Natalie Imbruglia has revealed she is ‘devastated’ that Neighbours faces the axe

The 47-year-old singer has responded to the news that the long-running Australian soap could be coming to an end after 14 years.

Former Neighbours star Natalie Imbruglia has responded to the news that the long-running Australian soap could be coming to an end, saying that it would be “devastating” if the show were to finish.

The 47-year-old singer said it's “really sad” the show was dropped by Channel 5 and now faces a permanent axe, as she backed fans’ petitions to save the program.

Speaking on Heart FM with Kelly Brook and JK, Imbruglia- who was recently unveiled as Panda when she won the UK version of The Masked Singer - joked about the fate of her onscreen son.

“I think at this point we just thought it was gonna go on forever so, I, you know, people are petitioning,” she said.

“Here’s hoping they pull it off.”

Singer & actress Natalie Imbruglia (left) and actress Melissa Bell from Neighbours. s

Imbruglia began her acting career aged 16 as she arrived on Ramsey Street as Beth Brennan in 1992, before leaving two years later to pursue her music career.
She joins original Ramsay St resident Annie Jones who said she is praying the show which launched her career will be saved again.

Neighbours has already been rescued in its 37-year-history – the show only lasted seven months on original broadcaster Channel 7.

Ten picked up the pieces a couple of months later and the rest is history.

More than 8800 episodes of amazing television moments of history including one of the first gay kisses in 2004 between Sky Mangel (Stephanie McIntosh) and Lana Crawford (Bridget Neval).

Or in 2018 when David Tanaka (played by Takaya Honda) got hitched to Aaron Brennan (Matt Wilson) with Magda Szubanski in a cameo role as the celebrant.

The storied soap is now facing the greatest challenge of its four decades on our screens – if Fremantle can’t secure a new partner, production will wind up on June 10.

Annie Jones with Guy Pearce, Jason Donovan, Kylie Minogue, Craig McLachlan and Sasha Close on Neighbours in 1987 has all of the things crossed that Neighbours will find a saviour. Picture: Supplied

It’s a scenario Jones can’t fathom. Viewers first met the now 55-year-old in 1986 where her character “plain Jane Superbrain” Harris blossomed from a young bookworm to teen dating stud Mike Young (played by Guy Pearce).

She worked alongside Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan during the height of Neighbours-mania and returned to the regular cast in 2020.

Jones was stunned when UK network Channel 5 confirmed it would not renew its contract with Fremantle Australia to finance and broadcast the long-running soap.

“(Just) in a bit of shock really, even though we knew it was always a vague possibility one day,” she says.

“Its loss would leave a huge hole in Australia’s television future.”

Neighbours cast and crew downed tools on Monday to process the decision and the tight-knit production – who are very much like a family – have drawn even closer to each other in the last week.

Annie Jones as Jane Harris has a surprise kiss for Guy Pearce as Mike on his 21st birthday.

“We’ve been keeping each other strong with the determination to do our enormous fan base proud,” Jones says, adding that it was relief to focus on filming, leaving the swirling speculation outside the gates of the sprawling Nunawading set.

“We have (at least) four months worth of stories still to tell and we’re trying to just focus on making the show as great as we possibly can.

“I pray the show will be saved somehow. It is the best training any actor or crew member can have.

“We need Neighbours to continue for the sake of our upcoming film and television makers.”

She’s been heartened by the groundswell of support from fans in Australia, but especially overseas. UK devotees outraged by the decision started a petition which has already garnered more than 34,000 signatures.

“It’s been incredible. Neighbours has undoubtedly the best most loyal fans, and we are – both cast and crew – all just blown away by the amount of love we’ve felt from them all,” Jones says.

The heady days of Neighbours-mania when Craig McLachlan, Ian Smith, Anne Haddy, Alan Dale, Paul Keane, Annie Jones, Anne Charleston, Fiona Corke and Stefan Dennis had just landed in London ahead of their appearance at the Royal Variety Performance in London 1988. Picture: Express Newspapers/Getty Images

The drama has always had a dedicated fan base.

