Campaigner urges Broadcasters to keep 'Neighbours'

David Barton outside Ramsay St in Melbourne, Australia

Written by David Barton

A prominent campaigner is urging UK TV Broadcasters to create a contract with Fremantle to enable the continued airing of long-running hit TV Show- Neighbours.

Neighbours is an Australian television serial drama that was first broadcast on the Channel Seven Network in 1985. It was created by television executive Reg Watson and later broadcast by Channel Ten for a second production season, which began screening in 1986 and continues to operate presently under 10 Peach- Network Ten. Neighbours has since become the longest-running drama series in Australian television, with a huge core of its fanbase based in the UK.

The stories focus on the lives of the people who live and work in Erinsborough- a fictional suburb of Melbourne, Victoria. The weekday drama depicts the daily activities of the residents of Ramsay Street, a quiet suburban street and the local area. This includes the Lassiters complex, comprising a Public House, Hotel, Café, Police Station, Solicitor’s Office, Boardwalk and Park.

Although beginning with three families- the Ramsays, the Robinsons and the Clarkes, the Programme has continued to grow with many more characters over the passage of time. It has often provided famous cameos and references of the time, accounting for cultural changes along the way. The 22-minute serial features twice a day at 1:45pm and the new time of 6pm Monday to Friday with the addition of Online Content since the 2010s on Channel 5.

The show is produced by Fremantle Australia and has been sold to over sixty countries around the world, making it one of Australia's most successful media exports. Neighbours was first broadcast in the UK in 1986 on BBC One and moved to Channel 5 in 2008. In 2018, the show became the first Australian drama to air all year round bringing another record for the Programme.

David Barton- a local Campaigner for Placemaking and Traditional Vernacular Architecture has chosen to raise this topic given the urgency of locating a (new) Broadcaster as soon as possible for the Programme to continue being filmed and screened. He affirms that the Programme has been a key community driver in his own work across Sefton and has noted the parallel positive and constructive message adopted and frequently emphasised in the Stories.

Mr. Barton says: “Neighbours is an inter-generational masterpiece that has and continues to support so many different people during the bright and dark times of their lives with its relatable storytelling techniques.”

He says: “As a matter of historical value, the fact that this Programme has managed to chronicle the daily lives of people and their families from the 1980s through to the 2020s demonstrates a key reason why Neighbours besides its strong ambassadorial position to Australia should be supported and allowed to keep airing indefinitely.”

“Having watched the Show, myself from infancy back in 1994 to the present, I can personally vouch for the useful narrative provided in each episode. This has immeasurably helped raise awareness of not just the standard every day issues, but also the more esoteric and subtle matters where the average person could not simply draw parallels elsewhere on TV.”

“At this time, I’d like to actively encourage all UK Broadcasters, Channel 5 and the BBC inclusive to seriously consider the importance of what this TV Programme means for so many people based in the UK alone, notwithstanding the stellar acting talents of so many wonderful actors and actresses who are proactively helping others combat the more challenging everyday situations in their daily lives.”

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