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Neighbours

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Television

                      Neighbours
   Neighbours current title card
           Genre         Soap opera
        Created by       Reg Watson
         Starring        See Cast section below
   Theme music composer  Tony Hatch Theme music
                         Jackie Trent Lyrics
     Country of origin   Flag of Australia Australia
      No. of episodes    5211 (as of May 14, 2007)
                      Production
        Produced by      John Holmes
                         Tony MacDonald
                         Marie Trevor
                         Mark Callan
                         Dave Worthington
                         Sally Anne Kerr
                         Peter Dodds
   Executive producer(s) Reg Watson
                         Don Battye
                         Ian Bradley
                         Stanley Walsh
                         Riccardo Pellizzeri
       Running time      22 min
                      Broadcast
     Original channel    Channel Seven (1985)
                         Channel Ten (1986-)
      Picture format     4:3 ( 1985 - 2000)
                         16:9 ( 2000 - Present)
       Original run      March 18, 1985 – Present
                        Links
                   Official website
                     IMDb profile
                    TV.com summary
   Common rating
   Australia G

   Neighbours is a long-running Australian soap opera, which began airing
   in March 1985. It was created by Reg Watson and was produced by the Reg
   Grundy Organisation until the end of 2006. As of 2007, the Reg Grundy
   Organisation and Crackerjack Productions were merged to become
   FremantleMedia Australia, who are now producing Neighbours. Neighbours
   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. 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 children and teenagers
   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.
   Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

History and popularity

   Through its entire run, Neighbours has screened as five 22-minute
   (excluding commercial breaks) episodes a week, shown each weeknight in
   an early-evening slot. The 1985 season aired 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; since 1992
   Network Ten have broadcast the show at 6:30 p.m.

   The series originally aired on the Seven Network in 1985, but -
   unusually for an Australian-produced series - switched networks, moving
   to Network Ten in 1986 after being cancelled by Channel Seven.

   In 1985, 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. H&A, which airs at 7.00 p.m. Monday to Friday in
   Australia, averages 1.2 million viewers there a night. 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
   between around five million viewers between its two showings.

2007 revamp

   In 2007, it was decided that Neighbours should be revamped in order to
   attract higher ratings. This would include filming the show in HDTV,
   add a new family to the show, and feature a new version of the show's
   familiar theme song. It has been said that the quality of storylines
   should also change. As well as many cast members departing, many new
   characters will be introduced, including the new family. These changes
   will come into effect over several months, although latest rumours
   suggest the new theme music and graphics package could debut in
   September.

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 aired 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 aired the
   show at 6:30 p.m. Neighbours is on air for approximately 49 weeks per
   year. It airs from early January to late December, and goes off air for
   three weeks during the Christmas/New Year break.

United Kingdom broadcasts

   The show is popular in the United Kingdom where it quickly gained a
   cult following after it began airing there on October 27, 1986. BBC One
   began by screening it 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 the current 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. by controller Michael Grade on the advice
   of his daughter. In the mid 1990s 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 over the summer in
   Australia, for periods of between 2 and 5 weeks, whilst the series
   originally aired 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 and Bank Holidays.

   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 imports, rating higher than US
   programmes such as Desperate Housewives and Lost. Rumours are currently
   circulating that the BBC plans to give 'first-look' Neighbours on the
   broadcaster's digital channel BBC Three in order to boost that
   channel's ratings. Most likely, the episode following BBC One's most
   recent broadcast will be shown after 7 p.m. However, the episode could
   even be up-to-date with the Australian episodes.

   The BBC have confirmed that they are committed to keeping this show
   when the current contract expires, if the price is right, despite
   interest from both Five and ITV. In April 2007, it was reported that
   ITV 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 had dropped out of bidding for
   the show, after Fremantle raised the price to £100,000 per episode.
   Competition between ITV and Five could lead to the winner paying up to
   £104 million over four years for the rights to air the show. A
   spokesperson from the BBC later confirmed this was untrue and
   negotiations are still underway.

Other international broadcasts

   It also airs 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 also about three months behind the
   Australian network. If the contract with Five or ITV fails and
   Neighbours is taken off in Great Britain, most viewers in Northern
   Ireland (United Kingdom) will still be able to view the soap opera on
   the Irish TV station RTÉ Two as most people in Northern Ireland can
   watch the show on both British BBC one and Irish RTÉ Two TV channels.
   Sky satelite viewers throughout Ireland (Northern & Republic) can
   receive all three RTÉ stations.

