Jackie Woodburne says Neighbours will leave a ‘massive gap’ in television.
The 66-year-old actress, who has played instructor Susan Kennedy on the famous soap opera since 1994, has described the cancellation as a “loss of an icon.”
‘It doesn’t matter how conscious you are of the fans that watch the program and how much they appreciate it,’ she remarked in an interview with Studio 10, ‘but this week, it’s like a floodgate has opened and I’ve had the most beautiful comments from people.’
People will miss the show greatly, and it will leave a significant void in the landscape of not only Australian television, but also international television, particularly in the United Kingdom.
‘It’s the end of an era, the death of a legend, and we’ll never see another show like Neighbours,’ says one fan.
UK’s Channel 5 acquired the rights to the soap in 2008.
However, the network just stated that it will no longer carry Neighbours.
Instead, starting this summer, the network will focus on “original UK drama.”
Because it was not commercially viable for Australian broadcaster Network 10 to pay the Freemantle Media-produced show alone, the UK broadcaster covered the majority of the production costs.
‘As mentioned in the email to Neighbours cast and crew, it is our goal to maintain our affiliation with Neighbours if another broadcast partner comes forward,’ a Network 10 representative recently said.
‘Network 10 remains committed to the show, its cast and crew, and hopes that Fremantle will find a new production partner.’ We’ll keep you updated as more information becomes available.’
