Neighbours

This article is about an Australian soap opera. For other articles with similar names, see Neighbours (disambiguation).

Neighbours
File:Neighbours New Logo.png Neighbours current logo, in use since July 23, 2007
Created by	Reg Watson
Starring	See Cast section below
Theme music composer	Tony Hatch Theme music Jackie Trent Lyrics
Country of origin	Australia
No. of episodes	5305 (as of September 21, 2007)
Production
Executive producers	Reg Watson Peter Pinne Don Battye Ian Bradley Stanley Walsh Riccardo Pellizzeri
Producers	John Holmes Philip East Marie Trevor Tony McDonald Margaret Slarke Mark Callan Dave Worthington Sally Anne Kerr Peter Dodds
Running time	Approx 22 minutes per episode
Original release
Network	Seven Network (1985) Network Ten (1986 - Present)
Release	March 18, 1985 – Present

Template:Infobox TV ratings Neighbours is a long-running Australian soap opera, which began its run in March 1985. Created by Reg Watson, it has a G classification, signifying that its content is suitable for viewers of any age. The series follows the daily lives of several families who live in the six houses at the end of Ramsay Street, a quiet cul-de-sac in the fictional, middle class suburb of Erinsborough (an anagram of 'Neighbours' with an extra O and R added for fluency). Storylines explore the romances, family problems, domestic squabbles, and other key life events affecting the various residents. More than most serials, Neighbours features a large proportion of young actors amongst its ever-rotating cast. Neighbours celebrated its twentieth anniversary in 2005 with some special episodes which featured appearances from several former members of the cast.

The series is produced by FremantleMedia Australia, which was formed in January 2007 by the merger of Grundy Television with Crackerjack Productions.

History and popularity

Through its entire run, Neighbours has screened as five 22-minute (excluding advertisement breaks) episodes a week, shown each week night in an early-evening slot. The 1985 season was broadcast on the Seven Network, at 5.30 p.m. in Sydney and at 6.30 p.m. in Melbourne and other regions. The Melbourne-produced programme had underperformed in the crucial Sydney market leading to the Seven Network cancelling the series at the end of that year. Neighbours was immediately picked up by the rival Network Ten . Network Ten began broadcasting the series 20 January 1986 . On Ten, it initially attracted low ratings . The Network worked hard to publicise the series ; they revamped the show, adding several new, younger cast members including Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan as Scott and Charlene, while a concerted publicity drive largely focused on these new actors in a star-focused campaign recalling that of the Hollywood star system where stars were packaged to feed into a fan culture . This paid off for the series and by the end of 1987 it was attracting high ratings . Australian audiences waned considerably by the early 1990s , although viewing figures had recovered slightly by the end of the decade .

In the 2000s rival soap opera Home and Away emerged as more popular than Neighbours. Home and Away is broadcast at 7.00 p.m. Monday to Friday and averages 1.2 million viewers in Australia. As of 2004 Neighbours was regularly attracting just under a million viewers per episode, low for Australian prime time television. Neighbours is more popular in the UK, where it screens on BBC One usually attracting an average of 3 million viewers for its lunchtime showing and 2.6 million viewers for its evening repeat.

2007 revamp

A major revamp of Neighbours occurred in 2007. In Australia the show's viewing figures had in early 2007 dropped to fewer than 700,000 a night and the attitudes among long term fans of the show to storylines was negative.

The revamp includes now recording the show in HDTV video, introducing a new family of characters, the departure of several existing characters, a new version of the show's familiar theme song, a new style of opening titles and, after three years, the ditching of episode titles. Daniel Bennett, the new head of drama at Network Ten, announced that the crux of the Ramsay Street story will go "back to basics" and follow a less sensational path than of late with the emphasis on family relations and suburban reality. These changes will come into effect over several months in 2007; July 23, 2007 saw the introduction of the new theme music and graphics. Ratings for that episode averaged 1.05 million viewers in the 6.30pm slot. It is the first time that the soap's viewing figures have topped 1 million in 2007. Neighbours was also made available for viewers to watch online via Network Ten's website .

Broadcast schedule

Australian broadcasts

Through its entire run in Australia it has screened as five 22-minute episodes a week, shown each weeknight in an early-evening slot. The 1985 season was broadcast on the Seven Network, at 5.30 p.m. in Sydney and at 6.30 p.m. in Melbourne and other regions. From its second year the series switched to Network Ten. Between 1986 and 1991 the series was screened by Network Ten at 7.00 p.m., and from 1992 they have broadcast the show at 6:30 p.m. Neighbours is on air for approximately 49 weeks per year. It is broadcast from early January to late December, and goes off air for three weeks during the Christmas/New Year break.

