Family and friendship the keys

Jason Herbison (below) has a long association with Neighbours. After leaving high school he landed a job in the show’s writing department. He has worked on Shortland Street and Home And Away but is currently Neighbours’ executive producer.

What can you tell us about this week’s special episodes to mark Neighbours turning 35?

We’ve got a very heightened dramatic storyline, which involves Finn Kelly (Rob Mills), a character who has had quite a chequered history... He and another group of characters go to a remote secluded island and all hell breaks loose which is going to lead to three characters dying.

How do you ensure Neighbours stays relevant after 35 years?

It’s very important that the show still evolves and moves with the times and is contemporary and reflective of the current day. But at the same time we’ve always maintained the core values of the show which is about people living in a street who laugh, cry, fight, love. Those fundamental things that were in the show way back in the 80s are still true of it today. It’s about family and friendship and overcoming trials and tribulations.

Who has been your favourite character to write for?

There have been so many but I do love the characters that are prone to extremes. Whether it’s a character who is very funny or like Paul Robinson who can get away with anything.

Neighbours was huge in the UK. What’s the appeal for the Brits?

They do think of it as a very sunny alternative to their own soaps, which we always have a little bit of a laugh about because Melbourne is not warm and sunny year round, although we try to make it look as though it’s eternal spring. I think they do like the escapism of it.