Neighbours: Difference between revisions
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Windows Mail - Paul Kinsella |
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== Notable celebrity guest appearances == |
== Notable celebrity guest appearances == |
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Revision as of 14:05, 14 February 2007
| Neighbours | |
|---|---|
| File:Neighbours.png Neighbours title card | |
| Created by | Reg Watson |
| Starring | See Cast section below |
| Theme music composer | Tony Hatch Theme music Jackie Trent Lyrics |
| Country of origin |  Australia |
| No. of episodes | 5145 (as of February 9 2007) |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Reg Watson Don Battye Ian Bradley Stanley Walsh Riccardo Pellizzeri |
| Producers | John Holmes Tony MacDonald Dave Worthington Sally Anne Kerr Peter Dodds |
| Running time | 23 min |
| Original release | |
| Network | Seven Network |
| Release | March 18 1985 – Present |
Neighbours is a long-running Australian soap opera, which began airing in March 1985. It was created by Reg Watson and was produced by the Reg Grundy Organisation until the end of 2006. As of 2007, the show has been produced by FremantleMedia. Through its entire run in Australia it has screened as five 22-minute episodes a week, shown each weeknight in an early-evening slot. The 1985 season aired on the Seven Network, at 5.30 p.m. in Sydney and at 6.30 p.m. in Melbourne and other regions. From its second year the series switched to Network Ten. Between 1986 and 1991 the series was screened by Network Ten at 7.00 p.m., and from 1992 they have aired the show at 6:30 p.m.. Neighbours has a G classification, signifying that its content is suitable for viewers of any age.
The series follows the daily lives of several families who live in the six houses at the end of Ramsay Street, a quiet cul-de-sac in the fictional, middle class suburb of Erinsborough. Storylines explore the romances, family problems, domestic squabbles, and other key life events affecting the various residents. More than most serials, Neighbours features a large proportion of children and teenagers amongst its ever-rotating cast of characters.
Neighbours celebrated its twentieth anniversary in 2005 with some special episodes which featured appearances from several former members of the cast.
Network history and popularity
The series originally aired on the Seven Network in 1985, but - unusually for an Australian-produced series - switched networks, moving to Network Ten in 1986.
In 1985, the Melbourne-produced programme had underperformed in the crucial Sydney market leading to Seven Network cancelling the series at the end of that year. Neighbours was immediately picked up by the rival Network Ten [1]. They began screening the series on that channel in early 1986. On Ten, it initially attracted low ratings [2]. The Network worked hard to publicise the series [3]; they revamped the show, adding several new, younger cast members including Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan as Scott and Charlene, while a concerted publicity drive largely focused on these new actors [4]. This paid off for the series and by the end of 1987 it was attracting high ratings [5].
Australian audiences waned considerably by the early 1990s [6], although it recovered slightly by the end of the decade [7].
The series is more popular in the UK, where it screens on BBC One usually attracting between five and six million viewers.
By 2006-2007 rival soap opera Home and Away had emerged as more popular in Australia. Home and Away, which airs at 7.00 p.m. Monday to Friday in Australia, averages 1.2 million viewers there a night; Neighbours averages about 0.89 million viewers a night in Australia.
Neighbours internationally
The show is popular in the United Kingdom where it quickly gained a cult following after it began airing there in 1986. BBC One began by screening it at 1.40 p.m.-2.05 p.m. with a repeat the next morning at 10.00am. The repeat episode was later moved to of 5.35 p.m.-6.00 p.m. by controller Michael Grade on the advice of his daughter so now it screens just before the BBC news hour at 6:00 p.m.. In the late 1980s it regularly had a UK audience of over eighteen million and was watched by more people than the population of Australia at that time [8]. Originally the UK were eighteen months behind Australia's airings but in recent years they have caught up by screening more episodes each year than are produced in Australia; in Australia the series is not broadcast over summer.
In the UK, episodes are generally shown three months after their original Australian broadcast. The BBC frequently removes the show from its schedule during major sports tournaments such as Wimbledon and bank holidays to accommodate the programme's four-week summer break in Australia.