United Kingdom broadcasts

1986 - 2008

Beginning on Monday October 27, 1986, the show was brought to the UK by BBC One, where it quickly gained a cult following.

It was originally screened at 1.25 p.m.-1.50 p.m. until moving it to 1.50 p.m.-2.10 p.m. before moving it to 1.40 p.m.-2.05 p.m. with a repeat the next morning at 10.00am. The repeat episode was later moved to 5.35 p.m.-6.00 p.m. on 4 January, 1988 by controller Michael Grade on the advice of his daughter. In 1994 during Wimbledon it was shown at 7.00 p.m.-7.20 p.m.. In the late 1980s it regularly had a UK audience of over eighteen million and was watched by more people than the population of Australia.

In the UK, episodes are currently shown around three months after their original Australian broadcast. The length of time between both broadcasts has decreased significantly from the original 18 months of 1986 due to Neighbours being taken off air at Christmas in Australia, whilst the series was originally broadcast every weekday year round on the BBC. As a result since October 2000 the BBC has frequently removed the show from its schedule during major sports tournaments such as Wimbledon, Bank Holidays and Christmas.

Accounting for the duplication of viewers across its two UK showings a day, the show rates on average over five million viewers a day, making it the highest rated Commonwealth import on British television and one of the most popular international acquisitions, rating higher than US programmes such as Desperate Housewives and Lost. Rumours circulated that the BBC planned to give 'first-look' Neighbours on the broadcaster's digital channel BBC Three in order to boost that channel's ratings. Many UK fans were disappointed and some angry that in late 2006 BBC were facing losing the show to rival channel Five who screen new episodes of Home and Away every night immediately after Neighbours has finished its repeat on BBC One. [5]

2008-

In April 2007, it was reported that ITV had made a bid of £80,000 per episode; an offer that valued Neighbours at over £20 Million a year. A contract between ITV and Fremantle was just days away from completion, but could not be finalised due to issues regarding Video on Demand and Broadband rights.. On 26 April 2007 it was reported that the BBC had told Broadcast magazine that an agreement would need to be reached in the "very, very near future" otherwise their offer would be withdrawn. . News of the possible change in broadcaster was poorly received by viewers of the programme, and an online petition against the show's move away from the BBC garnered very strong support.. On 5 May, it was reported that the BBC could drop out of bidding for the show, after Fremantle raised the price to £100,000 per episode in a bidding competition between ITV and Five..

On 18 May, BBC One controller Peter Fincham announced on the One O'Clock News that the BBC had pulled out of negotiations for Neighbours due to the £300m asking price over eight years (three times the price currently paid by the BBC) and that it would end on BBC One during March or April 2008. The same day it was later announced that RTL Media company Five had won the UK rights to broadcast the show. It is expected that there will be no gap between transmission ceasing on the BBC and commencing on Five.

This is not likely to affect old repeats being shown on UKTV Gold for the time being. UKTV Gold are currently screening episodes from 2003/4.

Other international broadcasts

Neighbours is also broadcast every evening on Republic of Ireland state TV station RTÉ Two at 5:30 p.m., and is repeated the following day at around 7.00a.m on RTÉ One. These episodes are at the same pace as the episodes shown on BBC.

The show has also been sold to television networks in many other countries. Episodes from 1999 were broadcast for a six-week trial basis on the American channel Oxygen in March 2004. At first, it was shown in the afternoon opposite higher-rated American soaps such as The Young and the Restless and All My Children, which gave the show anemic ratings from the first broadcast; the people who would be most interested in the show were watching other, more established serials. After a couple of weeks, the show moved to a late-night time slot and eventually left the air entirely. It was not the first Australian soap opera to be broadcast in the United States: The Sullivans, Prisoner, Home and Away, The Young Doctors, Paradise Beach, and Pacific Drive had also been previously shown.

The show was broadcast in Canada on regional television channel 47, Toronto-based CFMT (now part of the OMNI network owned by Rogers Communications Inc.), for a period of about five years in the early to mid-1990s, starting in September 1990. The channel started the series right from the beginning and broadcast two episodes back to back for the first several months. It never achieved the audience that youth-oriented cable network YTV saw at the same time with Home and Away and was dropped.

