Ramsay Street is back open for business with the brand new chapter of Neighbours premiering on Monday, September 18, at 4:30 pm on 10, and 6:30 pm on 10 Peach and 10 Play.
The lives, loves and challenges of the residents of Ramsay Street in Erinsborough, Australia, a fictional suburb of Melbourne – will pick up two years after the finale in 2022.
Neighbours has run for over three decades and helped launch the careers of many household names such as Margot Robbie, Kylie Minogue, Guy Pearce, and Russell Crowe.
The new season will see never-before-seen families move into two new homes while much-loved favourites from Neighbours’ storied past will also return, including actors Mischa Barton and Guy Pearce.
The new series will also feature Alan Fletcher, Annie Jones, Candice Leask, Emerald Chan, Georgie Stone, Jackie Woodburne, Lloyd Will, Lucinda Armstrong Hall, Lucinda Cowden, Marley Williams, Naomi Rukavina, Rebekah Elmaloglou, Riley Bryant, Ryan Moloney, Sara West, Shiv Palekar, Stefan Dennis, Tim Kano, and Xavier Molyneux as series regulars.
April Rose Pengilly, Ian Smith, Jodi Gordon, Melissa Bell and Trevor the Dog will feature as guest stars.
Mediaweek sat down with Rick Maier, head of drama & executive production, Paramount ANZ and Jason Herbison, Neighbours’ executive producer to discuss the new season and how the show’s content has evolved over three decades to stand out as fresh and exciting.
MW: Neighbours has run for more than three decades, from the very first season to the brand-new season, how has the show’s content evolved?
RM: All dramas change over time and respond to the way we see the world. Neighbours has been arguably one of the more progressive dramas in the last ten years. Whilst Neighbours has never been issue-based, the team have always been mindful of current trends and shifts in thinking. We’re all very proud of that progression.
MW: How does the new season of the show stand out as fresh and exciting?
JH: The return of the show has given us a wonderful opportunity to reset the world of Ramsay Street. We decided on a two-year time jump which gives us a great kicking-off point – what has changed and what has stayed the same? With cast changes, new sets, new locations, and some upgrades in technology, it feels like a wonderful new chapter.
MW: What do you think makes the show so popular throughout the years it’s been on air?
RM: Jason Herbison (Executive Producer) and his team at FMA always put the audience first. They respect the Neighbours extended family and always look for opportunities to reward the audience. Some characters will leave a long-running serial and are never heard from again but that doesn’t happen with Neighbours. Hopefully that sense of “family” flows through to the audience. The senior cast are also the best in the business at fostering and supporting new talent. It’s no accident Neighbours has been able to launch so many careers on both sides of the camera. It’s the culture. Everyone involved wants to pay it forward.
JH: Neighbours is a special show. While the storytelling style has evolved over the years, we’ve never lost our heart and our sense of community. It’s a heightened world at times but it’s also warm and relatable. A world our viewers want to spend time in.
Jason Herbison and Rick Maier
MW: What can viewers expect from the brand-new season?
RM: New and returning viewers can expect some brilliant stories, shock twists, great romances and a very exciting new group of young actors coming to Ramsay Street. And that’s not to mention Mischa Barton or the return of some much-loved favourites from the past.
JH: We begin the new series with a time jump and a surprise wedding, which really sets the stakes for what’s to come. There are new characters and explanations for why some other characters have departed, but is all as it seems? As time continues, we’ll begin to realise there is more than meets the eye and past events have had a big bearing on the future.
MW: How do you want the new season to resonate with viewers?
RM: If audiences like what they see – and, as I said, this is a show always made with the audience in mind – then I’m sure we will have Neighbours on our screens for years to come. It’s a privilege to have any association with such an iconic program.
JH: I want our existing viewers to feel as though they’ve got their show back and I want new viewers to dip into the world and hang around.
The series will launch on Prime Video Australia and New Zealand on Monday, 25 September. This will follow the series premiere on Amazon Freevee and Network 10 on Monday 18 September.
The series is produced by Fremantle Australia.
Neighbours premieres Monday, September 18 at 4:30 pm on 10 and 6:30 pm on 10 Peach and 10 Play.
See also: Chris Sebastian to helm the theme song for the new era of Neighbours on 10 and Prime Video