Accounting for the duplication of viewers across its two UK showings a day, the show rates on average over five million viewers a day, making it the highest rated Commonwealth import on British television and one of the most popular international imports, rating higher than US programmes such as Desperate Housewives and Lost. Rumours are currently circulating that the BBC plans to give 'first-look' Neighbours on the broadcaster's digital channel BBC Three in order to boost that channel's ratings. Most likely, the episode following BBC One's most recent broadcast will be shown after 7 p.m.. However, the episode could even be up-to-date with the Australian episodes. [9]
It also airs every evening on Irish TV station RTÉ Two at 5:30 p.m.. These episodes are also about three months behind the Australian network.
The show has also been sold to television networks in many other countries. Episodes from 1999 were aired for a six-week trial basis on the American channel Oxygen in March of 2004. At first, it was shown in the afternoon opposite higher-rated American soaps such as The Young and the Restless and All My Children, which gave the show anemic ratings from the first airing; the people who would be most interested in the show were watching other, more established serials. After a couple of weeks, the show moved to a late-night time slot and eventually left the air entirely. It was not the first Australian soap opera to be aired in the United States: The Sullivans, Prisoner, Home and Away, The Young Doctors, Paradise Beach, and Pacific Drive had also been previously shown.
It has been long aired by Television New Zealand and screens twice daily at 11:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. It was initially aired by TVNZ when Neighbours started showing in New Zealand in 1988, but by 1996 it had been removed from the schedule. Canwest's TV4 (now C4) picked it up and aired it from 1997 to 2000. They dropped it in 2000, and it returned to TV2 in 2002, where it stayed till early 2007, until moving to TVOne in February 2007, and screens at 5:25.
Neighbours is aired in Belgium on the VRT at 5:30 p.m., Monday to Saturday. The show has been broadcast in Belgium since 1988; they are three years behind Australia. In Kenya, Neighbours airs on the KTN network at 12.30 p.m., Monday to Friday with an omnibus on Sunday mornings. They are approximately three years behind Australia. Neighbours is also aired in Barbados on CBC8, Monday to Friday. They are approximately four years behind Australia.
Storylines
Template:Spoiler-blank In the beginning, the show mainly focused on two families, the Robinsons and the Ramsays (after whom "Ramsay Street" is named) who were - as the name of the show suggests - neighbours. The show initially gained notoriety for its depiction of the teenage romance of Scott Robinson and Charlene Mitchell (Jason Donovan and Kylie Minogue). Their Romeo and Juliet style romance culminating in a wedding was keenly anticipated by viewers and is still fondly regarded by fans as being one of the high points of the series. Another popular couple in the show's early days was the pairing of Des Clarke (Paul Keane) and Daphne Lawrence (Elaine Smith), a couple who also lived on Ramsay Street alongside the Ramsays and the Robinsons. Daphne's death in 1988 is still considered as one of the most emotional moments on the show. Daphne's final words were the croaked 'I love you, Clarkey'. It was the first death of a main character.
Until recently, both the Ramsays and the Robinsons had been written out of the series, with the sole exception of the Bishop family (who are related to the Ramsays through the marriage of Harold Bishop (Ian Smith) to the late Madge Ramsay (Anne Charleston)). However, one of the original characters, Paul Robinson (Stefan Dennis), made a return to the show as a regular character in the final episode of 2004. Today the show revolves around the Robinson, Hoyland, Timmins, Bishop, Cammeniti and Kinski clans, along with several other residents who live in Ramsay Street.
In the late 1990s, Neighbours gained the reputation as being a somewhat conservative soap with topics such as sex generally not being included in the storylines due to its early evening timeslot in Australia and the United Kingdom (Earlier storylines involving controversial topics such as incest and teenage sex were often censored by the BBC in the UK, which may account for the reluctance on the part of producers to depict controversial issues). In the past two years this has started to change, with the show now regularly featuring its teenage characters discussing issues such as sex and contraception in a manner which has not been seen on the show since the mid 1990s. Recently, the show has depicted a lesbian storyline involving Sky Mangel (Stephanie McIntosh) and Lana Crawford (Bridget Neval). An arguably illegal relationship has started between the 18-year-old character Stingray Timmins (Ben Nicholas) and 14-year-old Rachel Kinski (Caitlin Stasey), although the two did not actually sleep together. There were also two incest storylines; the first saw Lucy Robinson in a relationship with her half brother Glen - whom her dad had fathered during the Vietnam War - despite both knowing that they were related. They ended things however, as they knew they should act like brother and sister. The second involved Serena Bishop (Lara Sacher) and Luka Dokich (Keelan O'Hehir), who embarked on an intimate relationship, blissfully ignorant of the fact that they were half-siblings, sharing a mother, Liljana Bishop (Marcella Russo). The character of Sindi Watts (Marisa Warrington) has also been involved in storylines involving stripping and prostitution. More recently there are been strong indications that Katya Kinski had been involved in the pornography industry and had taken hard drugs. She was also shown stealing cars for shady associates from her past.