It has been long broadcast by Television New Zealand and screens twice daily at 11:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. It was initially broadcast by TVNZ when Neighbours started showing in New Zealand in 1988, but by 1996 it had been removed from the schedule. Canwest's TV4 (now C4) picked it up and broadcast it from 1997 to 2000. They dropped it in 2000, and it returned to TV2 in 2002, where it stayed till early 2007, until moving to TVOne in February 2007, and screens at the time of 3:50.

Neighbours is broadcast in Belgium on the VRT at 5:30 p.m. from Monday to Friday. The show has been broadcast in Belgium since 1988; they are one year behind Australia. In Kenya, Neighbours is broadcast on the KTN network at 12.30 p.m., Monday to Friday with an omnibus on Sunday mornings. They are approximately three years behind Australia. Neighbours is also broadcast in Barbados on CBC8, Monday to Friday. They are approximately four years behind Australia. In Catalonia, the first 1518 episodes were dubbed into Catalan and broadcast as Veïns from 1989 to the mid-1990s.

Storylines

Main article: Storylines of Neighbours

File:ISmithHarold.jpg

Ian Smith as long-standing resident Harold Bishop

In the beginning, the show mainly focused on two families, the Robinsons and the Ramsays, neighbours in Ramsay Street. The loud and fiery Max Ramsay (Francis Bell), after whose grandfather the street is named, ruled his household with a iron fist, and had a turbulent relationship with wife Maria (Dasha Blahova) while clashing with his sensitive son Danny Ramsay (David Clencie). Max had more time for his athletic oldest child Shane Ramsay (Peter O'Brien), involved in competitive diving. Max acted as though he owned the entire street and sustained a feud and rivalry with his more thoughtful, business-owner neighbour Jim Robinson (Alan Dale). Jim's wife had died in 1975, after which mother-in-law Helen Daniels (Anne Haddy) moved in to help raise Jim's four children. These were Paul Robinson (Stefan Dennis), studying engineering at university, bank teller Julie Robinson (Vikki Blanche), high school student Scott Robinson (then played by Darius Perkins, later recast with Jason Donovan), primary school student Lucy Robinson (Kylie Flinker).

Another resident of Ramsay Street was bank manager Des Clarke (Paul Keane). The engaged Des was jilted in the earliest episodes of the show. When he took in a lodger the applicant was Daphne Lawrence (Elaine Smith), the stripper from his stag party. She moved in and began a romance with neighbour Shane Ramsay. Disapproving of much of this was Jim's daughter, the moralistic Julie Robinson - who was Des's neighbour, former girlfriend, and employee.

Max Ramsay's wife Maria left him and moved to Hong Kong during 1985. Puritanical Julie apparently relaxed her strict morals by taking up with her new boss, the married Philip Martin (Christopher Milne). Julie and Philip moved away in late 1985. Max's sister Madge Mitchell (Anne Charleston) moved into the Ramsay home in early 1986 and quickly became a key character in storylines. Madge's daughter Charlene Mitchell (Kylie Minogue), an energetic tomboy, soon moved in, while Max moved away to Queensland. Max's son Danny settled into his new job of bank teller moved away soon after, and Madge's son Henry Mitchell (Craig McLachlan) moved in to the house after his release from prison. Charlene began a romance with neighbour Scott Robinson and their Romeo and Juliet-style romance storyline was one of the show's most popular. Scott and Charlene's close friends were Des's latest lodger Mike Young (Guy Pearce), and the plain and studious Jane Harris (Annie Jones). Jane and her grandmother, the meddling Nell Mangel (Vivean Gray), had moved in to Ramsay Street in mid-1986. Mike and Jane later started a romance. Scott and Charlene's wedding was a key event in the series. Meanwhile Madge took up with Harold Bishop (Ian Smith) and they later married. Platonic housemates Des and Daphne eventually fell in love, and later married. After leaving to care for her sick father, Daphne was badly injured in a car accident. She very briefly returned for her death scene in hospital where her final words were the whispered 'I love you, Clarkey'. It was the first death of a main character.

With Shane Ramsay's departure in 1987, all of the original Ramsay family members had all gone. Henry and Charlene also departed in the late 1980s, leaving Madge as a main character through much of the 1990s. She endured the disappearance of Harold, but was reunited with high-school sweetheart Lou Carpenter (Tom Oliver). The Robinson family was in turmoil when Lucy Robinson (Melissa Bell) started a sexual flirtation with her half brother Glen (Richard Huggett) - whom her dad had fathered during the Vietnam War - despite both knowing that they were related. Julie Robinson (now played by Julie Mullins) and Phillip Martin (now played by Ian Rawlings), and their children, returned in 1992. The various Robinson family members were gradually written out through the 1990s. Scott was last seen in 1989 after moving to Queensland, scheming businessman Paul Robinson fled to South America to escape legal problems in 1993, Jim died in 1993, Julie died in 1994.

