Neighbours

2008/9 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Television

Neighbours
Format	Soap opera
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	5380 (as of February 1, 2008)
Production
Executive producer(s)	Reg Watson Peter Pinne Don Battye Ian Bradley Stanley Walsh Riccardo Pellizzeri Susan Bower
Producer(s)	John Holmes Philip East Marie Trevor Tony McDonald Margaret Slarke Mark Callan Alan Coleman Dave Worthington Sally-Anne Kerr Peter Dodds
Running time	Approx 22 minutes per episode
Broadcast
Original channel	Seven Network (1985) Network Ten (1986 - Present)
Picture format	PAL ( March 18, 1985 - May 12, 2000) 576i ( SDTV) ( May 15, 2000 - December 14, 2007)) 1080i ( HDTV) ( January 14, 2008 - present)
Audio format	Stereo
Original run	March 18, 1985 – present
External links
Official website
IMDb profile
TV.com summary

Common rating
Australia	G

Neighbours is a multiple Logie Award-winning long-running Australian soap opera, which began its run in March 1985. 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. 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. 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 in Australia. Home and Away is broadcast there on the Seven Network at 7.00 p.m. Monday to Friday. As of 2004 Neighbours was regularly attracting just under a million viewers per episode, low for Australian prime time television. In 2007 Home and Away was averaging 1.5 million viewers in Australia to Neighbours' 700,000.

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. It is frequently the highest-rating daytime programme in the UK, outside of news bulletins.

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 were 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. In addition titles for individual episodes were ditched after being used for three years. Daniel Bennett, the new head of drama at Network Ten, announced that the crux of the Ramsay Street story would go "back to basics" and follow a less sensational path than of late with the emphasis on family relations and suburban reality. These changes came 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 18:30 slot. It was the first time the programme's viewing figures topped 1 million in 2007. Neighbours was also made available for viewers to watch online via Network Ten's website.

By the end of 2007 it was reported that producers had hoped the Neighbours revamp would push the ratings up to 900,000 to 1 million an episode. It had, however, resulted in a more modest boost, with ratings hovering at about 800,000 a night. The same viewing period had shown an increase in the ratings for Home and Away, which was now averaging 1.7 million viewers.

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 5.30pm in Sydney and at 6.30pm 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 7.00pm, and from 1992 they have broadcast the show at 18.30 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.

Repeat episodes of the series were broadcast between 2000 and 2003. The 1988-1991 episodes were shown in this run in the 3.30pm timeslot. The repeat run ceased in June 2003.

United Kingdom broadcasts

The show began broadcasting in the UK on Monday October 27, 1986 on BBC One, where it quickly gained a cult following.

The BBC originally screened the programme from 1.25pm to 1.50pm, before moving it to 1.50pm and later to 1.40pm, with a repeat the next morning at 10.00am. The repeat episode was moved to 5.35pm on 4 January 1988 by controller Michael Grade on the advice of his daughter. In 1994 during Wimbledon, it was shown at 7.00pm. In the late 1980s it regularly had a UK audience of over 18 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 the 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. On 26 November 2007 the afternoon showing of Neighbours was moved to 2.10pm..

Taking into account 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.

In April 2007, it was reported that ITV had made a bid of £80,000 per episode; an offer that valued Neighbours at over £20million a year. A contract between ITV and FremantleMedia was 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 was set to drop out of bidding for the show, after Fremantle raised the price to £100,000 per episode following a bidding competition between ITV and Five..

On 18 May, then 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 asking price of £300 million over eight years (three times the price currently paid by the BBC) and that it would end on BBC One during early 2008. The same day it was announced that RTL Media company Five had won the UK rights to broadcast the show.

On 1 December, the BBC confirmed that it would replace Neighbours with a new Sydney based soap from Southern Star Entertainment called Out of the Blue, of which it had ordered 130 episodes. From mid-November 2007, in anticipation of the loss of Neighbours, the BBC switched the internally produced soap Doctors to the post One O'Clock News slot schedule, and moved Neighbours to a later slot.

Neighbours will end on BBC One on 8 February 2008, with episode 5330, and will begin broadcasting on Five on 11 February 2008, with episode 5331. Five will not be allowed to repeat episode 5330 as the rights to this episode will remain with the BBC and UKTV Gold.

