ROCK THE REBOOT!
Phones are ringing off the hook as actors scramble to join the new series
Just a few months ago, Aussies came together to celebrate the end of beloved soap Neighbours, but in a shock announcement last week it was confirmed the series would return!
While fans around the world are elated, Woman’s Day can reveal that behind the scenes of the reboot there’s enough tension and drama to give scriptwriters inspiration to pen another decade’s worth of outlandish episodes.
With just four of its most beloved actors signed up for the reboot, including Jackie Woodburne (Susan Kennedy), Alan Fletcher (Karl Kennedy), Ryan Moloney (Jarrod “Toadfish” Rebecchi) and Stefan Dennis (Paul Robinson), fans can expect a very different soap to the one we all farewelled four months ago, which included a big splashy and expensive Kylie-clad finale.
Top TV insiders reveal the new series will have a much smaller cast and likely only film 13 episodes a season to slash the huge production costs that left the series in the
red. Sadly, our source reveals many of the other actors left jobless earlier this year have already begun phoning and begging production for their old jobs back.
“The old Neighbours was very expensive to film, and that budget couldn’t be sustained after the steady decline in ratings, both here and in the UK. To bring it back from the dead, something had to give – and most of the stars were given the chop,” explains the insider.
SECRET DEAL
Executive producer Jason Herbison from production company Fremantle is said to have been secretly working behind the scenes to save Neighbours for months, and last week locked in a deal with streaming service Amazon to buy the rebooted series and air it in Australia, the UK, US, Canada and New Zealand.
The deal was only inked after Jason secretly met up with Stefan, Jackie, Alan and Ryan at their homes to invite them back, revealing that Amazon had thrown the soap a lifeline. He says the four actors, who were rumoured to have previously earned $15,000 a week, jumped at the chance.
“It’s been such a tightly held secret and very few people have been in the know, even behind the scenes,” the source explains, adding, “I know his phone has been ringing hot with desperate former cast members wanting their old jobs back because many are now unemployed”.
Indeed, it’s been a tough time for so many Australian actors, who were forced to compete against each other for work. Upon the announcement, actor Takaya Honda, who played David Tanaka, took to social media to reveal that the rest of the cast knew nothing about the reboot. Actress
April Rose Pengilly, who starred as Chloe Brennan, aired her grievances as well, after being
“left in the dark” by production, something she revealed happened a lot during her tenure.
“We love them and are happy,” she said of the returning four actors, before explaining, “I think some didn’t even tell their families. I get why we had to be kept in the dark too, but it’s a tough situation... This happened a fair bit, being dropped without warning and us being blindsided and then bombarded by questions... it’s just a lot.”
Sadly, Neighbours icons including Rebekah Elmaloglou and Annie Jones have been left out of any formal announcements, with a dark cloud looming over their future in the revitalised new series. While EP
Jason insists he’s still in the process of resetting and planning the next chapter for beloved characters, sources concede there is going to be a “bloodbath” when it comes to further casting as the pressure to keep the show viable against Home And Away and streaming giants heats up.
Neighbours 2.0 is said to be shot at the Nunawading studios where the interiors and Lassiters scenes were produced, and Jason is hopeful he can once again secure the old Ramsay St, which in reality is Pin Oak Court in Melbourne’s Vermont South.