File:Kusan.jpg

Susan (Jackie Woodburne) and Karl (Alan Fletcher) remarried in 2007

During the 1990s the storylines were dominated by the various members of the Willis family, who took over the house vacated by Des in 1990. After they left in 1994, the Kennedy family moved in, and became central to many of the program's storylines. Madge moved away in 1992 and Cheryl Stark and her various family members moved in to the former Ramsay residence. Cheryl and her family members departed in 1996. In late 1996 Harold, who was believed drowned but was actually missing and suffering amnesia, was spotted by Marlene Kratz in Tasmania. She called Madge and Harold and Madge were reunited, and they returned to live in Ramsay Street. In the late 1990s Philip Martin and his children lived with Helen Daniels in the Robinson house. Helen died in 1997. Philip and the children all moved away in 1999, and that year the Scully family moved in to the vacant Robinson house. Madge and Harold lived as a couple until Madge's death in 2001. Toadie Rebecchi (Ryan Moloney) joined the storyline in the mid 1990s and he emerged as a key character in the show's storylines. Through the late 1990s and the 2000s many members of the extended Rebecchi family figured prominently in storylines. Stuart Parker (Blair McDonough) was a key character throughout the early 2000s. Max Hoyland (Stephen Lovatt) and his family moved to Ramsay Street in 2002. Harold's son David Bishop (Kevin Harrington) and his family moved to the street in 2003. After more than a ten year absence Paul Robinson returned as a regular in the final episode of 2004. In 2005 Toadie's aunt Janelle Timmins (Nell Feeney) and her brood of children moved in to Ramsay Street for an extended stay.

In the late 1990s, Neighbours gained the reputation as being a somewhat conservative soap with topics such as sex generally not being included in the storylines due to its early evening timeslot (Earlier storylines involving controversial topics such as incest and teenage sex were often censored by the BBC in the UK, which may account for the reluctance on the part of producers to depict controversial issues). Starting 2004 racier elements were included in the storylines. Teenage characters began discussing issues such as sex and contraception in a manner which has not been seen on the show since the mid 1990s. In late 2004, the show depicted a lesbian storyline involving Sky Mangel (Stephanie McIntosh) and Lana Crawford (Bridget Neval). In early 2006, a relationship started between the 18-year-old Stingray Timmins (Ben Nicholas) and 14-year-old Rachel Kinski (Caitlin Stasey), although the two did not actually sleep together. Serena Bishop (Lara Sacher) and Luka Dokich (Keelan O'Hehir), embarked on an intimate relationship, blissfully ignorant of the fact that they were half-siblings - sharing a mother Liljana Bishop (Marcella Russo). Stuart's fiance Sindi Parker (Marisa Warrington) was involved in stripping and prostitution. In 2006 there were strong indications that Katya Kinski (Dichen Lachman) had been involved in the pornography industry and had taken hard drugs. She was also shown stealing cars for shady associates from her past.

In 2004 the break up of long time married couples Karl and Susan Kennedy (Alan Fletcher and Jackie Woodburne) and soon after Joe (Shane Connor) and Lyn Scully (Janet Andrewartha) led to much turmoil and many story twists. Isabelle "Izzy" Hoyland (Natalie Bassingthwaighte) duped Karl into believing that he was the father of her unborn child, continuing the charade long after she tragically miscarried in November 2004. After over a year of manipulation, Izzy's lies came to light in a spectacular fashion, and despite a last ditch attempt by Izzy to gain Karl's sympathy by falsely claiming that she was raped, Karl finally dumped Izzy for good.

Late in the 2005 season came the dramatic plane crash storyline in which a large contingent of Ramsay Street residents join a joyflight on a Douglas DC-3 aircraft over Bass Strait. A time bomb had been planted in the plane's undercarriage. During the flight Izzy discovered a note in her seat pocket addressed 'To my one and only' which read 'Think about your life and everything you've done.' The bomb went off, sending the plane down into the Bass Strait. Most of the passengers were rescued, although Liljana and Serena Bishop were missing, presumed dead. David Bishop died in the crash and his body was later recovered.