The break up of long time married couple Karl (Alan Fletcher) and Susan Kennedy (Jackie Woodburne) and soon after Joe (Shane Connor) and Lyn Scully (Janet Andrewartha) has also been a great source of interest to viewers, especially since it has led to a long running storyline in which Izzy Hoyland (Natalie Bassingthwaighte) duped Karl into believing that he was the father of her unborn child continuing the charade long after she tragically miscarried in November 2004. After over a year of manipulation, Izzy's lies came to light in a spectacular fashion, and despite a last ditch attempt by Izzy to gain Karl's sympathy by falsely claiming that she was raped, Karl finally dumped Izzy for good.
Late in the 2005 season came a highly dramatic storyline where a large contingent of Ramsay Street regulars went on a joyflight on a Douglas DC-3 aircraft over Bass Strait. A time bomb had also been planted in the plane's undercarriage. During the flight Izzy discovered a note in her seat pocket addressed 'To my one and only' which read 'Think about your life and everything you've done.'
The bomb soon went off, sending the plane crashing into the ocean below. David (Kevin Harrington), Liljana and Serena were presumably killed, although only David's body has been recovered. Paul, Elle (Pippa Black), Izzy, and Sky were quickly found and taken to hospital. Susan was missing for a few days but eventually rescued. Dylan (Damien Bodie) and Connor (Patrick Harvey), who believed Dylan was wanted for armed robbery, survived washed up on a desolate beach and decided to fake their own deaths by assuming new identities, but they eventually returned to Erinsborough. Through flashbacks and conversations with his comatose brother Cameron (Adam Hunter), Robert Robinson (also played by Adam Hunter), Paul's son, has been revealed to have been the one who planted the bomb on the plane; a crime which Paul believed to have been committed by Cameron until Robert admitted it when he attempted to kill Paul. Paul was eventually rescued and he vows to get revenge on his son. Robert soon returned and kidnapped Katya, despite being in love with her. Paul and Gail attempted to lure Robert back by staging a fake wedding and he eventually returned. Paul told Robert to show himself and he eventually did and shot Paul. Paul was only wounded and then Robert was arrested.
In mid-2006 Sky became pregnant with what she believed was Dylan's baby, but was later told that the baby was a product of a one night stand with his brother, Stingray. Sky kept this a secret to have a family with Dylan, however, Elle Robinson who was dating Dylan at the time, faked a life-threatening disease so that Dylan would stay with her. Dylan later found out that Elle was faking it, and went back to Sky. Later on, Cameron was hit by Max's car after chasing Katya to give her her purse back (Max thought it was the escaped Robert). He died soon afterwards.
Elle then made it her personal mission to drive Max insane, and succeeded. Max disappeared leaving behind only a family photo and jacket, distressing Steph and Boyd. Elle has since discovered it was wrong to do what she did and hired a P.I. to find him with no success, as Harold later informed Steph that Max did not want to be found.
Carmella Cammeniti's cousin Teresa Cammeniti threw a pot of boiling water on Carmella and set fire to Erinsborough Hospital just as Sky was giving birth to a baby girl. As they evacuated, the baby was stolen by Stingray Timmins, who later passed out in bushes with her because of intoxication. Dylan found the baby and kept her for the three days that followed, without contacting anybody. Kerry was later anonymously returned to Sky by Elle, and Carmella was left with permanent facial burns, although these healed after she saw a skin specialist.
Dylan stated that the baby was his, so the baby "Kerry", Stingray and Dylan got a blood test. It turned out that Dr. Karl Kennedy had made a mistake and that the real father of the baby was in fact Dylan. Meanwhile Boyd had an affair with another girl while he was in Tasmania searching for his father. Although Janae forgave him, his betrayal may have further repercussions.
