Neighbours Announces Soap Is Ending After Nearly 37 Years

The beloved Australian soap opera Neighbours is set to cease production in June following nearly 37 years on air.

News of the show's cancellation comes after Channel 5, which aired the program in the UK, announced last month that it would no longer be hosting the show.

At the time, it explained that despite Neighbours being 'a much-loved part of our schedule for more than a decade', the show's time on the channel would come to an end 'this summer'.

Channel 5 has a big hand in funding the soap opera over the years and as a result Network 10, the soap's home in Australia, was forced to pause filming in the wake of the news.

The network initially sought to find a new UK home for the show, with a spokesperson assuring it was their intention to 'continue our association with Neighbours if another broadcast partner comes forward'.

Unfortunately, it seems that a continuation of the show was not meant to be as the official Neighbours Twitter account confirmed its cancellation today (March 3), writing: 'We are so sorry to say that after nearly 37 years and almost 9000 episodes broadcast we have to confirm that Neighbours will cease production in June.'

A source with knowledge of the situation told The Sun that Network 10 has been 'been working tirelessly to secure funding from other networks but sadly they’ve been unable to save the soap.'

They added that the network has been 'been overwhelmed by the love and support from the audience since the news broke.’

Over the years, Neighbours has helped launch the careers of stars including Kylie Minogue, Jason Donovan, Guy Pearce and Margot Robbie.

Featured Image Credit: Fremantle

Topics: Australia, TV and Film, News

Emily Brown

Emily Brown is the Community Desk Lead at LADbible Group. Emily first began delivering news when she was just 11 years old - with a paper route. She went on to graduate with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University before contributing to The Sunday Times Travel Magazine and Student Problems. She joined UNILAD in 2018 to cover breaking news, trending stories and longer form features, and now works as Community Desk Lead to commission and write human interest stories from across the globe.