The 2006 season featured several highly dramatic storylines and the introduction of several new villains. It was learned that the bomb on the plane had been planted by Paul Robinson's son Robert (Adam Hunter) in an attempt to kill his father, his sister Elle (Pippa Black), and Izzy. Also shown for the first time was Robert's comatose twin brother Cameron (also played by Adam Hunter). Robert remained on the loose, continually plotting Paul's murder. This vendetta led to Max Hoyland (Stephen Lovatt) accidentally killing Robert's twin Cameron after mistaking him for Robert. Max was then intentionally driven insane by Elle for revenge. The other key villain in 2006 was Guy Sykes (Fletcher Humphrys), an old acquaintance of Katya Kinski who was heavily involved in the Robert/Cameron storyline. Katya was shot and arrested after being blackmailed by Guy. The 2006 finale week marked the wedding of Paul and Lyn Scully, however he broke up with her hours after the wedding after revealing that he cheated on her. Lyn left town after seven years on Ramsay Street.

File:Frosie.jpg

Frazer (Ben Lawson) and Rosie (Natalie Saleeba) married in July 2007

In early 2007 came the third wedding of Karl and Susan, this time in London. Appearing at the ceremony was Izzy, who had left the show pregnant with Karl's baby (unknown to Karl and Susan) in 2006. She went into labour at the wedding, though she never confessed the truth to them. Karl and Susan left London, with Susan knowing the identity of the baby's father, as she overheard Izzy telling her new boyfriend that the baby is Karl's. Susan told Karl back in Australia, and he returned to London for several weeks to spend time with his new daughter Holly. The first six months of 2007 also saw the unexpected death of one of the younger characters, Scott "Stingray" Timmins (Ben Nicholas), the stalking and kidnapping of Pepper Steiger (Nicky Whelan) by Mary Casey (Rowena Wallace), the arrest and imprisonment of Sky after she was arrested for murder, despite being innocent of the crime and Steph (Carla Bonner) and Max Hoyland's (Stephen Lovatt) marriage ending. He moved away and Steph remains on Ramsay Street as the last remaining member of the Scully family.

Mid-2007 saw the introduction of the Parker family: Steve (Steve Bastoni), Miranda (Nikki Coghill) and Bridget (Eloise Mignon), as well as several other new characters, such as Ned's (Daniel O'Connor) illegitimate son, Mickey Gannon (Fletcher O'Leary) and Oliver's (David Hoflin) long-lost mother and brother, Rebecca (Jane Hall) and Declan Napier (James Sorensen). Also in July 2007 was the much-anticipated wedding of Frazer Yeats (Ben Lawson) and Rosetta Cammeniti (Natalie Saleeba).

File:Neighbours Cast 07.jpg

Cast (clockwise from bottom left):
David Hoflin, Natalie Saleeba, Daniel O'Connor, Benjamin Hart, Pippa Black, Ben Lawson, Natalie Blair, Sweeney Young, Eliza Taylor-Cotter

Cast

See also: Past characters of Neighbours

Current cast members

See also: Current characters of Neighbours

Actor	Role	Tenure
Aaron Aulsebrook-Walker	Charlie Hoyland	2006-
Steve Bastoni	Steve Parker	2007-
Pippa Black	Elle Robinson	2005-
Natalie Blair	Carmella Cammeniti	2006- (recurring 2003-2005)
Carla Bonner	Stephanie Scully	1999-
Sam Clark	Ringo Brown	2007-
Nikki Coghill	Miranda Parker	2007-
Stefan Dennis	Paul Robinson	1985-1992, 2004- (guest 1993)
Alan Fletcher	Karl Kennedy	1994-
Jane Hall	Rebecca Napier	2007-
Benjamin Hart	Adam Rhodes	2007
David Hoflin	Oliver Barnes	2007-
Ben Lawson	Frazer Yeats	2006-
Eloise Mignon	Bridget Parker	2007-
Ryan Moloney	Toadie Rebecchi	1996- (recurring 1995)
Daniel O'Connor	Ned Parker	2005-
Fletcher O'Leary	Mickey Gannon	2007-
Tom Oliver	Lou Carpenter	1992- (guest 1988)
Natalie Saleeba	Rosetta Cammeniti	2006-
Ian Smith	Harold Bishop	1987-1991, 1996-
James Sorensen	Declan Napier	2007-
Caitlin Stasey	Rachel Kinski	2005-
Joan Sydney	Valda Cassidy	2007- (recurring 2002-2005)
Eliza Taylor-Cotter	Janae Timmins	2005-2008
Matthew Werkmeister	Zeke Kinski	2005-
Nicky Whelan	Pepper Steiger	2006-2007
Jackie Woodburne	Susan Kinski	1994-
Sweeney Young	Riley Parker	2007-