   The show has also been sold to television networks in many other
   countries. Episodes from 1999 were aired for a six-week trial basis on
   the American channel Oxygen in March of 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 airing; 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 aired 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 aired 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 aired 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 aired by Television New Zealand and screens twice
   daily at 11:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. It was initially aired 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
   aired 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 aired 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 airs 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
   aired in Barbados on CBC8, Monday to Friday. They are approximately
   four years behind Australia

Storylines

   In the beginning, the show mainly focused on two families, the
   Robinsons and the Ramsays (after whom "Ramsay Street" is named) who
   were - as the name of the show suggests - neighbours. The show
   initially gained notoriety for its depiction of the teenage romance of
   Scott Robinson and Charlene Mitchell (played by Jason Donovan and Kylie
   Minogue respectively). Their Romeo and Juliet-style romance culminated
   in a wedding that was keenly anticipated by viewers and is still fondly
   regarded by fans as being one of the high points of the series. Another
   popular couple in the show's early days was the pairing of Des Clarke (
   Paul Keane) and Daphne Lawrence ( Elaine Smith), a couple who also
   lived on Ramsay Street alongside the Ramsays and the Robinsons.
   Daphne's death in 1988 is still considered as one of the most emotional
   moments on the show. Daphne's final words were the croaked 'I love you,
   Clarkey'. It was the first death of a main character.

   Until recently, both the Ramsays and the Robinsons had been written out
   of the series, with the sole exception of the Bishop family, who are
   related to the Ramsays through the marriage of Harold Bishop ( Ian
   Smith) to the late Madge Ramsay ( Anne Charleston). However, one of the
   original cast members, Stefan Dennis, made a return to his signature
   role as Paul Robinson as a regular in the final episode of 2004. Today
   the show revolves around the Robinson, Hoyland, Timmins, Bishop,
   Cammeniti, Brown/Yeats and Kennedy/Kinski families, along with several
   other residents who live in Ramsay Street.

   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). In
   the past two years, this has started to change, with the show now
   regularly featuring its teenage characters 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. There were also two borderline incest storylines; the first
   saw Lucy Robinson (Melissa Bell) in a relationship with her half
   brother Glen ( Richard Huggett) - whom her dad had fathered during the
   Vietnam War - despite both knowing that they were related. They ended
   things however, as they knew they should act like brother and sister.
   The second involved Serena Bishop ( Lara Sacher) and Luka Dokich
   (Keelan O'Hehir), who embarked on an intimate relationship, blissfully
   ignorant of the fact that they were half-siblings, sharing a mother,
   Liljana Bishop ( Marcella Russo). The character of Sindi Parker (
   Marisa Warrington) was also involved in storylines involving stripping
   and prostitution. More recently, there have been 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.

   The break up of long time married couples Karl and Susan Kennedy ( Alan
   Fletcher and Jackie Woodburne respectively) and soon after Joe ( Shane
   Connor) and Lyn Scully ( Janet Andrewartha) has also been a great
   source of interest to viewers, especially since it has led to a long
   running storyline in which 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 one of Neighbours' most popular and
   dramatic storylines (as part of Neighbours' 20th anniversary) where a
   large contingent of Ramsay Street regulars went on a joyflight on a
   Douglas DC-3 aircraft over Bass Strait. A time bomb had also 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 residents were
   rescued, but David ( Kevin Harrington), Liljana and Serena Bishop were
   missing and presumed dead, except David who's body was found. This
   storyline started to introduce Paul Robinson's son Robert, who planted
   the bomb on the plane to try and kill his father, and his comatose twin
   brother Cameron (both played by Adam Hunter), who were introduced in
   early 2006. This storyline was resolved in 2006 when it was revealed
   that Robert planted the bomb as a start to a long line of plans to kill
   him, his sister Elle ( Pippa Black) and Izzy.

