Neighbours cast awaiting production start date and storyline details

The Neighbours cast are still waiting to receive details about the show’s return date and storyline.

Alan Fletcher, who plays the character of Karl Kennedy on the soap, told TV Tonight on Thursday the cast ‘know nothing’ so far.

‘All I know is what has been announced in the media. Everyone’s very tight-lipped about the future for the show,’ he said.

‘The task is so large, that they just have to step by step work their way through that. So we haven’t got specific deadlines on anything at the moment that we’re aware of.’

He confirmed the show will begin filming ‘reasonably soon’ and Neighbours should be back on screens by the end of this year.

Neighbours cast are ‘still awaiting production start date and storyline details’ as revival sees 11 cast members return

The series will air for free on Amazon Freevee in the UK and US and will include streaming rights to thousands of episodes from previous seasons. The series will stream on Prime Video in Australia, New Zealand, and Canada.

The continuation of the long-running soap series follows the finale in 2022, which was watched by millions of adoring fans.

Annie Jones (as Jane Harris), Rebekah Elmaloglou (as Terese Willis), Georgie Stone (as Mackenzie Hargreaves), and Tim Kano (as Leo Tanaka) will reprise their roles as series regulars, after the show was axed by Australia’s Network 10 last July.

Returning in guest roles are Ian Smith (as Harold Bishop), April Rose Pengilly (as Chloe Brennan), and Melissa Bell (as Lucy Robinson).

They will be joined by Neighbours icons Stefan Dennis, Ryan Moloney, and Jackie Woodburne.

Alan Fletcher (pictured), who plays the character of Karl Kennedy on the soap, told TV Tonight on Thursday the cast ‘know nothing’ so far

Lauren Anderson, head of AVOD original content and programming, Amazon Studios, recently said: ‘Neighbours has captivated its audience for nearly 40 years, building 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.

‘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.’

However, the beloved series is reportedly unlikely to return as a daily programme as it previously was during its impressive 37-year run.

The series will air for free on Amazon Freevee in the UK and US and will include streaming rights to thousands of episodes from previous seasons. The series will stream on Prime Video in Australia, New Zealand, and Canada

A source previously told The Sun: ‘Fans loved the fact that Neighbours was a soap which was served up on a constant, regular basis — they couldn’t get enough of it.

‘And the fact that it was always aired each weekday during its 37-year run was one of the reasons it was special in the minds of devotees.

‘So while they’ll rejoice at the news of the revival, they might yet be disappointed by what form it takes.’

After the announcement, fans went wild for the happy news, taking to Twitter to express their joy.

They wrote: ‘OMG OMG OMG everyone, this is the best thing that’s happened this year!!’

‘Crikey. Amazon has picked up Neighbours? Astonishing.’

‘Obsessed by the idea that Amazon are putting 37 years of Neighbours episodes on Prime. Some absolute legend out there will sit and binge them all.’

‘I literally can’t believe it am ecstatic so happy for the cast and crew and most of all us the fans #neighbours #neighboursforever I’ve missed it so much.’

Others were not as happy and wrote: ‘Just let it die.’

‘Neighbours is starting again. oh no.’

Tim Kano (Leo Tanaka) will reprise his roles as a series regular, after the show was axed by Australia’s Network 10 last July. Melissa Bell (Lucy Robinson) will return in a guest role

Neighbours’ final ever episode ended on a high in July, as a peak of almost 3 million UK viewers tuned in to Channel 5.

UK fans got to see the last instalment – featuring the return of Kylie Minogue Jason Donovan and Guy Pearce that month- with Australian fans tuning in the day before.

And while the extended special was a hit over here, down under it was a runaway success, with the episode winning the television ratings for the first time in more than a decade.

Overnight UK ratings show Neighbours attracted an average of 2.6 million viewers, with the episode hitting a peak of 2.9 million.

The last hurrah garnered an audience share of 17.5% and came in fourth in the overall ratings behind BBC One’s The Commonweath Games coverage and ITV’s Emmerdale and ratings winner Coronation Street, which brought 3.5 million viewers to ITV.