Cast
Current cast
Recurring cast members
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Joe Clements | Sen. Sgt. Allan Steiger |
| Robert Forza | Rocco Cammeniti |
| Trudy Hellier | Christine Rodd |
| Adelaide Kane | Lolly Allen |
| Marisa Siketa | Summer Hoyland |
| Zoe Stark | Sheena Wilson |
| Matilda White | Sgt. Joanna Douglas |
Coming and going cast members
Coming
| Actor | Role | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Cleopatra Coleman | Glenn Forrest | Returns February 21[10] |
| Rowena Wallace | Mary | Debuts April 2007[11] |
| Rachel Gordon | Unknown | Debuts April 2007[11] |
| Kristie Jandric | Milly | Debuts April 2007[12] |
| Benjamin Hart | Unknown | Debuts 2007[13] |
| Natalie Bassingthwaighte | Isabelle Hoyland | Temp. returns early 2007[11] |
Going
| Actor | Role | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Stephen Lovatt | Max Hoyland | Exits February 16[citation needed] |
| Adelaide Kane | Lolly Allen | Exits early 2007[14] |
| Damien Bodie | Dylan Timmins | Exits April 2007[15] |
| Ben Nicholas | Stingray Timmins | Exits April 2007[15] |
| Stephanie McIntosh | Sky Mangel | Exits July 2007[14] |
| Claudine Henningsen | Kerry Mangel | Exits July 2007[citation needed] |
| Nell Feeney | Janelle Timmins | Exits July 2007[14] |
| Sianoa Smit-McPhee | Bree Timmins | Exits July 2007[14] |
| Kyal Marsh | Boyd Hoyland | Exits August 2007[16] |
Before they were stars
The following actors from Neighbours went on to achieve fame in various fields such as music and film.
| Actor | Role | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Natalie Bassingthwaighte | Isabelle Hoyland | 2003-2006, 2007 |
| Russell Crowe | Kenny Larkin | 1987 |
| Alan Dale | Jim Robinson | 1985-1993 |
| Jason Donovan | Scott Robinson (#2) | 1986-1989 |
| Delta Goodrem | Nina Tucker | 2002-2003, 2004, 2005 |
| Natalie Imbruglia | Beth Willis | 1992-1993, 1994 |
| Daniel MacPherson | Joel Samuels | 1998-2002 |
| Stephanie McIntosh | Sky Mangel (#2) | 2003-2007 |
| Craig McLachlan | Henry Ramsay | 1987-1989 |
| Kylie Minogue | Charlene Robinson | 1986-1988 |
| Radha Mitchell | Catherine Kennedy | 1996-1997 |
| Guy Pearce | Mike Young | 1986-1989 |
| Nathan Phillips | John 'Teabag' Teasdale | 1999 |
| Jesse Spencer | Billy Kennedy | 1994-2000, 2005 |
| Holly Valance | Felicity Scully | 1999-2002, 2005 |
Deceased cast members
| Actor | Role | Duration | Date of death |
|---|---|---|---|
| Myra De Groot | Eileen Clarke | 1985-1988 | 1988-04-04 |
| Francis Bell | Max Ramsay | 1985-1986 | May 1994 |
| Anne Haddy | Helen Daniels | 1985-1997 | 1999-06-06 |
| June Salter | Bess Robinson | 1985 (guest) | 2001-10-15 |
| Olivia Hamnett | Hilary Grant | 1998 (guest) | November 2001 |
| Esme Melville | Mrs. York Jean Halliday Moina Beresford Rose Belker |
1986 (guest) 1992 (guest) 1994 (guest) 2002-2006 (recurring) |
2006-09-14 |
| Richard Morgan | Damon Gaffney | 2000 (guest) | 2006-12-23 |
Windows Mail - Paul Kinsella
Notable celebrity guest appearances
- Warwick Capper as himself (1986)
- Molly Meldrum as himself (1986)
- Derek Nimmo as Lord Ledgerwood (1990)
- Chris Lowe of The Pet Shop Boys (1995)
- Clive James as a postman (1996)
- Barry Sheene as himself (1997)
- Dave Graney as himself (1998)
- Peter Chapman as himself (1999)
- Human Nature as themselves (2000)
- The Wiggles (2001)
- Glenn Wheatley as himself (2002)
- Jude Bolton as himself (2002)
- Brett Kirk as himself (2002)
- Karl Kruszelnicki as himself
- Shane Warne as himself (2006)
- Rove McManus as himself (2006)
- Brodie Holland as himself (2006)
- Andrew G as himself (2007)
