When it was reported earlier this month that Neighbours might be cancelled, it sent shockwaves through the television world, and fans of the Australian serial have since launched multiple campaigns to save the show.
And now, in an interview with morning chat show Studio 10, Ramsey Street star Jackie Woodburne – who has played Susan Kennedy in over 3,000 episodes since the show first aired in 1994 – has spoken out about the news.
Since the news surfaced, Woodburne has received an outpouring of support from the soap’s fans, which he describes as “incredible.”
“It doesn’t matter how conscious you are of the show’s viewers and how much they appreciate it; this week, it’s like a floodgate has opened, and I’ve received the most amazing comments from people,” she explained.
“People are going to miss the show tremendously, and it will leave a huge void in the landscape of not only Australian television, but also worldwide television, particularly in the United Kingdom.”
“It’s the end of an era, the loss of a legend, and we’ll never see a show like Neighbours again,” she continued.
After Channel 5 decided to focus more on its own original drama, the soap was cancelled, leaving the programme without a UK production partner and so unable to continue.
“Neighbours will no longer air on Channel 5 beyond this summer,” a Channel 5 representative informed RadioTimes.com at the time.
“We’d like to congratulate the cast, Fremantle, and the entire production crew for their excellent work on this landmark series, which has been a much-loved part of our schedule for more than a decade.”
“Of course, we’d like to thank the fans for their unwavering support of Neighbours over the years.” We understand that this decision will cause sadness; nevertheless, our present focus is on increasing our investment in original UK drama, which has a significant appeal for our viewers.”
Network 10 in Australia had hoped that Fremantle Productions would find a new partner to help the show continue, but no one has stepped forward thus far.