Recurring cast members

See also: Recurring characters of Neighbours

Actor	Role
Jane Allsop	Diana Murray
Trudy Hellier	Christine Rodd
Caroline Lloyd	Veronica Olenski
Maria Mercedes	Lucia Cammeniti
Emma Moore	Sophie Cooper
Stephen Stagg	Ray Moller
Blair Venn	Richard Aaronow

Comings and goings

Coming

Actor	Role	Status	Source
Brett Tucker	Daniel Fitzgerald	Returns October
Kym Valentine	Libby Kennedy	Returns November
Todd MacDonald	Darren Stark	Returns November
Blake O'Leary	Ben Kirk (#3)	Debuts November
Liam Hemsworth	Josh Taylor	Debuts 2007
Jesse Rosenfeld	Marco	Debuts 2007
Dean Geyer	Unknown	Debuts 2007

Going

Actor	Role	Status	Source
Nicky Whelan	Pepper Steiger	Exits November
Benjamin Hart	Adam Rhodes	Exits December
Eliza Taylor-Cotter	Janae Timmins	Exits February

Notable former cast members

Actor	Role	Duration
Alan Dale	Jim Robinson	1985-1993
Kylie Minogue	Charlene Robinson	1986-1988
Jason Donovan	Scott Robinson (#2)	1986-1989
Guy Pearce	Mike Young	1986-1989
Russell Crowe	Kenny Larkin	1987
Craig McLachlan	Henry Ramsay	1987-1989
Natalie Imbruglia	Beth Willis	1992-1993, 1994
Jesse Spencer	Billy Kennedy	1994-2000, 2005
Brooke Satchwell	Anne Wilkinson	1996-2000
Radha Mitchell	Catherine O'Brien	1996-1997
Holly Valance	Felicity Scully	1999-2002, 2005
Delta Goodrem	Nina Tucker	2002-2003, 2004, 2005
Stephanie McIntosh	Sky Mangel (#2)	2003-2007
Natalie Bassingthwaighte	Isabelle Hoyland	2003-2006, 2007

Deceased cast members

Actor	Role	Duration	Date of death
Myra De Groot	Eileen Clarke	1985-1988	4 April 1988
Francis Bell	Max Ramsay	1985-1986	May 1994
Brian Blain	Michael Daniels	1991 (guest)	July 1994
Anne Haddy	Helen Daniels	1985-1997	6 June 1999
June Salter	Bess Robinson	1985 (guest)	15 September 2001
Olivia Hamnett	Hilary Grant	1998 (guest)	November 2001
Esme Melville	Mrs. York Jean Halliday Moina Beresford Rose Belker	1986 (guest) 1992 (guest) 1994 (guest) 2002-2006 (recurring)	14 September 2006
Richard Morgan	Damon Gaffney	2000 (guest)	23 December 2006
Lynne Randell	Herself	1986 (guest)	8 June 2007

Shane Connor's dismissal

After being fired from the series in 2003, former cast member Shane Connor (Joe Scully) filed for wrongful dismissal. Evidence presented in court in October 2005 described alleged on-set problems such as arguments with the cast and crew, lateness and absenteeism. This behaviour has been connected to the actor's period of drug use, after the death of his brother. Connor admitted that he'd had problems in that period, prior to receiving a final warning in April 2003, but contested Grundy's claims that he had acted unprofessionally immediately before his dismissal in September 2003. He won the case and was awarded AUD $196,709 plus interest and costs. Connor is now living in the UK, where he is appearing in commercials and makes appearances at university students' unions.