- Emma Bunton as herself (2007)
- Jo Whiley as a speaking extra (2007)
- Michael Parkinson (2007)
- Julian Clary (2007)
- Neil Morrissey (2007)
- Terry Nutkin (2007)
Theme
The Neighbours theme music was written by Tony Hatch with lyrics by his then wife, Jackie Trent. Since 1985 there have been five distinctly different renditions of the theme broadcast on television. They were sung by the following artists:
- Version One: Barry Crocker (1985-1989)
- Version Two: Barry Crocker (1989-1992)
- Version Three: Greg Hind (1992-1998)
- Version Four: Paul Norton & Wendy Stapleton (1999-2001)
- Version Five: Janine Maunder (2002-present)
Each version has received during its stint some minor changes to keep it fresh. For example, version one received a few edits following the "day", "away", "blend" and "friends" climaxes during its run on Channel Seven in 1985. The following years on Network TEN used an unedited version.
The opening theme of version two changed frequently: for part of 1990 there was a full length song, however, mid-way through 1990 this changed to a 10-second instrumental piece for a few weeks, before being replaced by a vocal version of the same short piece until version three debuted in mid-1992.
Version three used a funky 23 second opening song until 1994 when a slightly longer piece was implemented. This piece was used as a closing theme for United Kingdom broadcasts from 1995 onwards, despite the original full version being retained elsewhere.
Version four debuted in 1999, again with a shortened theme for UK transmission. The only changes made to the full-length closing theme during this era was the removal of the backing line "that's when good" from mid-2000 onwards, although this remained outside of Australia.
Version five again used a shorter piece of closing music for the UK market, with the rest of the world using the same 76 second variant.
During 2005, producers of the programme suggested there would be a new theme tune the following year with new opening titles to match. New titles, and a slightly remixed theme tune debuted the following year. All markets began transmitting the same 45 second edited version of the closing theme (UK broadcasts retained the previous 35 second arrangement for a few weeks). However, by mid-2006, the UK had received a slightly edited version of the new closing bringing it back in line with the 35 seconds allowed by the BBC, whilst Australia had gone back to a near-full length track, albeit with minor edits at various sections to keep running time to a minimum. The opening theme has remained unchanged throughout this run.
Locations
Neighbours is taped in Melbourne. Interior scenes are taped at the Global Television studios in Nunawading, Victoria in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne. These studios were previously the Network Ten studios; Ten moved to South Yarra selling their previous studios but continued to tape some of their programmes there, leasing the facilities from the new owners. Pin Oak Court in nearby Vermont South has been used for outdoor taping to represent the fictional Ramsay Street through the programme's entire run, including the episodes produced by the Seven Network.
In the story Ramsay Street is situated in the fictional suburb of Erinsborough. Though it is not strongly emphasised, Erinsborough is a suburb of Melbourne. Erinsborough is often contrasted with the neighbouring, and equally fictitious, suburb of Eden Hills. Other locations often mentioned (and sometimes seen) in the show include West Waratah, Waratah Heights, Elliot Park and Anson's Corner.
