Neighbours, the classic Australian soap which follows the lives of the folks in Erinsborough has been cancelled for a second time, just two years after its resurrection. The fictional suburb of Melbourne features a host of famous former alumni who have appeared in the show over the years, from pop superstar Kylie Minogue, Jason Donovan and Hollywood favourite Margot Robbie.
In 2023, streaming service Prime Video threw the soap a lifeline - but now it has been announced that fans have only a year left to enjoy their favourite characters from Down Under. A statement on the programme's social media accounts has confirmed the final episode of the 40-year series will air in December 2025.
Amazon has cancelled the show after withdrawing its funding. Production is set to finish in July, its producer, Fremantle, confirmed. It means shows will air, still on Amazon Prime Video globally and Australia’s Channel Ten, four times a week as is the case now until the end of 2025 – “with all the big soapie twists and turns that our viewers love”, the statement read.
The executive producer of the show, Jason Herbison, added: "Audiences all around the world have loved and embraced Neighbours for four decades and we are very proud of the huge success over the last two years including often appearing as one of the Top 10 titles in the UK and the show's first ever Daytime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Daytime Series in 2024.
"As this chapter closes, we appreciate and thank Amazon MGM Studios for all that they have done for Neighbours - bringing this iconic and much-loved series to new audiences globally.”. But it seems the door will not close for good, and producers could try to find another outlet to air the show, as Herbison said: "We value how much the fans love Neighbours and we believe there are more stories of the residents of Ramsay Street to tell in the future.".
Amazon confirmed it was backing out from Neighbours, with a spokesperson saying: “Forty years is an incredible milestone and we are proud that Amazon MGM Studios was able to have a small part of bringing further episodes to Freevee and Prime Video customers over the last two years, spanning over 400 episodes.”.
Neighbours will have to find another service to opt in, as Channel Ten has previously said it was not commercially viable for it to fund production alone. Neighbours aired for decades in Australia and in the UK on Channel 5, but it first ended production in 2022, capping off the record 37-year run, when Fremantle failed to secure another UK broadcaster when Channel 5 withdrew support.
Fans were outspoken about their disappointment, and the online love-in led to Amazon stepping in and announcing a few months later it would reboot Neighbours for its now-defunct Freevee streaming service, with Neighbours: A New Chapter launching in 2023.