On 21 January 2008, Five confirmed that Neighbours will air from 1.45pm to 2.15pm and 5.30pm to 6.00pm each weekday and that an omnibus edition will be shown on Saturday afternoons from 12.30pm to 2.45pm , with a repeat airing the following day on digital channel Five Life. At the same time, it was confirmed that Weight Watchers would sponsor the programme on Five.

As of 11 February 2008, the UK remains 11 weeks behind the Australian broadcasts.

Other international broadcasts

Neighbours is also broadcast on Republic of Ireland TV network RTÉ at 1.55pm on RTÉ One, and repeated on RTÉ Two at 5.30pm. These episodes are at the same pace as the episodes shown on Five, but are not the Five version. RTÉ purchases the show directly from Australia and broadcasts the unedited Australian version with full closing credits.

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 anaemia 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 11.30am and 5.00pm. 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 3.50pm before reverting back to TV2 at 5.00pm.

Neighbours was also broadcast in Cyprus, on the PIK network.

Neighbours is broadcast in Belgium on the VRT at 5.30pm from Monday to Saturday. The show has been broadcast in Belgium since 1988; they are two years behind Australia. In Kenya, Neighbours is broadcast on the KTN network at 12.30pm, 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 broadcasted in the popular regional TV channel TV3 as Veïns from 1989 to the mid-1990s. In Germany, episodes from the years 1985 through 1989 ran on the SAT.1 daytime schedule from October 1989 to August 1993.

Cast

Current cast members

Actor	Character	Duration
Aaron Aulsebrook-Walker	Charlie Hoyland	2006-
Steve Bastoni	Steve Parker	2007-
Pippa Black	Elle Robinson	2005-
Natalie Blair	Carmella Cammeniti	2006- (2003-2005; recurring)
Carla Bonner	Stephanie Scully	1999-
Sam Clark	Ringo Brown	2007-
Nikki Coghill	Miranda Parker	2007-
Stefan Dennis	Paul Robinson	1985-1992, 2004- (1993; guest)
Alan Fletcher	Karl Kennedy	1994-
Jane Hall	Rebecca Napier	2007-
David Hoflin	Oliver Barnes	2007-
Ben Lawson	Frazer Yeats	2006-2008
Sarah May	Chloe Cammeniti	2008-
Eloise Mignon	Bridget Parker	2007-
Ryan Moloney	Toadfish Rebecchi	1996- (1995; recurring)
Daniel O'Connor	Ned Parker	2005-
Blake O'Leary	Ben Kirk	2007-
Fletcher O'Leary	Mickey Gannon	2007-
Tom Oliver	Lou Carpenter	1992- (1988; guest)
Jesse Rosenfeld	Marco Silvani	2007-
Natalie Saleeba	Rosetta Cammeniti	2006-2008
Ian Smith	Harold Bishop	1987-1991, 1996-2008 (recurring thereafter)
James Sorensen	Declan Napier	2007-
Caitlin Stasey	Rachel Kinski	2005-
Joan Sydney	Valda Sheergold	2007- (2002-2005; recurring)
Eliza Taylor-Cotter	Janae Timmins	2005-2008
Brett Tucker	Daniel Fitzgerald	2007- (1999-2000; recurring)
Kym Valentine	Libby Kennedy	1994-2003, 2004, 2007- (2005; guest)
Matthew Werkmeister	Zeke Kinski	2005-
Jackie Woodburne	Susan Kinski	1994-
Sweeney Young	Riley Parker	2007-

Recurring cast members

Actor	Character
Ben Anderson	Tim Collins
Nikola Dubois	Kirsten Gannon
Liam Hemsworth	Josh Taylor
Danielle Horvat	Taylah Jordan
Maria Mercedes	Lucia Cammeniti
Jonathan Wood	Angus Henderson
Petra Yared	Mia Silvani

Coming and going

Coming

Actor	Character	Status	Source
Dean Geyer	Ty Harper	Debuts March 2008
Janet Andrewartha	Lyn Scully	Returns April 2008
Erin McNaught	Sienna Cammeniti	Debuts April 2008
Imogen Bailey	Nicola West	Debuts May 2008
Georgina Andrews	Unknown	Debuts 2008
Simone Buchanan	Unknown	Debuts 2008

