Neighbours is back! Everything we know about iconic soap’s big return on Amazon Freevee
Neighbours big return on Amazon Freevee is rapidly approaching, and it’s safe to say that the excitement is real for fans, who are eagerly awaiting their next taste of Ramsay Street drama.
The Aussie soap has had something of an unprecedented year, after it was controversially axed by Channel 5, with the broadcaster citing their desire at the time to invest in ‘original UK drama’.
Fans were quick to show their support, launching campaigns and petitions, and purchasing the show’s iconic theme tune, which re-entered the UK iTunes charts at number one, determined to find Neighbours a new home in a bid to prevent it from going off the air.
It seemed as if were set to say goodbye to Erinsborough forever, however, as Neighbours came to a glorious and critically-acclaimed end, with the ‘finale’ seeing some of the show’s biggest ever stars, including Kylie Minogue, Guy Pearce and Margot Robbie, returning to pay their respects.
But flash-forward a number of months and we got the news we’d all longed for, with Neighbours confirmed to return to screens after Amazon Freevee proved to be the good friends the show needed, picking up the serial for a new season before any harm could come to the interior sets.
Not all heroes wear capes.
With March having arrived, Neighbours’ highly-anticipated comeback is inching closer, and with a hundreds of classic episodes having dropped of Freevee, not to mention a sold-out UK area tour which kicked off this week (read our review here), the excitement for the show’s return is starting to feel very real.
With that in mind, let’s check out everything we know about Neighbours’ return so far.
Production is set to commence on a new season of Neighbours in the coming weeks, with April being slated as the month things kick off, with new episodes set to hit our screens in the second half of the year.
It is currently unknown as to when exactly the show will air, but it’s safe to assume that we won’t have too long to wait.
Who is coming back? Returning cast revealed
Word of Neighbours’ revival was broke to audiences in a specially filmed video clip, featuring Jackie Woodburne, Alan Fletcher, Ryan Moloney and Stefan Dennis, who play Susan Kennedy, Karl Kennedy, Toadie Rebecchi and Paul Robinson respectively, confirming that they have all signed on to take part in the sequel series.
A further announcement was made this week, with Annie Jones, who played Jane ‘Plain Jane Superbrain’ Harris, set to reprise her iconic role, alongside Rebekah Elmaloglou, who played the popular Terese Willis, Georgie Stone – aka Mackenzie Hargreaves – and Tim Kano (Leo Tanaka), who will also be fulltime series regulars.
If that wasn’t exciting enough for you, then you’ll be pleased to know that the legend that is Harold Bishop will also stage a comeback, albeit in a recurring capacity, with actor Ian Smith all set to revisit Ramsay Street once more.
April Rose Pengilly, who captivated and touched the hearts of viewers with her role as Chloe Brennan, will also be returning in a recurring role, as will Melissa Bell, who played Lucy Robinson.
Neighbours is back! Everything we know about iconic soap’s big return on Amazon Freevee
Neighbours big return on Amazon Freevee is rapidly approaching, and it’s safe to say that the excitement is real for fans, who are eagerly awaiting their next taste of Ramsay Street drama.
The Aussie soap has had something of an unprecedented year, after it was controversially axed by Channel 5, with the broadcaster citing their desire at the time to invest in ‘original UK drama’.
Fans were quick to show their support, launching campaigns and petitions, and purchasing the show’s iconic theme tune, which re-entered the UK iTunes charts at number one, determined to find Neighbours a new home in a bid to prevent it from going off the air.
It seemed as if were set to say goodbye to Erinsborough forever, however, as Neighbours came to a glorious and critically-acclaimed end, with the ‘finale’ seeing some of the show’s biggest ever stars, including Kylie Minogue, Guy Pearce and Margot Robbie, returning to pay their respects.
But flash-forward a number of months and we got the news we’d all longed for, with Neighbours confirmed to return to screens after Amazon Freevee proved to be the good friends the show needed, picking up the serial for a new season before any harm could come to the interior sets.
Not all heroes wear capes.
With March having arrived, Neighbours’ highly-anticipated comeback is inching closer, and with a hundreds of classic episodes having dropped of Freevee, not to mention a sold-out UK area tour which kicked off this week (read our review here), the excitement for the show’s return is starting to feel very real.
With that in mind, let’s check out everything we know about Neighbours’ return so far.
Return date
Production is set to commence on a new season of Neighbours in the coming weeks, with April being slated as the month things kick off, with new episodes set to hit our screens in the second half of the year.
It is currently unknown as to when exactly the show will air, but it’s safe to assume that we won’t have too long to wait.
