Neighbours 35th Anniversary Spoilers 2020

[its.like.that]

Could number 6 be Naomi?

Finally right about something haha

[Pantherboy]

Sydney Morning Herald article:


Television production takes first tentative steps after COVID-19

https://www.smh.com.au/culture/tv-an...24-p54n13.html

A shell-shocked TV industry has begun to take its first tentative steps back to recovery, with Neighbours resuming production on Monday after a four-week shutdown, while the ABC has announced a $5 million development fund to ensure the sector is production ready when things return to some semblance of normality.

The moves come as production in Sweden and Denmark restarted last week under new guidelines designed to minimise health risks.

Although no such guidelines are yet in place here, Fremantle Media Australia is adopting many similar principles as it reboots Neighbours, which is the first mainstream scripted show to resume production.

According to Screen Producers Australia, at least 119 productions have been shut down or delayed indefinitely by COVID-19, stalling almost $500 million worth of activity in the sector.

Jason Herbison, Fremantle's executive producer for Neighbours, said a small team had worked steadily through what began as a scheduled two-week Easter break before ballooning into a month-long hiatus to "adjust the scripts and reimagine the production model" of the show.

"With every decision, our first objective has been to adhere to the government guidelines and protect health and safety. Secondly, our goal has been to preserve the editorial of the show," he said.

Neighbours is unusually well placed to cater to the social-distancing guidelines, with a dedicated studio in suburban Melbourne that readily lends itself to small teams working discreetly.

"Our production facility is one of the largest in the world and that puts us in a very fortunate position,” said Mr Herbison.

"We have three large interior studios and two smaller ones as well as a gigantic backlot, where we have created the world of Erinsborough. We are taking advantage of every inch of the site and spreading everyone out, creating separate areas which limit the movements of each individual."

Fremantle will also be running daily temperature checks for everyone on site and limiting the number of cast in any one scene.

"However, we will schedule additional cast separately and edit them together, to give the illusion of a larger group," Mr Herbison said.

At this stage, the thinking is to not include coronavirus in the storylines. "We are currently plotting episodes that won’t air until much later in the year, so anything we write now might feel very outdated," Mr Herbison said. "Further to this, there’s a creative question: will our viewers want to switch on Neighbours and relive it again, or is our job to provide escapism? I tend to feel it’s the latter."

The biggest change on screen will be around intimacy. "We can’t have any kissing scenes or hand holding for the time being. But longing looks are fine."...



And from Digital Spy:

Neighbours boss reveals whether the soap will mention coronavirus in new episodes
The Australian soap is resuming production, but will they talk about the pandemic?

https://www.digitalspy.com/soaps/nei...n-coronavirus/

[Pantherboy]

Digital Spy article:


Neighbours and Home and Away returning to five episodes a week on Channel 5
They're set to resume their usual slots on May 11.

https://www.digitalspy.com/soaps/nei...des-channel-5/

Neighbours and Home and Away are reverting back to airing five episodes a week on Channel 5.

From Monday, May 11, the soaps will resume their usual Monday to Friday slots, having originally been cut down to just two per week each last month in an effort to keep them on screens for longer after the coronavirus pandemic disrupted production.

A spokesperson explained at the time: "As a result of COVID-19, we have taken the decision to reduce the number of episodes for Neighbours and Home and Away from five to two per week for both soaps, so that our viewers can continue to enjoy them for as long as possible."

Channel 5 then upped episodes of both soaps from two to three earlier this month.

Without the rationing, it was believed that new instalments would run out in mid-June. So it seems safe to assume that once it's being shown at full capacity again, the cap will be a month or so on that.

Fortunately, Neighbours is set to resume filming later this week, but there will still be social distancing rules in place on set, which includes no kissing or holding hands. UK viewers will still be behind on the current storylines, as Channel 5's episodes are a few weeks later than the Australian broadcast.

Home and Away viewers, on the other hand, will seemingly have to wait a little longer before their favourite characters start work on some fresh material.

Just yesterday (April 28), Aussie actor Lynne McGranger informed a fan on Twitter that there have been no concrete plans made in regards to when the cast and crew can safely start shooting again.

"There's talk of June/July but only hearsay," she explained, along with a shrugging emoji.

Neighbours currently airs Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays at 1.45pm and 5.30pm on Channel 5 (UK) and weekdays at 6.30pm on 10 Peach (Australia).

[Danners9]

Presume the UK will be behind for quite a while, then. Reintroduce the Christmas break in Aus but air it in the UK and catch up that way? or just remain a few weeks behind.