Going

Actor	Character	Status	Source
Eliza Taylor-Cotter	Janae Timmins	Exits February 8, 2008
Ian Smith	Harold Bishop	Exits March 2008; Recurring from July
Ben Lawson	Frazer Yeats	Exits April 2008
Natalie Saleeba	Rosetta Cammeniti	Exits April 2008

Notable cast members

Actor	Character	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
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
Daniel MacPherson	Joel Samuels	1998-2002
Holly Valance	Felicity Scully	1999-2002, 2005
Blair McDonough	Stuart Parker	2001-2006
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	Character	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
John Lee	Len Mangel	1994 (guest)	21 December 2000
June Salter	Bess Robinson	1985 (guest)	15 September 2001
Olivia Hamnett	Hilary Grant	1998 (guest)	November 2001
Gwen Plumb	Mrs. Forbes	1985 (guest)	5 June 2002
Stewart Adam	Aaron Barkley	2003-2004 (recurring)	21 June 2004
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

• 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 (2000-2001)
• 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)
• Shane Warne (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)
• Marcia Hines (2007)
• Damien Leith (2007)
• Ian "Dicko" Dickson (2008)

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)

The full closing theme of version one that was attached to Seven Network-commissioned episodes received a few edits following the # day #, # away #, # blend # and # friends # climaxes when it was shown on the BBC, but was left untouched in the rest of the world. When Network TEN episodes aired on the BBC the full uncut version was used.

When version one was released in 1988 as a single it charted at a peak position of #84 and remained in the chart for 5 weeks. This version contained the full closing theme and the last verse being repeated twice. The opening also featured a guitar section, as well as additional piano chords (which was also heard in 1990 often during the pre-titles episode recap)

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 with two primary instruments, a Harmonica and an Electric Piano, used in the first episode shown on Channel 7. 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 May 1992.

Version three used a jazzy, funky 23 second opening song until 1998 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 the show's 20th Anniversary episode broadcast, The song was reduced to an intrumental in the end credits so past characters who made cameos would be audible when they made parting messages.

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 29 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 outside of the United Kingdom 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. The BBC broadcasts similar closing credits but accompanied by the 29 second opening song in order to comply with its guidelines. For the 2008 season onwards, Australian TEN episodes were followed by a shorter 18 second instrumental arrangement of the new theme tune, accompanying shortened closing credits on Monday-Thursday episodes. Friday episodes transmit with the full closing. It is currently unknown whether international territories will adopt the shorter sequence for part of the week or retain the full theme.

A sombre piano version of theme is reserved to close episodes surrounding the death of long standing or original character. In the early years, it was often used for tender moments. This version accompanied a relevant photo montage during the closing credits, starting in 1992 with Todd Landers, in the episode after his death, and was used again for the deaths of Jim Robinson and Helen Daniels. Madge Bishop also received the sad theme tune over the regular 2000 season closing sequence. A montage of clips featuring Madge during her final year (since the show had started filming in 16:9 widescreen) were shown in the recap of the next episode.

Locations

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 Nunawading studios, used frequently by Fremantle (then Reg Grundy). External scenes of the building and its grounds have been used in several TV series, including Neighbours, but perhaps most notably as the fictional setting for Grundy's Prisoner. 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 used for outdoor taping to represent the fictional Ramsay Street. This location has been used since Neighbours began and is a popular tourist haunt. 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 2004, Libby Kennedy was seen travelling from Adelaide back to Melbourne, and she made reference to this fact when she bumped into Rocco Cammeniti in a country hospital. 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". Since the revamp episodes began airing in July 2007, several references have been made to the Parker family moving to Melbourne from Queensland. These episodes have also been presented with a new titles sequence which clearly makes use of the Melbourne city skyline and the Yarra River.