Celebrity guest appearances

File:AndrewGNeighbours.jpg

Andrew G guest stars

• Red Symons as Gordon Miller (1985)
• Warwick Capper (1986)
• Molly Meldrum (1986)
• Grant Kenny (1986)
• Derek Nimmo as Lord Ledgerwood (1990)
• Darryl Cotton (1990)
• Mike Whitney (1994)
• Chris Lowe of The Pet Shop Boys (1995)
• John Hinde (1995)
• Iain Hewitson (1995)
• Clive James as a postman (1996)
• Barry Sheene (1997)
• Dave Graney (1998)
• Peter Chapman (1999)
• Robert DiPierdomenico (1999)
• Human Nature (2000)
• The Wiggles (2001)
• Glenn Wheatley (2002)
• Jude Bolton (2002)
• Brett Kirk (2002)
• Renton Millar (2002)
• Steve McCann (2002)
• Karl Kruszelnicki (2004)
• Shane Warne (2006)
• Rove McManus (2006)
• Brodie Holland (2006)
• Andrew G (2007)
• Emma Bunton (2007)
• Michael Parkinson (2007)
• Julian Clary (2007)
• Neil Morrissey as a priest (2007)
• Jo Whiley (2007)
• Jonathan Coleman (2007)
• Sinitta (2007)
• Matt Lucas as Andy Pipkin (2007)
• David Walliams as Lou Todd (2007)
• Daryl Braithwaite (2007)
• Robyn Loau (2007)
• Damien Leith (2007)
• Marcia Hines (2007)
• Ian "Dicko" Dickson (2007)

Theme Song

The Neighbours theme music was written by Tony Hatch with lyrics by his then wife, Jackie Trent. Since 1985 there have been six distinctly different renditions of the theme broadcast on television. They were sung by the following artists:

• Version One: Barry Crocker (1985-1989)
• Version Two: Barry Crocker (1989-1992)
• Version Three: Greg Hind (1992-1998)
• Version Four: Paul Norton & Wendy Stapleton (1999-2001)
• Version Five: Janine Maunder (2002-2007)
• Version Six: Sandra de Jong (2007-present)

Each version of the song has received some minor changes during its tenure to keep it feeling fresh. For example, version one received a few edits following the # day #, # away #, # blend # and # friends # climaxes during its run on Channel Seven in 1985. The following years on Network TEN used a slightly longer unedited version.

The opening theme of version two changed frequently. From the introduction of the revised song until mid-way through 1990 there was a full length opening song, however, mid-way through 1990 this changed to a 10-second instrumental piece. This was used for a few weeks before being replaced by a vocal version of the same short piece. This lasted until version three of the theme debuted in mid-1992.

Version three used a funky 23 second opening song until 1994 when a slightly longer piece was implemented. Incidentally, this longer piece was used as a closing theme for BBC broadcasts from 1995 onwards, despite the original full closing version being retained elsewhere in the world. The full-length closing theme differed significantly from the previous two arrangements in that it concentrated solely on repeating the second verse of the song to make up the song's length, thus discarding such familiar lyrics as # Just a friendly wave each morning... # and # Next door is only a footstep away #.

Version four debuted in 1999 essentially as a re-record of the 1992 theme with new singers Wendy Stapleton and Paul Norton. The opening theme reverted to 23 seconds and replaced # Everybody needs good neighbours # with # Should be there for one another #. Once again there was a shortened closing theme for UK transmission. The only changes made to the theme heard in Australia during this era was the removal of the repeated backing vocal # That's when good... # from mid-2000 onwards, although this remained on episodes broadcast outside of Australia and the UK.

Version five was launched in 2002 and once again a shorter piece of closing music was edited for the UK market, with the rest of the world using the same 76 second variant. The opening and closing songs followed the same lyrical and verse arrangement introduced in 1992.

In 2006 a very slightly remixed version of the same closing theme debuted. The intention was for all territories to begin transmitting the same 45 second version at the end of their episodes, however UK broadcasts retained the previous 35 second arrangement for a few weeks until they received a newer batch of episodes with the revised theme attached. Despite a brief period of uniformity, by mid-2006 the BBC had requested further edits to be made to their version of the song to bring it back in line with the 35 seconds allowed by the BBC. Australia then reverted to an almost full length track, albeit with minor edits at various sections to keep running time to 55 seconds, whilst other markets, including New Zealand and the Republic of Ireland, continued to receive the original 45 second arrangement launched at the start of 2006. This meant that for over a year between 2006-2007 there were three different edits of the closing theme tune being broadcast around the world as well as three different closing credits designs to accompany them!

Despite the many edits made to the 2002-2007 closing song, the opening theme remained unchanged for the duration at 23 seconds.

A new version of the theme tune sung by Sandra de Jong debuted on July 23, 2007 as part of a revamp of the show. The opening song was available for preview briefly on the official Neighbours website in the days leading up to the revamp, although it is believed that this was unintentional. The opening song is noticeably longer than in recent years at 30 seconds - largely to accommodate the additional new characters in the titles. It is also notable for re-introducing # Everybody needs good neighbours # to the opener after an eight year absence. The closing theme as broadcast in Australia continues to solely use the second verse of the Neighbours song, as has been the case since 1992. The new version does not repeat the verse however, using instead a repetitive technique applied to the # That's when good neighbours become good friends # line and an additional instrumental piece to make up the theme's length which remains unchanged at 55 seconds.

