Final farewell to Neighbours a ‘tragedy’ for Australian television industry
Neighbours will reach its final episode after 40 years, marking the end of Australia’s longest-running soap opera and a major blow to the local entertainment industry, writes Andrew Potts.
It began with a dream on a hot night in March of 1985.
A young man, covered in sweat, sees his friends and family stand around him laughing as he catches a vision of his older brother jumping off a diving board to impending doom.
It could be a scene straight out of Twin Peaks but this surreal David Lynchesque scenario was Australia’s introduction to television mainstay Neighbours.
It was an inauspicious beginning of a 40-year love affair that changed Australia’s television industry forever.
The brainchild of producer Reg Watson, this nightly soap opera took viewers to the fictional Melbourne suburb of Erinsborough and inside the lives of the residents of Ramsay Street.
For four decades, through highs and lows, these nightly suburban adventures have been a constant in our lives.
It became a global cultural phenomenon, particularly in the UK, and gave the world a window into Australia in a way it had not previously experienced.
Despite being Victorian-based, the Gold Coast has long had a strong connection, having hosted filming of the series on several occasions in the 1990s onward, giving Neighbours’ far-larger international audience a glimpse of our city.
Many of its actors have Gold Coast links, with long-time cast member Stefan Dennis (Paul Robinson) growing up here, while Melissa Bell (Lucy Robinson) and Carrara councillor Bob La Castra (Eddie Buckingham) all relocated here.
Now, for the third time, the reaper will come for Neighbours, having already been cancelled at the end of its inaugural season in 1985 and again in 2022 before securing a shock two-year reprieve thanks to Amazon.
Thursday’s final episode is a sad occasion, not just for those of us who have enjoyed the series, but for the state of the Australian film and television industry.
Its ending comes, not because of a desire by its creative team to wrap, nor that of a cast eager to move on or a local network looking to dump it.
Instead, it is due to a lack of an international partner broadcaster to help carry the high costs of production.
Regardless of your views of its perceived qualities or deficiencies as entertainment, this is a body blow to our small sector.
The loss of Neighbours robs Australia of one of the great training grounds for those in front and behind the cameras.
Consider the talent it helped unearth and transform into stars – Kylie Minogue, Guy Pearce, Jason Donovan, Russell Crowe, Jesse Spencer and the Gold Coast’s own Margot Robbie.
Australian Writers’ Guild president Peter Matessi summed up the impact earlier this year: “(Neighbours) is an iconic part of our culture that has employed hundreds of Australian writers over the years, as well as actors, creatives and crew,” he said.
“It still employs hundreds, including dozens of writers, all of whom have now lost their jobs.
“It is a huge loss to our industry and our culture.
“It remains vital for Australians to be able to see Australian stories by Australian writers on Australians screens, and the loss of Neighbours means they have fewer opportunities to do so.”
The Gold Coast has, in the past decade, become a major filmmaking hub and hosted many international productions, both in television and in motion pictures.
The film sector injects $750m into the city’s economy annually and supports more than 5000 jobs.
The industry has grown to the point where a second studio will be developed at Yatala by Gold Coast City Council and partner Shadowbox Studios.
The council is also developing the Miami Depot Creative Industries Precinct, which will boast Baz Luhrmann’s Bazmark productions as its anchor tenant.
Global streaming giants Netflix and Apple have both produced series here, while the former has recently taken up residence to produce a Willy Wonka-themed reality TV series.
The impact Netflix’s purchase of Warner Bros will have on the local theme park and productions remains to be seen.
While these are all worth celebrating and create thousands of jobs, they cannot replicate what will be lost as Neighbours departs from screens, perhaps forever this time.
While the heyday of the nightly soap opera is long passed and reality TV, a cheaper and easier form of entertainment to produce rules the airwaves, there is still value in the format, particularly in training the next generation of talent and providing more jobs for our industry.
Saying goodbye to Erinsborough, the Robinsons, Ramsays and Kennedys is sad, but the impact on the industry is a tragedy.
The Gold Coast has plenty of cul-de-sacs which would be a great setting for a future series.
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