Neighbours has been saved and is all set to make a grand return with a brand-new series on Amazon next year.
Well that didn’t take long, did it?
Fans were left devastated after the iconic Australian soap – which is famously set on the cul-de-sac Ramsay Street in the fictional Melbourne suburb of Erinsborough, and first appeared on UK television screens all the way back in 1986 – officially ended back in July after production was ceased following 37 years.
Almost 9,000 episodes of the beloved show were aired over nearly four decades, but the show was controversially axed by Channel 5 earlier this year after funding was pulled.
The final episode of the soap – or so we all thought – aired on 28 July 2022.
ADVERTISEMENT
In what was a highly-publicised and headline-grabbing moment, the final Neighbours episode featured guest appearances from Kylie Minogue, Guy Pearce, Jason Donovan, and Margot Robbie – who all famously kick-started their careers by starring in the show over the years.
#Neighbours will be available on @AmazonFreevee in the UK and US and will return to @channel10au in Australia. We can’t thank you all enough for your love and support and are so excited for this new adventure! 🧡
Over 4.2 million people tuned into the final episode of the show, with viewers taking to social media in their thousands to share their heartbreak at the end of an era.
ADVERTISEMENT
But now, less than four months after we all thought it was gone for good, the Australian soap has found a new home on Amazon’s AVOD service Freevee and will be back with a new series – with the show to begin shooting down under in 2023, and air in the second half of next year.
Premiering exclusively for free on Amazon Freevee in the UK and US – which will also include streaming rights to thousands of episodes from the previous seasons, all available to watch prior to the new series’ premiere – the new series is set to be a continuation of where it left off after the finale, and will still follow the lives, loves, and challenges of the residents on Ramsay Street.
Stefan Dennis, Alan Fletcher, Ryan Moloney, and Jackie Woodburne have all been confirmed to make a return to reprise their leading roles.
ADVERTISEMENT
“Neighbours has captivated its audience for nearly 40 years,” explained Lauren Anderson – head of AVOD original content and programming for Amazon Studios.
“It built a dedicated and loyal following for the lives and stories of the characters on Ramsay Street.
“With the power of streaming, we’re able to offer a catalogue of thousands of ‘Neighbours’ episodes for new audiences to discover this legendary series and current fans to relive their favourite moments [and] we look forward to immersing the audience in new Ramsay Street experiences when we relaunch the show next year for Amazon Freevee and Prime Video customers.”
Featured Image – Channel 5
TV & Showbiz
Channel 4 is looking for Mancs who think they can survive the apocalypse for a new TV series
Lydia Mastrolonardo
Have you always wanted to see how long you’d last in an apocalypse?
Well now’s your chance, as Apocalypse is potentially coming back to Channel 4 for a second series, with producers having put out a nationwide casting call for contestants willing to take part.
The casting call simply reads: “Do you think you have what it takes to survive the end of the world?”
Described as a dystopian series designed to test the creativity, resourcefulness, and resilience of our nation, Apocalypse sees players are pushed out of their comfort zones and put to the ultimate test.
In the series, ordinary people are tasked with surviving for 28 days in an abandoned city – used previously only for the military to practice urban warfare – with no food, running water, electricity or heat.
Produced by The Garden – which is part of ITV Studios – for Channel 4, the show’s creators are now calling on Mancs and people up and down the country with the ‘courage and ingenuity’ to compete, to get in touch and apply for the potential second series.
Does your mate always bang on after watching a post-apocalyptic film that they would’ve done things differently? Or is the news at the moment freaking you out and you want to give the end of the world a bit of a practice run? Either way, sign up, test that plan you’ve built in your head, and see if you’ve really got what it takes.
Applications are now open, and all you need to do is fill in a short application form and one of the production team will get back to you if they would like to proceed. Come on, let’s prove what Mancs are made of.
Iconic Manc movie 24 Hour Party People is set to return to cinemas for its anniversary
Emily Sergeant
One of Manchester’s most iconic movies is set to return to the big screen next month.
Remastered in 4K and returning to UK cinemas to mark 24 years since its original release, Michael Winterbottom’s 2002 biographical comedy drama film, 24 Hour Party People, tells the story of Manchester‘s popular music community from 1976 to 1992 – specifically about Factory Records‘ founder Tony Wilson.
The film begins with the punk rock era of the late 1970s, before moving through the 1980s into the rave and DJ culture, and of course, the ‘Madchester‘ scene of the late 1980s and early 1990s.
The narrative largely follows the career of Tony Wilson, played by Middleton-born actor Steve Coogan, while also covering the careers of the major Factory Records artists – especially Joy Division and New Order, as well as A Certain Ratio, The Durutti Column, and Happy Mondays.
If you haven’t seen 24 Hour Party People before, it’s a dramatisation based on a combination of real events, rumours, and urban legends, as the film is sure to make clear.
Coogan is joined by a cast by a mixture of big names and, at the time, rising stars like Paddy Considine, Shirley Henderson, Lennie James, John Simm, Ralf Little, Andy Serkis, Sean Harris, John Thomson, and even Peter Kay, alongside cameos from other figures connected to the Manchester music scene.
Before it returns to cinemas, the film will first open music and media festival/conference, Beyond The Music, at MediaCity in Salford on 6 October.
The screening at the festival will also be followed by a Q&A with Coogan, Winterbottom, and producer Andrew Eaton.
24 Hour Party People will then be re-released in UK cinemas from 9 October, and you can check your local cinema for screening times and book tickets online now.
Emily Sergeant -
17th November 2022 