Locations

See also: Erinsborough

View of Pin Oak Court, Vermont South, the filming location used to represent the fictional Ramsay Street in Neighbours

Neighbours is recorded in Melbourne. Interior scenes are taped at the Global Television studios in Forest Hill, Victoria in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne. These studios were previously the Network Ten studios; Ten moved to South Yarra selling their previous studios but continued to tape some of their programmes there, leasing the facilities from the new owners. Pin Oak Court in nearby Vermont South is been used for outdoor taping to represent the fictional Ramsay Street through the programme's run.

In the story Ramsay Street is situated in the fictional suburb of Erinsborough. Throughout most of the series' run it was not emphatically stated which city of Australia the suburb was set in. Occasionally evidence appears on screen and in dialogue that suggests that Erinsborough is a suburb of Melbourne. In 1996 much was made of a group of residents leaving for a day trip to attend the Melbourne Cup, and several of the characters show their support for AFL teams (a sport endemic to Melbourne), there have been several guest appearances by AFL players, and Melbourne landmarks and features can be identified in some scenes outside of Ramsay Street. In a July 2007 episode where Janelle Timmins evaluates visits to her children now residing in Queensland she explicitly names her current residence as being in "Melbourne".

In the story, Erinsborough is often contrasted with the neighbouring, and equally fictitious, suburb of Eden Hills. Other locations often mentioned (and sometimes seen) in the show include West Waratah, Waratah Heights, Elliot Park and Anson's Corner, as well as real towns in the state of Victoria (the capital of which is Melbourne) such as Colac, Shepparton, and Oakey in Queensland.

Filming in the United Kingdom

Neighbours' second UK-shot storyline was broadcast in Australia during the weeks commencing 19 and 26 March 2007 and was broadcast in the UK in late May/early June 2007. In the story Susan and Karl visit the UK on holiday and accidentally meet Izzy, who had moved there after leaving Ramsay Street. Karl also proposes to Susan in the London Eye, and they were married for a third time, with Neil Morrissey acting as a priest. This story also featured many celebrity cameos such as Emma Bunton, Jo Whiley, Michael Parkinson, Jonathan Coleman, Julian Clary and Sinitta.

DVD

The first Neighbours DVD, Defining Moments, was released in late 2002, and chronicled the major births, deaths and marriages of the show's first 17 years. During Neighbours' 20th anniversary celebrations in 2005, there was some talk of another similar release, however the distributors, Shock Records, repeatedly pushed the release date back, before eventually cancelling the project altogether. Shock has confirmed it will release Neighbours - The Iconic Episodes: Vol.1 on September 17, 2007.

Neighbours - The Iconic Episodes: Vol.2 has been announced for release on October 22, 2007.

Awards

The show and some cast members have won several Logies in its time. Winners of the Logies are listed below:

• 1986: Peter O'Brien, for Most Popular New Talent.
• 1987: Peter O'Brien, for Most Popular Actor
• 1987: Kylie Minogue, for Most Popular Actress
• 1987: Most Popular Drama Series
• 1988: Kylie Minogue, for the Most Popular Personality (Gold Logie)
• 1988: Peter O'Brien, for Most Popular Actor
• 1988: Kylie Minogue, for Most Popular Actress
• 1988: Most Popular Drama Series
• 1989: Craig McLachlan, for Most Popular Actor
• 1989: Annie Jones, for Most Popular Actress
• 1989: Most Popular Series
• 1990: Craig McLachlan, for Most Popular Personality (Gold Logie)
• 1990: Craig McLachlan, for Most Popular Actor
• 1990: Rachel Friend, for Most Popular Actress
• 1990: Most Popular Series
• 1991: Richard Huggett, for Most Popular New Talent
• 1998: Brooke Satchwell, for Most Popular New Talent
• 1999: Daniel MacPherson, for Most Popular New Talent - Male
• 2003: Patrick Harvey, for Most Popular New Talent - Male
• 2003: Delta Goodrem, for Most Popular New Talent - Female
• 2005: Natalie Blair, for Most Popular New Talent - Female
• 2005: Hall of Fame (the series)

External links

• Neighbours: The Official Site
• Neighbours at Network Ten
• Neighbours at TV.com
• Neighbours at IMDb
• The Official Tour Site
• The Official Neighbours Night
• Weekly Neighbours episode guide and past/current cast interviews
• Perfect Blend