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.
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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.
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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.
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“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
Johnny Marr denies Morrissey’s claims about obtaining ‘100%’ of The Smiths trademark
Danny Jones
Johnny Marr has come out to deny the claims made by former bandmate Morrissey that he now controls “100%” of the rights to The Smiths trademark and intellectual property.
In case you missed it, earlier this week Morrissey came out with a statement detailing how Marr had recently obtained “100% trademark rights/intellectual property” and can now tour without him.
Fans were already enjoying drumming up suggestions for singers who could take the iconic frontman’s place on stage but don’t get too carried away, as the former lead guitarist has already come out to refute the allegations.
As per a lengthy statement on his social media accounts, Marr not only rubbishes the rumours that any temporary singer or plans to tour are on the cards but explains that ownership of The Smiths right is still shared with Morrissey – he just simply hasn’t signed a document yet.
A spokesperson for Marr writes: “In 2018, following an attempt by a third party to use the Smiths’ name – and upon discovery that the trademark was not owned by the band – Marr reached out to Morrissey, via his representatives, to work together in protecting the Smiths’ name.
“A failure to respond led Marr to register the trademark himself. It was subsequently agreed with Morrissey’s lawyers that this trademark was held for the mutual benefit of Morrissey and Marr.
As a gesture of goodwill, in January 2024, Marr signed an assignment of joint ownership to Morrissey. Execution of this document still requires Morrissey to sign.”
Responding personally via his representation, the 60-year-old added: “To prevent third parties from profiting from the band’s name, it was left to me to protect the legacy. This I have done on behalf of both myself and my former bandmates.”
He also cleared up more claims made by Morrissey, who said the pair had both been met with a potential and ‘lucrative’ deal to tour together as The Smiths once again, to which Marr has now clarified: “I didn’t ignore the offer; I said no.” At the risk of pointing out the obvious by the way…
hate to break it to Morrissey but Marr has been doing this for years already https://t.co/FL6cGGTZO4
So no, while it might have been registered by Marr and his team, he doesn’t own all of the rights to The Smiths; in actuality, it looks as though the Manchester music legend took steps to make sure that both he and Morrissey maintained shared ownership.
Presuming this response clears up all the speculation surrounding the trademark, the 65-year-old could seemingly have avoided all of this by simply giving his signature and completing the document.
Put it this way, if you were somehow holding out hope for an Oasis AND a Smiths reunion, we wouldn’t hold our breaths…
Manchester City is looking for ‘diehard fans’ to be part of a new documentary series
Emily Sergeant
Manchester City is looking for some diehard fans to be part of a new documentary series by sharing their love for the club.
The Sky Blues are no stranger to a documentary, having had several successful series and feature-length shows air on Amazon Prime, Netflix, and the club’s own online TV platform CITY+, over the past couple of years – drawing in millions of viewers across the globe each time.
But now, it sounds like there’s another one in the works… and you could be a part of it.
The football club is looking for families with four generations of supporters to share their special memories of following Manchester City down the years.
📣 We’re looking for diehard fans to share their special City memories for an exciting new documentary series!
On top of this, the club is also keen to find fan videos that can help take documentary viewers into the stands from a City fan’s perspective, and is asking that people get in touch and send footage that they’ve taken of some of the club’s most famous moments from over the years – including reactions to Sergio Aguero’s famous goal against QPR in 2012, and the Treble-winning season.
Footage could also be submitted from other important milestones such as the 1999 play off final, or from things like random away days in the 1980s, or even City-themed kids’ birthday parties from the 1950s, 60s, and 70s.
No matter whether the footage was taken on a mobile phone, old-school video camera, or something similar, it could come in useful.
Manchester City is looking for ‘diehard fans’ to be part of a new documentary series / Credit: Manchester City
The only condition is that all footage submitted by fans must be their own, and not recordings from commercial media, or copied from YouTube or any other media/social media outlets.
Keen to be a part of the production then?
If you would like you and your family to be considered for the documentary, then you can email [email protected] with your details and stories about supporting City.
Emily Sergeant -
17th November 2022 