Other recurring locations include:
- Lassiter's Hotel Complex: Lassiter's Complex is the most common location used in Neighbours besides Ramsay Street, and it has been a regular occurrence since 1986. When Neighbours switched from the Seven Network to Network Ten, the producers decided to convert an old set on the Channel Ten backlot that had been built for the short-lived 1981 series Holiday Island into the Lassiter's Complex. It includes:
- Lassiter's Hotel: Originally owned by Jack Lassiter, Rosemary Daniels and the Daniels/Robinson Corporation then bought the Erinsborough branch and took control of the entire chain of hotels worldwide. Lassiter's was sold to Lambert Industries in 2002 who owned the company until the destruction of the Erinsborough complex in 2004 when it was bought back by Paul Robinson. The Erinsborough hotel has had such employees as Felicity Scully, Paul Robinson, Toadfish Rebecchi, Melanie Pearson, Christina Alessi and Taj Coppin. Lassiter's other branches exist in Darwin, London, Montana and New York, to name but a few locations. Within the Erinsborough hotel is a shopping arcade, which among other concessions has a book store, chemists shop, clothing boutique and gift shop, whilst dining is provided at the hotel's restaurants including the recently opened "Lucinda's At Lassiter's". For the convenience of guests, a fitness suite, health spa and function facilities are also available at Lassiter's. Forming an attractive courtyard area within the hotel grounds are the following independently managed businesses:
- The General Store: A café/Post Office/Basic Stationery store, that is owned by Lou Carpenter and Harold Bishop. It was originally owned by Daphne Lawrence under the name "Daphne's". Throughout its time it has had many other owners as well, including Madge Bishop and Isabelle Hoyland, and has also gone by the names "The Hungry Bite" when it was taken over by Stephen Gottlieb, "The Holy Roll" when it was taken over by Mark Gottlieb and "The Coffee Shop" when the Bishops got it. In the 2004 Season finale, Lou's Place was set alight and burned down, while "The Coffee Shop", although not being totally destroyed, needed major repairs and renovations. Harold and Isabelle ended their partnership, and he started a partnership with Lou. They got the Coffee Shop rebuilt, and renamed it "The General Store". During his midlife crisis, Lou Carpenter insisted upon calling it the "GS", much to Harold's disgust. The General Store was owned by Paul Robinson after Paul opened up a rival cafe within the Lassiter's complex which drove Lou and Harold broke, making them unable to pay the rent for their store. Lou, Harold and Mishka managed to get the Store back by tricking Paul into thinking it needed major structural repairs.
- Scarlet Bar: A Bar/Restaurant owned by Paul Robinson and leased to Max and Isabelle Hoyland. It had previously been "The Waterhole", during which time it was officially Lassiter's Hotel bar and run by hotel management. However, Cheryl Stark was forced to sell off her newly acquired shares in the complex in 1995 and decided to run the pub enterprise independently. Between 1994 and 1996, the bar was called "Chez Chez" in honour of its manageress but following Cheryl's death and a refit, Lou decided to make his own mark and "Lou's Place" was born. In 2004, it was set on fire and burnt to the ground along with the "Coffee Shop". Max Hoyland ended his partnership with Lou and started a partnership with his sister Izzy, and they built "Scarlet Bar" on the site that "Lou's Place" had previously stood. Max originally wanted to call it "Max-Iz", but Izzy decided to change the name to "Scarlet Bar" at the last minute without informing her brother.
- Erinsborough Medical Centre: Erinsborough Medical Centre used to be Paul's office at Lassiter's Hotel and office of Helen Daniels' chauffeur business 'Home James', but was then bought by Karl Kennedy and converted into a medical centre. As of 2003 the legal firm "Tim Collins and Associates" has shared the building with the medical centre. It was extensively damaged in the fire of 2004, but has recently been rebuilt. When Karl quit Medicine "Tim Collins and Associates" began using Karl's office as well.
- A Good Hair Day Salon: "A Good Hair Day" is a salon owned by Gino Esposito. It has had such employees as Felicity Scully, Lyn Scully and Janelle Timmins. The salon occupies a section of the north wing of the hotel building, which once housed "Lassiter's Brasserie".
- Erinsborough High School: Erinsborough High School is Erinsborough and West Waratah's high school, which many teenage residents have attended, as well as teachers including Dorothy Burke (former principal), Lisa Elliott, Tess Bell, Evan Hancock, Libby Kennedy (Media Studies), Susan Kinski (English), Paul Robinson (Business Studies) and Pepper Steiger (Physical Education). Karl Kennedy has often come in to talk to the children on various subjects, but his most recent "gig" with the school has been the school counsillor position which got him into some hot water, as many believed he was having a relationship with a minor, none other than Janae Timmins. The current principal is Candace Barkham, although V.C.E. co-ordinator Susan Kinski is acting principal whilst Candace is on leave. Previous principals have been Dorothy Burke and Susan Kennedy (as she was known when she was the permanent principal, before her amnesia-resulting accident). The school is also occasionally used for community events, such as the Serbian Youth Night.