Meanwhile, midweek episodes, dubbed ‘the final week’, leading up to the finale also creeped into the UK top 20 ratings, with the third till last instalment getting 837,000 viewers.

While the number crept up for the penultimate episode, with 1.02 million fans watching.

In Australia, the episode, which was simulcast on Channel 10 and 10 Peach, drew 873,000 metro viewers across both stations, largely thanks to the cast of returning favourites.

Neighbours’ final ever episode ended on a high in July, as a peak of almost 3 million UK viewers tuned in to Channel 5

No other entertainment program came close to Neighbours as it wrapped up its historic 37-year run with a 90-minute special, reported TV Blackbox.

It was the most-watched program overall on the night and convincingly won all key demographics between ages 16 and 54.

UK audiences were flooded with nostalgia during an emotional Neighbours finale which saw Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan make an epic comeback to the soap, joining a host of stars amid Margot Robbie and Holly Valance returning to Ramsay Street for one final time.

The Channel 5 soap first aired in 1985 and has been on screens for 37 years, but in March it was announced the Australian series was being axed after 8,903 episodes with the finale airing in Australia on Thursday and on Friday evening in the UK.

The finale was jam-packed with appearances from long-gone characters as fans were given a nostalgic glimpse through Neighbours’ history, with characters tearfully flipping through photo albums, a lingering melancholic piano score and the odd in-joke.

The finale centered around Toadie’s (Ryan Moloney) wedding to Melanie (Lucinda Cowden) as many familiar faces reunited for the picturesque lakeside ceremony and street party afterwards, while other pals – including Margot Robbie’s Donna Freedman) – sent their well wishes in sweet video messages to mark the big day.

And appearing on screens once again, Kylie and Jason’s beloved characters Charlene and Scott Robinson made their much-anticipated entrance to the garden party as they pulled up on Ramsay Street in their recognisable green Mini before surprising their pals.

And viewers were quick to gush over Scott and Charlene’s first appearance on Ramsey Street in more than 30 years, taking to Twitter to comment on how ‘nostalgic’ and ’emotional’ it made them feel.

The finale was watched by millions of adoring fans (April Rose Pengilly pictured as Chloe Brennan)

As the iconic pair arrived on screens, Kylie and Jason’s real-life love song Especially For You belted out in the background, with fans left delighted at the unexpected crossover. Kylie and Jason recorded the love ballad in 1989 – one year after they left Neighbours and soon before they ended their three-year romance.

Scott and Charlene returned to Erinsborough for the first time since they bid farewell to the suburb and moved to Brisbane after tying the knot in a romantic wedding ceremony more than 30 years ago.

As well as Kylie and Jason making a final appearance on the show, there were also epic returns made by Holly Valance (Flick Scully), Natalie Imbruglia (Beth Brennan), Guy Pearce (Mike Young) and Ian Smith (Harold Bishop) as they reprised their roles on the soap opera.

They were joined by Daniel MacPherson, (Joel Samuels), Peter O’Brien (Shane Ramsay), Natalie Bassingthwaighte, (Izzy Hoyland), Mark Little (Joe Mangel) and Paul Keane, who memorably played Des Clarke.

Also appearing in the finale were Annie Jones (Jane Harris), Anne Charleston, who portrayed matriarch Madge Bishop, Jacinta Stapleton (Amy Greenwood), and Delta Goodrem (Nina Tucker).

And stars from more recent years on the soap joined the episode, including Olympia Valance (Paige Smith), Jodi Gordon (Elly Conway), Zoe Cramond (Amy Williams) and Kate Kendall (Lauren Turner).

With Ben Hall (Ned Willis), Olivia Junkeer (Yashvi Rebecchi) and Zima Anderson (Roxy Willis) completing the line-up of Neighbours alumni returning.

Back in July, UK fans got to see the last instalment – featuring the return of Kylie Minogue Jason Donovan as beloved characters Scott and Charlene