MORE : Neighbours The Celebration Tour review: Tears flow in this pitch-perfect celebratory evening with ‘good friends’ that will live in fans’ hearts forever
Who is coming back? Returning cast revealed
Word of Neighbours’ revival was broke to audiences in a specially filmed video clip, featuring Jackie Woodburne, Alan Fletcher, Ryan Moloney and Stefan Dennis, who play Susan Kennedy, Karl Kennedy, Toadie Rebecchi and Paul Robinson respectively, confirming that they have all signed on to take part in the sequel series.
A further announcement was made this week, with Annie Jones, who played Jane ‘Plain Jane Superbrain’ Harris, set to reprise her iconic role, alongside Rebekah Elmaloglou, who played the popular Terese Willis, Georgie Stone – aka Mackenzie Hargreaves – and Tim Kano (Leo Tanaka), who will also be fulltime series regulars.
If that wasn’t exciting enough for you, then you’ll be pleased to know that the legend that is Harold Bishop will also stage a comeback, albeit in a recurring capacity, with actor Ian Smith all set to revisit Ramsay Street once more.
April Rose Pengilly, who captivated and touched the hearts of viewers with her role as Chloe Brennan, will also be returning in a recurring role, as will Melissa Bell, who played Lucy Robinson.
Fans can expect more announcements regarding the cast in the coming months, as production recommences on the beloved soap, but Neighbours boss Jason Herbison is hopeful to see many returning faces, as well some newer cast members, with the show boss confirming that a number of the latest batch of newbies introduced ahead of the ‘finale’ have moved on to other projects, making their return unlikely.
How to watch Neighbours on Amazon Freevee
Amazon Freevee is a free ad-supported streaming service which offers a wide range of movies and TV programmes for just about anyone.
It is very easy to use and can be accessed on a web browser via the official Amazon website, or on a mobile device, smart TV or games console via either the Prime Video or Freevee apps – some services carry both, so you’ll be spoilt for choice.
Android TVs, Apple TVs and Google TVs also have the Freevee app, so if you possess any of these devices you’ll be able to stream Neighbours to your heart’s content.
Simply head to Amazon.co.uk if you’re in the UK or Amazon.com for US users and create your free account.
Once you’re registered, simply type in Neighbours and voila, let the binge-watching commence!
A selection of iconic episodes are currently available to stream, as is the entire 2012 season, with further series’ expected to drop on the platform ahead of the new episodes later this year.
Neighbours will retain its typical format as a daily soap – with many new episodes on the way
When the news broke that Amazon Freevee, a streaming service, had made the decision to resuscitate Neighbours, speculation commenced in regards to what the show would look like when it made it’s comeback.
Despite being considered one of the primary formats for watching TV in this day and age, streamers have largely steered clear of soap operas, which is what made Freevee’s move to rescue one of the world’s biggest serial dramas rather unprecedented.
Would the show continue to drop daily? If so, would it be on all-year around? Or would it perhaps adopt more of a Netflix or Prime Video style of approach, in that it would drop ‘seasons’ all in one go?
According to fans used to their daily dose of Erinsborough needn’t be concerned, with the plan being to keep Neighbours’ format identical to as it was before. What’s more, the show has been commissioned for two seasons, with at least 200 episodes each.
‘The plan is for Neighbours to keep its format as a high-volume daily soap opera, so it’ll still be the show that fans know and love’, a source told the publication.
‘Plans are being made for two new seasons, which will run for 200 episodes each. It’s an incredible result for fans, who thought they’d seen the last of the show when the finale aired in July.
‘The logic for Freevee is that daily episode drops will keep fans checking back on the streaming service and engage with other content available.’
It is currently unknown if five episodes will drop a week.
If daily weekday drops are the norm, then it’s also worth pointing out that there will be periods where Neighbours won’t be on the air, given that 200 episodes a year is a lesser amount in comparison to the show’s yearly runs on terrestrial TV, with Neighbours having previously aired the whole year around.
Daily episode drops is a strategy Freevee employs with Judy Justice, which has proven successful for the service, so it’s likely that Neighbours will follow suit.
Storylines will be completely new and fresh
Neighbours wrapped things up so beautifully in its ‘finale’, with pretty much every character’s storyline reaching a perfect conclusion.
A number of stories, such as Freya Wozniak’s superb introductory tales and David Tanaka’s time in prison, were seemingly trimmed due to the cancellation, but boss Jason has confirmed that he’s starting the show from a completely fresh perspective, having revealed already what would’ve happened in certain narratives had the show not been axed.
‘I will be approaching it fresh,’ he told Digital Spy.
‘I’m sure there are some ideas from the past that still have currency, though I’m aware some already leaked out! There’s something to be said for wiping the board clean and starting anew.’
Neighbours returns to screens on Amazon Freevee later this year, with hundreds of classic episodes already available to stream.