- Erinsborough Hospital: Erinsborough Hospital is where the residents of Erinsborough go to if they need major medical attention. Residents who have worked there include Pam Willis, Dee Bliss, Darcy Tyler, Karl Kennedy, Katya Kinski, Robert Robinson.
- Grease Monkeys: Grease Monkeys is Erinsborough's fast food restaurant, in which many of the younger members of the cast dine regularly. It was originally owned by Madge and Harold Bishop and former employees include Felicity Scully, Tad Reeves and Sky Mangel.
- Carpenter's Mechanics: Carpenter's Mechanics is a garage to which the residents take their cars if they need mechanical attention. It was originally owned by Lou Carpenter and Ben Atkins, since then Drew Kirk bought into the business. Lou gave his godson, Ben Kirk part of his share as a christening present, and Drew's wife Libby Kennedy inherited Drew's share upon his death. Stuart Parker and Steph Hoyland have both worked there. And most recently Janae Hoyland.
- Bounce: A swim and surfwear shop left to lawyer Toadfish Rebecchi by a client. Connor O'Neil worked there and Serena Bishop went into partnership with Toadie shortly before her death in the plane crash. Shortly afterwards the shop closed.
- Eden Hills: Eden Hills is the rich suburb near Erinsborough. It contains an expensive private school (which Serena Bishop briefly attended), Eden Hills Grammar and Eden University.
- West Waratah: West Waratah is a poor suburb near Erinsborough. Also home to the caravan park where Lou Carpenter and the Timmins family use to live.
- Ansons Corner: Ansons Corner is another suburb near Erinsborough. Often mentioned in the earlier years of Neighbours.
- Elliot Park: Another surrounding suburb of Erinsborough
Groups, societies and competitions
Erinsborough may only be a small suburb but it has housed many diverse organisations over the years, which all seem to have a healthy following. Some of these have included:
- Theatrical society (Gino Esposito directed a production)
- Erinsborough Chess Club (Karl Kennedy and Zeke Kinski reached the final of a contest in 2006, Leo Hancock entered one several years before)
- Tibetan Society (Katya Kinski and Max Hoyland attended language classes)
- Serbian Society (Svetlanka Ristic frequented one)
- Russian Club (Lou Carpenter took his love interest Mishka to make her feel more at home)
- Variety Club (Lou Carpenter and Mark Gottlieb attended and Mark subsequently went with his girlfriend Annalise Hartman on a roadtrip organised by the club)
- Life Mechanics (Cult-esque life management group attended by Stuart Parker)
- Grey Growlers (Senior citizens basketball team players included Madge Bishop)
- Roleplaying Club (Lou Carpenter joined a Dungeons & Dragons-esque club)
- Poetry contest
- Advertising contest
- Cake competition (Madge Bishop and Nell Mangel entered one)
- Aussie BBQ competition (Many members of the street entered with Joe Scully wanting to win the most!)
- Pie-eating contest (Toadfish Rebecchi skived work to attend one, Max Ramsay took part in one)
- Ice-creaming eating contest
- The 'Jog For Justice' Race
- Table-tennis contest
- Uni FM's Undiscovered Song Contest (Nina Tucker, entered with the song "Born to Try" (a real-life single by Delta Goodrem)
- Grandchild of the Year/Cutest Grandchild Contest (Sam Kratz entered this, or rather was entered by his grandmother Marlene)
- Beautiful baby contest (Des Clarke and Kerry Bishop entered their respective children Jamie and Sky in one)
- Mr. Erinsborough competition (Both Stuart Parker and Ned Parker entered)
- Beauty contest (numerous)
- Swimming contest (several)
- Talent contest (several)
- Dancing contest (several)
Awards
The show and some cast members have won several Logies in its time. Winners of the Logies are listed below:
- 1986: Peter O'Brien, for Most Popular New Talent.