Stefan Dennis – who originally turned down the part of villainous Paul Robinson he has made his own, saying Neighbours was a corny little soap opera that wouldn’t last long – recalls the early heady days likening it to Beatlemania when we chatted to celebrate the show’s 8000 episode.

“Australians took to it in absolute hysteria,” he recalls.

“Over in the UK, it was just ballistic, I don’t know what age group you are and if you remember The Beatles, but we were actually victims of the same hysteria. It was just ridiculous – we were actors from Melbourne in this two-bit soapie.

“We were revered as these gods everywhere we went. Literally, no word of a lie, I’m not exaggerating it at all, we’d get chased down the streets by crowds.“

Stefan Dennis on the set of Neighbours. Picture: Tony Gough

While its ratings aren’t as sky-high in Australia, attracting up to 170,000 metro viewers, it’s still beloved in Britain.

Neighbours comfortably holds its mantle as the UK’s fourth most popular soap with almost one million viewers tuning in, ahead of the UK-made Hollyoaks (around 600,000 viewers) and Home And Away (around 400,000 viewers).

The UK’s big three – Coronation Street, with around 5.5 million viewers, Emmerdale 4.8 million viewers and EastEnders around 3 million viewers – hold an undentable lead.

So why then has Channel 5 made the decision to dump such a ratings stronghold?

TV Tonight’s David Knox says the word is Channel 5 had been looking to part company for some time, only agreeing to a one-year extension mid last year.

“Since Ten reduced its licence fee for the show when it moved to (10 Peach) a decade ago, the Brits had done the heavy lifting,” he says.

“Yes it still rates in the UK but Channel 5 has been improving considerably with local dramas such as All Creatures Great & Small. There’s nothing quite like seeing yourself reflected on screen, no matter where you live.”

It’s been littered with historic firsts including when Neighbours actresses Stephanie McIntosh and Bridget Neval share not only Neighbours’ first gay kisses, but also one of Australian TV’s first. Picture: Supplied

The pair later reunited to star in an episode to celebrate Neighbours’ 35th anniversary. Picture: Supplied/10

It’s often only when a show is axed that you really know the depth of dedication of its fans and Knox says there’s every chance the concerted campaign will see Neighbours thrown a lifeline. It’s worked in the past.

The series that likely launched fandom interaction boldly going where it had never gone before was the original Star Trek.

It was cancelled after its first season but Trekkies committed to letter-writing campaigns and crowds people picketed outside NBC’s offices in 1968 until someone listened.

Closer to home – literally – A Place To Call Home was thrown a lifeline by Foxtel in 2014 after it was axed by Channel 7.

Fighting to save their beloved series, fans organised protests and online petitions and found a rescuer.

Another first for the iconic soap was when Takaya Honda’s David Tanaka and Matt Wilson’s Aaron Brennan were married by Magda Szubanski’s wedding celebrant Jemima Davies-Smythe. Picture: Ten

And when rumours were rife that another Foxtel favourite Wentworth was on death row in 2018, fans again implored the Pay TV network to keep it going.

And again they won – Foxtel found a few extra bucks and the final season 8 with its massive 20 episodes screened over two years, and wrapped in October.

“There’s every possibility Fremantle leaked the news as a way of generating sentiment in order to secure a new broadcaster,” Knox speculates.

“It’s now a dream publicity story for any saviour who steps forward.”

Dennis was hoping for another 8000 episodes.

“People always ask me ‘what do you think is the secret of Neighbours’ success?’ to which my standard answer used to always be ‘well, if I knew the answer to that I’d know the secret of television and I wouldn’t be talking to you. I’d be sitting in my yacht in the Bahamas’,” he said at the time.

“I think the truth is one word and one word only and that’s entertainment. We take the audience on a rollercoaster of emotions pretty much every episode.”

It’s certainly been a rollercoaster this week. Here’s hoping a white knight joins forces with Fremantle – after all everybody needs good Neighbours.

Neighbours, Monday-Thursday, 6.30pm, 10 Peach