Good neighbour needed to save show, says Strabane super fan

AS the song goes ‘Neighbours, everybody needs good neighbours…’ Well, the residents of Ramsey Street could certainly be doing with some right now as Channel 5 announced this week they would no longer be broadcasting the iconic Aussie soap, nearly 40 years after it was first broadcast on UK television back in 1985.

The show has launched the careers of people like Kylie Minogue, Jason Donovan, Margot Robbie, Craig McLachlan and Delta Goodrem. Local viewers will also recognise some famous faces from this side of the pond including Sophie Ellis Bextor and Amanda Holden who both visited Erinsborough.

Freemantle, who make the programme in its native country, have ceased production on the iconic drama and will consider pulling the soap altogether if they cannot find a financial backer to assist in funding.

One local woman Vivienne Kee, who has been a Neighbours fan for as long as it has been on, is devastated at the prospect of her favourite shows ending.

“I’ve been a huge fan of Neighbours ever since it began back in 1985. I can remember seeing the first episode when I was 11 and I’m still glued to it every day, 36 years later. Whether it was the lunchtime edition or the 5.30pm edition, I never missed it. The only time I didn’t watch Neighbours was when I was in America so was unable to get my Erinsborough fix.

“What makes it good for me is the storylines. I especially love it when they go off-set as it were, taking the show into the Outback and different resorts around Australia. It gives a fabulous sense of how vast and beautiful Australia is as a country. Neighbours might be a drama, but the show has some hugely funny elements, especially when they try to make Anglicised references to things like holidays and other terminology which, frankly, just sound weird being heard through the prism of an Australian accent.”

Throughout the years, Neighbours has had many iconic characters; lovebirds Scott and Charlene, battle-axe Mrs Mangel and her granddaughter Plain Jane, slimy businessman Paul Robinson, Madge and Harold, Karl and Susan Kennedy (Jackie Woodbourne who played Susan hails from Carrickfergus) and Toadfish. It has also produced some of Vivian’s favourite storylines.

“I think Neighbours has produced some real-nail biting, funny and sometimes poignant storylines over the years. The best storylines I remember were Finn Kelly’s murderer, then the hotel getting blown up and, more recently, the palliative care storyline had me gripped. Who could forget the ‘Bouncer’s dream’ episode as well? I will miss the fun the cast clearly have on screen and the continuity in the baseline characters. I also love it when they pull in older characters who might not have been around Ramsey Street for many years, bringing back memories of when I watched Neighbours as a youngster.

“I would love for another media company to swoop in and save the show. I’ll really miss it if it goes altogether. The fact that Channel 5 were able to come in and help Freemantle sustain the longevity of Neighbours after the BBC ceased the contract, I think shows the love that we here at this side of the world have for it,” Vivian added.