China Unveils Sweeping Rare Earth Export Controls to Shield ‘National Security’
The Davos Set in Decline: Why the World Economic Forum’s Power Must Be Challenged
France: Less Than a Month After His Appointment, the New French Prime Minister Resigns
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stated that Hungary will not adopt the euro because the European Union is falling apart.
Sarah Mullally Becomes First Woman Appointed Archbishop of Canterbury
Mayor in western Germany in intensive care after stabbing
Australian government pays Deloitte nearly half a million dollars for a report built on fabricated quotes, fake citations, and AI-generated nonsense.
US Prosecutors Gained Legal Approval to Hack Telegram Servers
Macron Faces Intensifying Pressure to Resign or Trigger New Elections Amid France’s Political Turmoil
Standard Chartered Names Roberto Hoornweg as Sole Head of Corporate & Investment Banking
UK Asylum Housing Firm Faces Backlash Over £187 Million Profits and Poor Living Conditions
UK Police Crack Major Gang in Smuggling of up to 40,000 Stolen Phones to China
BYD’s UK Sales Soar Nearly Nine-Fold, Making Britain Its Biggest Market Outside China
Trump Proposes Farm Bailout from Tariff Revenues Amid Backlash from Other Industries
×