The fan who organized a petition to save Neighbours has received a discreet thank-you from the show.
“Edward Skylover,” a Neighbours fan, started a Change.org petition in February, urging Channel 5 to reconsider its decision to cancel the renowned Australian serial.
Despite the fact that Neighbours is one of Channel 5’s most-watched series, the petition garnered 67,000 signatures and made headlines on both sides of the globe, Channel 5 refused to budge.
In a sequence starring Terese Willis and Chloe Brennan on Channel 5’s Neighbours on Friday (April 29), a veiled allusion to the petition was made.
Terese and Chloe were discussing their favorite topic – Fashion Week at Lassiters – when the unexpected happened.
Chloe told Terese: “The Livestream tickets to the show are selling like crazy.”
Terese asked: “Okay, who’s managing them?”
Chloe replied: “Edward Skylover. The buzz he’s generated is huge.”
Looks like the Neighbours team were very grateful for the support.
Another superfan, Alan – who maintains the Neighbours HQ page on Twitter – had a subtle allusion on screen earlier this month, so it’s not the first time the program has given a stealth shout-out recently.
Shane Isheev, the writing producer for Neighbours, who came up with the concept, subsequently tweeted: “Just a little thank you for being such a fantastic and devoted fan of the program. Who knows what other superfan identities will surface in the months ahead?”
In early February, Channel 5 announced its intention to cancel Neighbours, claiming to instead focus on “raising our commitment in original UK drama.”
Negotiations with Neighbours’ production firm, Fremantle, are reported to have broken down over expenses, with Channel 5 calling the Australian soap’s price tag “extremely pricey.”
Despite Fremantle’s efforts to find a new UK broadcasting partner, the search was fruitless, and production on Neighbours will now finish in June. On August 1, the final episode will air.
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