   The 2006 season was marked as a highly controversial year due to the
   number of highly dramatic storylines, as well as the introduction of
   many villains, such as Paul's son Robert, which made a long-running
   storyline where Robert was scheming to kill Paul after failing on the
   plane crash. This story also triggered many other events such as Max
   Hoyland ( Stephen Lovatt) been driven insane after he accidentally
   killed Cameron in September 2006, thinking that it was Robert, leading
   to Max leaving the show until February 2007. The one other main villain
   in 2006 was Guy Sykes ( Fletcher Humphrys), an old acquaintance of
   Katya Kinski (who was heavily involved in the Robert/Cameron
   storyline). This led to Katya been shot and arrested after being
   blackmailed by Guy. The 2006 finale week marked the wedding of Paul and
   Lyn Scully, however she broke up with him hours after the wedding after
   Paul told Lyn that he cheated on her. She left the show after seven
   years on Neighbours.

   The 2007 season saw the third wedding of Karl and Susan Kennedy in
   London. This story also saw the re-introduction of Isabelle Hoyland,
   who had left the show pregnant with Karl's baby (unknown to Karl and
   Susan) in 2006. She fell into labour at their wedding, though she never
   confessed the truth to them. Karl and Susan left London, with Susan
   knowing the knowledge of the baby's father, as she heard Izzy telling
   her new boyfriend Pete Gartside ( Daniel Schutzmann) 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.

Cast

Current cast members

            Actor                 Role                   Status
   Aaron Aulsebrook-Walker Charlie Hoyland    2006-
   Pippa Black             Elle Robinson      2005-
   Natalie Blair           Carmella Cammeniti 2003-2005 (recurring); 2006-
   Carla Bonner            Stephanie Hoyland  1999-
   Sam Clark               Ringo Brown        2007-
   Stefan Dennis           Paul Robinson      1985-1993, 2004-
   Nell Feeney             Janelle Timmins    2004 (guest); 2005-2007
   Alan Fletcher           Karl Kennedy       1994-
   Claudine Henningsen     Kerry Mangel       2006-2007
   David Hoflin            Oliver Barnes      2007-
   Adelaide Kane           Lolly Allen        (#3) 2007
   Ben Lawson              Frazer Yeats       2006-
   Kyal Marsh              Boyd Hoyland       2002-2007
   Stephanie McIntosh      Sky Mangel         (#2) 2003-2007
   Ryan Moloney            Toadfish Rebecchi  1995 (recurring); 1996-
   Daniel O'Connor         Ned Parker         2005-
   Tom Oliver              Lou Carpenter      1988 (guest); 1992-
   Natalie Saleeba         Rosetta Cammeniti  2006-
   Sianoa Smit-McPhee      Bree Timmins       2005-2007
   Ian Smith               Harold Bishop      1987-1991; 1996-
   Caitlin Stasey          Rachel Kinski      2005-
   Eliza Taylor-Cotter     Janae Hoyland      2005-
   Matthew Werkmeister     Zeke Kinski        2005-
   Nicky Whelan            Pepper Steiger     2006-
   Jackie Woodburne        Susan Kennedy      1994-

Recurring cast members

       Actor           Role
   Rachel Gordon  Charlotte Stone
   Andrew Larkins Tom Scully
   Zen Ledden     Kevin Casey
   Tim Phillips   Fox
   Rowena Wallace Mary Casey

Coming and going cast members

   Coming
        Actor            Role                Status
   Benjamin Hart    Adam Rhodes     Debuts May 2007
   Penny Cook       Prue Brown      Debuts June 2007
   Jane Hall        Unknown         Debuts June 2007
   Fletcher O'Leary Mickey          Debuts June 2007
   Steve Bastoni    Unknown         Debuts July 2007
   Nikki Coghill    Unknown         Debuts July 2007
   Eloise Mignon    Unknown         Debuts August 2007
   Sweeney Young    Unknown         Debuts August 2007
   Maria Mercedes   Lucia Cammeniti Temp. returns 7 June 2007
   Fiona Corke      Gail Robinson   Temp. Returns 2007

   Going
          Actor             Role            Status
   Adelaide Kane       Lolly Allen     Exits May 2007
   Nell Feeney         Janelle Timmins Exits July 2007
   Sianoa Smit-McPhee  Bree Timmins    Exits July 2007
   Kyal Marsh          Boyd Hoyland    Exits August 2007
   Stephanie McIntosh  Sky Mangel      Exits August 2007
   Claudine Henningsen Kerry Mangel    Exits August 2007

Before they were stars

            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
   Nathan Phillips          John 'Teabag' Teasdale 1999
   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                  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

Shane Connor's sacking

   After being fired from the series in 2003, former cast member Shane
   Connor (who played character 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

