EXCLUSIVE:
With the sad confirmation that Neighbours will cease production in June, TV Tonight posed a range of questions to Jason Herbison, Executive Producer.
When did you first hear the news the show would end and how are you personally feeling about it?
JH: We had some advance notice last year that it could be a possibility, which we shared with the cast and crew. We only had it confirmed this year slightly ahead of the news breaking. Naturally I’m very sad, but I’m also incredibly proud of the show and everything it has achieved. 37 years is an amazing innings. I’m also very grateful to our broadcasters, 10 and 5. They have always encouraged our ambition for the show, which I think reached great heights in recent years. We are going out on a high, which in many ways is a wonderful way to end.
Is ‘rested’ the same as ‘axed?’ Are cast released from contracts?
JH: Neighbours remains a beloved brand and the response from the viewers has only affirmed that. We’re open to all possibilities for the future which is why we are considering the show rested. But for the immediate future, the show is ending in June and cast will be free to move on to other projects.
In terms of storylines, how does a soap face its conclusion when by definition it is an endless neighbourhood? Do you blow it up, move to Queensland or switch off the lights and go to bed ready for another day?
JH: Ramsay Street is eternal and I like to think it will live on in the hearts and minds of the viewers, long after the final scene. I would never, ever blow it up. The ending will be a celebration of the past and the present, with the door very much left open for a future.
Have writers plotted the ending? How much is set in stone already?
JH: I have a vision for the finale. It came to me a while back and I haven’t been able to get it out of my head. It isn’t plotted and it may evolve between now and June, but I feel like I know what I want to do.
Can you tease any returning cast, and who would you really like to see return?
JH: One of my great joys has been to bring back many former characters in recent years, which is something the show seemed reluctant to do prior. So I’m definitely hoping some of these faces return along with others we haven’t been able to lure back until now. I feel very strongly that the end must equally be a celebration of the current cast. Karl, Susan, Toadie and Paul have earned a very rightful place, front and centre.
Please tell me you’ve spoken with Kylie’s people at least… she’s in town, as if it was meant to be.
JH: I’m doing everything you’d expect me to be doing!
You did a lot of work to address years of non-inclusion, what moments make you most proud?
JH: I feel very proud of the progress we’ve made with diversity and inclusion. As a gay man, I know how it feels to be invisible on television, or depicted in the shadows of other characters. I wasn’t able to change everything overnight, however slowly but surely we made a meaningful difference. There are so many under represented groups I wanted to give a voice to and grow and learn from. Perhaps my greatest heartbreak is that I won’t have the chance to do that. I hope other productions continue to make strides. The easiest option is to do nothing – but then you achieve nothing.
How difficult was 2021 when the show was in the eye of the storm?
JH: It’s been a very challenging couple of years, beginning with Covid. I think I need a bit of distance and healing to be able to answer the question properly.
Should Australian fans see the finale at the same time as UK fans?
JH: It’s always a decision for the broadcasters.
What will happen to the set? Is there a part you would like to keep?
JH: Where do you begin with 37 years of history? At Neighbours we’ve enjoyed the benefit of having the entire Nunawading Studios to ourselves for decades – but it’s also meant we’ve been able store vast numbers of sets and props. You can’t open a cupboard without a piece of history falling out and I’ve made some wonderful discoveries over the years. I can say it will be a careful, considered, curated process. The famous painting over Karl and Susan’s fireplace will end up in my house, if there’s nowhere else to store it!
What will be Neighbours legacy?
JH: Neighbours leaves a huge legacy. Obviously it’s the longest running drama in Australian television history. Countless actors, writers, directors, make-up artists … the list goes on and on… so many people honed their skills on our set. The show also completely changed the landscape of British television, heralding the strip-drama formals of Corrie, Emmerdale and EastEnders today. Many international visitors would never have come to Melbourne if it wasn’t for the lure of Pin Oak Court. We know this, because they’ve told us time and time again! Very few shows can say they’ve entered the popular culture of two countries. Neighbours has done that in Australia and the UK. Not bad for a little show made in the Aussie burbs, is it?
Neighbours will wrap filming in June.