After 37 years of laughter, tears and drama, Neighbours was set to finish its mammoth run when Channel 5 broadcast the final episode in July last year.
But on Monday (September 18), the Australian soap is back on our screens, with Amazon on board as the production partner. The reboot was based on the response to the final, which attracted three million UK viewers and 1.2 million in Australia.
The show originally helped many actors rise to stardom, including Kylie Minogue, Margot Robbie, Guy Pearce, Russell Crowe, Jason Donovan and Isla Fisher.
Here is everything we know about the Neighbours’ reboot so far.
Who is returning to the Neighbours cast for the reboot?
The following cast members have been confirmed.
- Stefan Dennis as Paul Robinson
- Jackie Woodburne as Susan Kennedy
- Alan Fletcher as Dr Karl Kennedy
- Ryan Moloney as Toadie Rebecchi
- Rebekah Elmaloglou as Terese Willis
- Annie Jones as Jane Harris
- Tim Kano as Leo Tanaka
- Georgie Stone as Mackenzie Hargreaves
- Melissa Bell as Lucy Robinson
- April Rose Pengilly as Chloe Brennan
- Ian Smith as Harold Bishop
- Lucinda Cowden as Melanie Pearson
- Lloyd Will as Andrew Rodwell
- Emerald Chan as Sadie Rodwell
- Candice Leask as Wendy Rodwell
Fans think a teaser from the show’s upcoming reboot has “officially confirmed” a theory involving two characters. It revealed that it would begin with a wedding, leading to speculation about who will be getting married.
In last year’s feature-length final episode, Toadie and Melanie tied the knot in a lake-side ceremony officiated by Susan. And Paul and Terese’s rocky marriage was rekindled. The trailer revealed that Neighbours will jump forward two years from then.
Who are the new cast members?
Mischa Barton will star in the show’s reboot as Reece Sinclair, an American who is new to Erinsborough. You may recognise the actor from playing Marissa Cooper in the 2000s drama series, The OC.
Also joining the show are Sara West as Cara Varga-Murphy, Naomi Rukavina as Remi Varga-Murphy, Marley Williams as Dex Varga-Murphy and Riley Bryant as JJ Varga-Murphy.
Plus, a new dog Trevor, will be moving in with another newcomer Haz Devkar (played by Shiv Palekar).
When will the Neighbours reboot be broadcast?
Production on the soap began in April, and new episodes are set to hit our screens on September 18.
Will it still be a daily soap?
Digital Spy said the plan is to keep Neighbours’ daily format the same as when it was on Channel 5.
“The plan is for Neighbours to keep its format as a high-volume daily soap opera, so it’ll still be the show that fans know and love,” a source told the publication.
“Plans are being made for two new seasons, which will run for 200 episodes each. It’s an incredible result for fans, who thought they’d seen the last of the show when the finale aired in July.
“The logic for Freevee is that daily episode drops will keep fans checking back on the streaming service and engage with other content available.”
The show has been commissioned for two seasons, with at least 200 episodes each.
How to watch the Neighbours reboot
The revitalised series will air free of charge exclusively on Amazon’s ad-supported Freevee service in the UK and US. The site will also stream thousands of Neighbours episodes from previous series.
Freevee is available within the Prime Video app – you simply need a free Amazon account. When you are signed up, just look for the Freevee – Popular Movies and TV – Free with Ads section.