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 and Shepparton, and other real Australian locations such as 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 Releases

Neighbours: Defining Moments - Released: 2002 by Rajon Distribution and re-released 2007 by MRA Entertainment Group

Disc 1: 1986-1988

• Episode 295: Des and Daphne's wedding (1986)
• Episode 523: Scott and Charlene's wedding (1987)
• Episode 544: Daphne's baby (1987)
• Episode 690: Daphne's death (1988)
• Episode 724: Harold and Madge's wedding (1988)

Disc 2: 1991-2002

• Episode 1563: Christina's baby (1991)
• Episode 1721: Todd's death (1992)
• Episode 1904: Jim's death (1993)
• Episode 2068: Brad and Beth's wedding (1993)
• Episode 2290: Mark and Annalise's wedding (1994)
• Episode 2965: Helen's death (1997)
• Episode 3708: Libby and Drew's wedding (2001)
• Episode 3740: Madge's death (2001)
• Episode 3920 and 3921: Libby's baby (2001 series finale and 2002 series premiere combined)

Neighbours: The Iconic Episodes: Volume 1 - Released: September 2007 by Shock Records

Disc 1: 1985-1989

• Episode 1: Very first episode broadcast by Channel Seven - Des's Bachelor Party (1985)
• Episode 171: First episode on Ten - Madge's, Mike's & Zoe's arrival (1986)
• Episode 415: Harold's arrival (1987)
• Episode 449: Ramsay St. Olympics (1987)
• Episode 856: Naked Henry episode (1988)
• Episode 1000: Milestone episode (1989)
  • Special Celebration footage: 1000th episode party - 45 minute programme (1989)

Disc 2: 1990-1997

• Episode 1285: Joe Mangel's life torn apart - Kerry shot (1990)
• Episode 1286: Kerry dies (1990)
• Episode 1520: Harold goes missing (1991)
• Episode 1521: Search for Harold (1991)
• Episode 1949: Waterhole explodes (1993)
• Episode 1950: Waterhole explosion aftermath (1993)
• Episode 2251: Kennedys move in (1994)
• Episode 2995: Karl kisses Sarah / Ben's car crash (1997)

Disc 3: 1998-2004

• Episode 2996: Ben survives (1998)
• Episode 3418: Scullys move into the Martins' old place (1999)
• Episode 3419: Scullys unpack (1999)
• Episode 4007: Marc and Stephanie's wedding (2002)
• Episode 4008: Flick breaks up Marc and Stephanie's wedding (2002)
• Episode 4292: Dee and Toadie's wedding ends tragically (2003)
• Episode 4293: Toadie's nightmare continues (2003)
• Episode 4500: Toadie finally moves on from Dee (2004)

Neighbours: The Iconic Episodes: Volume 2 - Released: October 2007 by Shock Records

Disc 1: Fires: 1992-2005

• Episode 1825: Fire Behind Lassiter's (1992)
• Episode 1826: Escape (1993)
• Episode 3444: Getting Ready For End Of Millennium (1999)
• Episode 3445: Finale To 1999 - Scullys' Fire (1999)
• Episode 3446: Fire Still Burning (2000)
• Episode 4630: Lassiter's On Fire (2004)
• Episode 4631: Still Burning (2005)
• Episode 4632: Aftermath (2005)

Disc 2: Scott and Charlene: 1986-1987

• Episode 234: Scott & Charlene's First Meeting (1986)
• Episode 265: Scott & Charlene Almost Have Sex Episode In Hotel Room (1986)
• Episode 391: Mike, Scott & Paul's Car Crash (1986)
• Episode 392: Mike, Scott & Paul's Car Crash Aftermath (1986)
• Episode 400: 1986 Finale, Dream Sequence (1986)
• Episode 417: Charlene On Beach In Bikini Episode (1987)
• Episode 508: Scott Proposes To Charlene (1987)
• Episode 523: Scott & Charlene's Wedding (1987)

Disc 3: Fan Faves: 1988-2001

• Episode 776: Departure Of Charlene - Part 1 (1988)
• Episode 777: Departure Of Charlene - Part 2 (1988)
• Episode 2000: Milestone Episode, Helen's Birthday (1993)
• Episode 2240: Murder Mystery Weekend (1994)
• Episode 2710: Cheryl Stark Killed In Accident (1996)
• Episode 2733: Harold Reappears (1996)
• Episode 3670: Romance Between Joel & Flick Kicks Off (2000)
• Episode 3671: Joe Delivers Baby In Bush (2000)

Awards

The programme is the third most successful series in the history of the Logie Awards, having won 22 Logies. It sits behind Home and Away (27 Logies) and Blue Heelers (25 Logies). 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)