Neighbours: Discussion Thread

[NothinButAttitude]

Katherine Kelly Lang (Brooke, B&B) will have a guest role on Neighbours in the future playing herself:

 

http://www.digitalspy.com/soaps/neighbours/news/a775341/the-bold-and-the-beautfiuls-katherine-kelly-lang-has-filmed-a-guest-role-in-neighbours/

[DRW50]

That's great. I guess B&B must still be popular there.

[Adamski]

BOLD, as its known in Australia, is a real fixture on Aussie TV, and it's the only US daytime soap still shown on network TV there. (On Channel Ten, where Neighbours started, and which is the sister channel to eleven, the current home of Neighbours).

 

Y&R and DAYS are both on cable over there, and I don't think GH is shown now. 

Edited November 27, 2015 by Adamski

[Dion]

Apparently TEN signed a "lifetime" deal to have the rights to screen B&B in Australia for as long as it remains in production.

I think the show still rates somewhere in the region of 300,000 to 500,000 viewers in the capital cities, which is much higher than Neighbours recent ratings of around 200,000 (though Neighbours is of course on ELEVEN which has a much lower profile than TEN).

[Ben]

Is anyone still watching Neighbours?

 

I think it improved a lot late last year. Steph's story was awesome, and played brilliantly by Carla Bonner. Paul gaslighting her the way he did has to be the worst thing he's ever done. It was such an unnecessary act of cruelty and horror. So glad he lost everything in the finale. Having Shay revealed as a plant all along was such a good twist, and a good use of recent history.

[Dion]

I'm still watching Neighbours. It comes back in NZ next week.

 

You'd think Paul wouldn't pull such a stunt after what Nick did to him but I guess he has a short memory lol.

 

I like how they misdirected us regarding Shay, letting us believe she was in someway connected to Terese when it turned out that Shay had just been in a kids programme that Terese had run and her real target was Paul.

Edited January 4, 2016 by Dion

[Ben]

So NZ is a week behind Aus/UK.

 

Not just what Nick did to him, but he also battled depression last year after Kate's murder, so you would think he'd have more empathy for those with mental health issues. I think it shows underneath all the excuses and reasons for his behaviour, he's actually not a very nice person at all. I can't wait until everyone finds out what he did to Steph. I was disappointed she didn't want Lucas/Vanessa to know that she wasn't having a psychotic break after all, something I would have thought she would have been more concerned about.

 

I loved the Shay twist, too. I didn't see it coming at all. I'm interested to see where they go with this story.

[Dion]

Yeah NZ is a week behind.

 

There actually was a brief period (following the Delhi Commonwealth Games until the end of the 2010 season) where NZ was actually two hours ahead of the NSW and Victoria screenings, thus was briefly the first in the world to show Neighbours.

 

 

[~bl~]

Is it just me or is strange that NZ is a week behind with Neighbours considering now the UK gets it within 24 hours of the original Australian broadcast.

[Dion]

I don't find it that strange...at one point NZ was over three years behind as Neighbours didn't start airing here until the second half of 1988! (we caught up through a combination of double episodes and screening the show all year round)

 

There were even periods when Neighbours did not screen at all in NZ...and when it resumed they just picked up from roughly where the episodes would have been had they not stopped airing (meaning we skipped the last few weeks of 1995, all of 1996, half of 2000 and nearly all of 2001 except the final week).

 

As for the current situation, I guess the problem is that since Neighbours occupies a 6:30pm slot like in Australia, we'd end up getting it two hours ahead of the first Australian broadcast. Screening it within 24 hours of the Australian broadcast would either mean a later timeslot, or playing it the following day which would mess up the Monday to Friday flow, so being a week behind seems perfectly reasonable to me.

 

I don't begrudge UK viewers getting ahead of us either as the UK audience (and broadcaster whether it be the BBC or Channel 5) have always supported the show to the extent that it sometimes could be considered a UK/Aus co-production. The UK should have caught up years ago.

 

I

[Bright Eyes]

I don't watch regularly (not enough hours in the day), but I had to peek back in for Josh's death. It definitely brought on the waterworks. I couldn't find the Adele version though.

[~bl~]

OK! had the 2 minute clip using the Adele song. http://www.ok.co.uk/tv/524412/neighbours-fans-blast-adele-for-ruining-death-scene 

[Bright Eyes]

Thanks bl. I'll miss Josh, and especially yummy Harley Bonner.

Edited April 6, 2016 by Bright Eyes

[NothinButAttitude]

Do you all think that Paul inadvertently caused the hotel explosion? 

 

I thought the scenes with Josh's death were hard to watch. Especially, when he was telling his daughter, Matilda, farewell. 

[JamesF]

I was really surprised by how effective Josh's death was, particularly the writing and acting. I went into the week with low expectations and as soon as the explosion happened, I was taken aback by the intensity of the scenes to the point I was bawling my eyes out by the end of the death episode!

 

Terese, Imogen and even Paige really showed their worth. Brad...less so but there was at least some emotion there. I also enjoyed Lauren getting Terese to confront what had happened and the tears running down her face.

 

One thing that's been striking me recently (though I feel dirty for saying it) is how hammy Jackie Woodburne is becoming at times. I don't know if it's because she's not had a serious story for quite some time but she just seems a bit cartoony. The stuff on Monday where she accused Karl of flirting with Nene should have been a serious precursor to Sarah arriving but instead it felt like a comedy side story. I don't know, I can't put my finger on it.

 

There's a really good energy about the show at the moment and a freshness to the stories. Lots of variation, some good teen actors, intrigue around Ned and this new John Doe guy. I'm enjoying 90% of the show which is rare

Edited April 6, 2016 by JamesF