[Pantherboy]

Presume the UK will be behind for quite a while, then. Reintroduce the Christmas break in Aus but air it in the UK and catch up that way? or just remain a few weeks behind.

Or maybe have double episodes (ie 2 a day) in the UK for just a couple of weeks to catch up again to Aust?

[Danners9]

Or maybe have double episodes (ie 2 a day) in the UK for just a couple of weeks to catch up again to Aust?

I think they probably will. The schedule for today has Neighbours at 1.45pm and 5.30pm. Same episode. In between there are double eps of Friends (like we have!!) and News. Could easily sacrifice one of those Friends repeats.

[Pantherboy]

A couple more Digital Spy articles on the return to filming:


Neighbours makes a major change to the show's extras after returning to filming
Cafe customers and joggers on screen will be a little different.

https://www.digitalspy.com/soaps/nei...return-extras/


Neighbours stars confirm major rewrites after the show's surprise return to filming
"There's been hundreds, if not thousands, of changes by the script department."

https://www.digitalspy.com/soaps/nei...turn-rewrites/

[its.like.that]

So who is the old face back for good? I am thinking Skye

[Pantherboy]

Digital Spy article:


Neighbours cast share secrets of the show's return to filming during coronavirus pandemic
It's all change on set.

https://www.digitalspy.com/soaps/nei...g-coronavirus/

Neighbours has released a new video showing how life on set has changed for cast and crew due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Aussie show recently led the way in the TV industry by resuming filming with strict new guidelines to keep the team safe.

New behind-the-scenes footage now shows Takaya Honda (David Tanaka), Matt Wilson (Aaron Brennan), April Rose Pengilly (Chloe Brennan) and Tim Robards (Pierce Greyson) lift the lid on how it's being done.

The Neighbours studios in Nunawading, Melbourne have been split into four different "zones" in order to control the movement of cast and crew.

Cast are filming in small groups, with limited crossover, and must adhere to strict social distancing guidelines on set.

Other changes include temperature checks on arrival and hand sanitiser stations now installed in various places around the set.

Male cast members are no longer going in the make-up chair, while female cast members aren't having their make-up touched up throughout the day.

The show has also stopped using extras for the time being, with members of the production team stepping in to be background artists in scenes where necessary.

Members of the Neighbours team who don't need to be on set, such as the script and story department, are working from home. A number of scripts have been rewritten to remove intimate moments between the characters.

Neighbours returned to filming last month and its rival Home and Away will follow suit next week.

In the UK, ITV's Emmerdale has also started filming again for six special "lockdown" episodes showing how the characters have been coping during the pandemic.

Neighbours airs weekdays at 1.45pm and 5.30pm on Channel 5 (UK) and 6.30pm on 10 Peach (Australia).

[Pantherboy]

Herald Sun article. It is a subscriber only article, so I can't post the link here. Johnny Ruffo, who previously played Chris Harrington on Home & Away, is to make a 6 episode guest appearance on Neighbours:


Ex-Home And Away Johnny Ruffo joins Neighbours cast for six-episode stint
One of Home And Away’s most famous faces is trading Summer Bay for Ramsey Street and in a bid to shake things up in suburbs. Take a look at how Johnny Ruffo’s time on the soap will unfold.

Johnny Ruffo says he has checked off the Australian soap quinella after joining Neighbours for a guest appearance.

The actor and singer was a regular on Home And Away for more than three years and has now filmed a short stint on Ramsay St.

“I was down in Melbourne around March and it was great,’’ Ruffo said.

“It’s very fast moving. I thought Home And Away was quick but Neighbours was so much quicker. You can’t mess around, they were such professionals. I really enjoyed it.

“It’s just Australian royalty, those two shows. It was such an incredible experience and now I’m fortunate to have been on both shows.”

Ruffo will appear in scenes from June 8, for a six-episode guest appearance, playing the role of Owen who first appears as a prison guard, but then it emerges he is an accomplice for Andrea, played by Madeleine West.

“You never know I might get a call back,’’ Ruffo said.

“It’s a pretty interesting storyline and it’s a very different character to what I’ve previously played.”

Ruffo was given the all clear from cancer last year after a two-year battle with brain cancer.

“The last few scans have been positive so I’ve just got to keep staying healthy and every time I get a check up they move it out,’’ he said.

“The last one was every three months and now it’s moved to six months which is good news.

“At the time it was tough, but it’s in the past now and just focusing on the future.”