     * Warwick Capper as himself (1986)
     * Molly Meldrum as himself (1986)
     * Grant Kenny as himself (1986)
     * Derek Nimmo as Lord Ledgerwood (1990)
     * Darryl Cotton as himself (1990)
     * Mike Whitney as himself (1994)
     * Chris Lowe of The Pet Shop Boys (1995)
     * John Hinde as himself (1995)
     * Iain Hewitson as himself (1995)
     * Clive James as a postman (1996)
     * Barry Sheene as himself (1997)
     * Dave Graney as himself (1998)
     * Robert DiPierdomenico as himself (1999)
     * Peter Chapman as himself (1999)
     * Human Nature as themselves (2000)
     * The Wiggles (2001)
     * Glenn Wheatley as himself (2002)
     * Jude Bolton as himself (2002)
     * Brett Kirk as himself (2002)
     * Karl Kruszelnicki as himself (2004)
     * Shane Warne as himself (2006)
     * Rove McManus as himself (2006)
     * Brodie Holland as himself (2006)
     * Andrew G as himself (2007)
     * Emma Bunton as herself (2007)
     * Michael Parkinson as himself (2007)
     * Julian Clary (2007)
     * Neil Morrissey as a priest(2007)
     * Terry Nutkins (2007)
     * Jo Whiley (2007)
     * Jonathan Coleman (2007)
     * Sinitta (2007)
     * Matt Lucas (2007)
     * David Walliams (2007)
     * Daryl Braithwaite (2007)
     * David Spade as himself (2007)

   Spoilers end here.

Theme

   The Neighbours theme music was written by Tony Hatch with lyrics by his
   then wife, Jackie Trent. Since 1985 there have been five 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-present)

   Each version has received during its stint some minor changes to keep
   it 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 an unedited
   version.

   The opening theme of version two changed frequently: for part of 1990
   there was a full length song, however, mid-way through 1990 this
   changed to a 10-second instrumental piece used in episode 1 for a few
   weeks, before being replaced by a vocal version of the same short piece
   until version three debuted in mid-1992.

   Version three used a funky 23 second opening song until 1994 when a
   slightly longer piece was implemented. This piece was used as a closing
   theme for United Kingdom broadcasts from 1995 onwards, despite the
   original full version being retained in Australia.

   Version four debuted in 1999, again with a shortened theme for UK
   transmission. The only changes made to the full-length closing theme
   during this era was the removal of the backing line "that's when good"
   from mid-2000 onwards, although this remained outside of Australia.

   Version five again used a shorter piece of closing music for the UK
   market, with the rest of the world using the same 76 second variant.

   During 2005, producers of the programme suggested there would be a new
   theme tune the following year with new opening titles to match. New
   titles, and a slightly remixed theme tune debuted the following year.
   All markets began transmitting the same 45 second edited version of the
   closing theme (UK broadcasts retained the previous 35 second
   arrangement for a few weeks). However, by mid-2006, the UK had received
   a slightly edited version of the new closing bringing it back in line
   with the 35 seconds allowed by the BBC, whilst Australia had gone back
   to a near-full length track, albeit with minor edits at various
   sections to keep running time to a minimum. The opening theme has
   remained unchanged throughout this run.

   Several articles in the international press have hinted at there being
   a new version of the theme tune which will likely debut in September
   2007 as part of a revamp of the show.

Locations

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

   Neighbours is taped in Melbourne. Interior scenes are taped at the
   Global Television studios in Nunawading, 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
   has been used for outdoor taping to represent the fictional Ramsay
   Street through the programme's entire run, including the episodes
   produced by the Seven Network.

   In the story Ramsay Street is situated in the fictional suburb of
   Erinsborough. Throughout most of the series' run it has not
   particularly been implied which city of Australia the suburb was set
   in. Occasionally, however, evidence appears on screen and in dialogue
   that suggests that Erinsborough is a suburb of Melbourne. In 1997 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 in Melbourne), there have also been several
   guest appearances by AFL players, and Melbourne landmarks and features
   can be identified in some scenes outside of Ramsay Street.

   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 aired in Australia during the
   weeks commencing 19 and 26 March 2007 and will be broadcast in the UK
   approximately around 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, Michael Parkinson, Jonathan Coleman and Sinitta.

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)

   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neighbours"
   This reference article is mainly selected from the English Wikipedia
   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
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