Everybody needs good neighbours, except apparently, UK broadcaster Channel 5.
The station, which has been the biggest financial backer of the TV show Neighbours in recent years, has decided it will not renew the program after this coming British summer.
"We recognise that there will be disappointment about this decision, however our current focus is on increasing our investment in original UK drama, which has strong appeal for our viewers," the network said in a statement.
The show, which is in its 37th season, has been left without the funding it needs to continue because of the decision.
The program's ongoing success has been propped up by its popularity in the UK, where it is watched by about 1.5 million viewers a day.
But Australian audience figures have dwindled over recent years.
In an email to cast and crew on Sunday, production company FremantleMedia said the show would go on hiatus.
"Our audience remains steady and Channel 10 would love the show to continue if we could find another broadcast partner to replace C5 [Channel 5]," the email said.
"These discussions are ongoing however there is no new broadcaster at the moment and production must end, effectively resting the show."
Like many fans, Vaya Pashos has been left stunned.
"I'm in disbelief, I'm in denial," she said.
A TV writer and the host of the fan podcast, Neighbuzz, Ms Pashos said she hoped fan support could help secure a future for the beloved characters of Ramsay Street.
"There's still time to save this show, we're ready, the fan community are ready to crowdfund it," she said.
Online, fans have been rallying in support of the production using the hashtag #SaveNeighbours.
Neighbours 'like a school' for talent across the industry
The show has been an early stomping ground for many of Australia's most successful actors and according to TV critic Michael Bodie, the soap has been a great launching pad for them.
"For the stars like Russell Crowe and Guy Pearce and Delta Goodrem and Margot Robbie, who've been through there — it's given them a sort of discipline that a lot of actors really benefit from," he said.
The role of Neighbours in the Australian film and television industry might surprise viewers, according to former Neighbours script producer Luke Devenish.
Now a senior lecturer in film and television at the University of Melbourne's Victorian College of the Arts, he oversaw scripts for about 1,500 episodes of Neighbours.
"The show has always functioned a little bit like a school, in that it is a really, really pivotal training ground," he told the ABC's The World Today program.
"So many people working across film and television in this country, when you look at their CV, [they] have got Neighbours on it.
"I really feel sad about the loss of that and what that potentially might mean for the Australian film and television industry."
Ramsay Street icons offer escapism to fans
Neighbours secured its status as an iconic television series by delivering unforgettable moments to fans.
Perhaps none more so than when Charlene, portrayed by Kylie Minogue, married boy-next-door Scott, played by Jason Donovan.
It was moments like Scott and Charlene's wedding that have endeared the show to fans from Australia to the UK and Ireland.
"It's the daily escapism; it's the melodrama," said Ms Pashos.
"It's Karl and Susan [Kennedy] arguing over the cucumbers in the back veggie patch and then Rob Mills trying to take out all the characters in an island murder spree."
Whether Ramsay Street has run out of marriages and murderers will likely depend on whether another international backer emerges.