- 1987: Peter O'Brien, for Most Popular Actor
- 1987: Kylie Minogue, for Most Popular Actress
- 1987: Most Popular Drama Series
- 1988: Kylie Minogue, for the Most Popular Personality (Gold Logie)
- 1988: Peter O'Brien, for Most Popular Actor
- 1988: Kylie Minogue, for Most Popular Actress
- 1988: Most Popular Drama Series
- 1989: Craig McLachlan, for Most Popular Actor
- 1989: Annie Jones, for Most Popular Actress
- 1989: Most Popular Series
- 1990: Craig McLachlan, for Most Popular Personality (Gold Logie)
- 1990: Craig McLachlan, for Most Popular Actor
- 1990: Rachel Friend, for Most Popular Actress
- 1990: Most Popular Series
- 1991: Richard Huggett, for Most Popular New Talent
- 1998: Brooke Satchwell, for Most Popular New Talent
- 1999: Daniel MacPherson, for Most Popular New Talent - Male
- 2003: Patrick Harvey, for Most Popular New Talent - Male
- 2003: Delta Goodrem, for Most Popular New Talent - Female
- 2005: Natalie Blair, for Most Popular New Talent - Female
- 2005: Hall of Fame (the series)
Shane Connor's sacking
After being fired from the series in 2003, former cast member Shane Connor (who played character Joe Scully) filed for wrongful dismissal. Evidence presented in court in October 2005 described alleged on-set problems such as arguments with the cast and crew, lateness and absenteeism. This behaviour has been connected to the actor's period of drug use, after the death of his brother.[3] Connor admitted that he'd had problems in that period, prior to receiving a final warning in April 2003, but contested Grundy's claims that he had acted unprofessionally immediately before his dismissal in September 2003. He won the case and was awarded AUD $196,709 plus interest and costs.[4] Connor is now living in the UK, where he is appearing in commercials and makes appearances at university students unions.
Filming in the UK
Natalie Bassingthwaighte who plays Izzy Hoyland exclusively revealed on the 'Behind the scenes' show about the National Television Awards that certain cast members are in the UK filming special scenes for upcoming episodes, which will revolve around Izzy, Susan and Karl. She claimed the episodes will be dramatic. On Jo Whiley's BBC Radio 1 programme (broadcast on 2nd November 2006), the actors stated in an interview that the events in the episodes will surround Susan and Karl's holiday to the UK, and randomly meeting Izzy, who moved there after leaving Ramsay Street.
References
- ^ Moran, Albert. Moran's Guide to Australian TV Series, Allen & Unwin, 1993. ISBN 0-642-18462-3 p 313
- ^ Mercado, Andrew. Super Aussie Soaps, Pluto Press Australia, 2004. ISBN 1-86403-191-3 p 208
- ^ Mercado, Andrew. Super Aussie Soaps, Pluto Press Australia, 2004. ISBN 1-86403-191-3 p 208-9
- ^ Mercado, Andrew. Super Aussie Soaps, Pluto Press Australia, 2004. ISBN 1-86403-191-3 p 209
- ^ Mercado, Andrew. Super Aussie Soaps, Pluto Press Australia, 2004. ISBN 1-86403-191-3 p 231
- ^ Mercado, Andrew. Super Aussie Soaps, Pluto Press Australia, 2004. ISBN 1-86403-191-3 p 218-9
- ^ Mercado, Andrew. Super Aussie Soaps, Pluto Press Australia, 2004. ISBN 1-86403-191-3 p 223
- ^ Mercado, Andrew. Super Aussie Soaps, Pluto Press Australia, 2004. ISBN 1-86403-191-3 p 211
- ^ Holmworth, Leigh. Neighbours could air on BBC3, Media Guardian 12th July 2006 12:15pm BST [1]
- ^ TV Week, "Moving in!", ninemsn. Retrieved on 2007-01-28.
- ^ a b c Martin McDowell, "Neighbours changes: Mac on the Box", The Soap Show. Retrieved on 2007-01-28.
- ^ "Kristie to meet up with Neighbours", Yahoo! News, 2007-01-14. Retrieved on 2007-01-28.
- ^ Digital Spy, "[2]". Retrieved on 2007-02-10.
- ^ a b c d Fiona Bryne, "Shake-up on Ramsay St", Herald Sun, 2006-12-24. Retrieved 2006-12-24.
- ^ a b "Neighbours move on, move in", Herald Sun, 2006-10-22. Retrieved 2006-12-24.
- ^ Fiona Byrne, "Mailman delivers", The Sunday Herald Sun, 2007-01-28. Retrieved on 2007-02-03.