Neighbours General News Thread

Neighbours bosses have said that they would like Sheree Murphy to star in the soap.

The actress, who has had roles in both Emmerdale and Hollyoaks, is preparing to move to Australia after her footballer husband Harry Kewell was signed to Melbourne Victory.

"We heard a few months ago that she would love to have a role on Neighbours, but there has been no contact from her agent as yet," a show spokesman told the Herald Sun.

"If we could find a role for her that would be appropriate, we would, of course, consider her for the role. Our UK audience is massive, so to have somebody like Sheree would be great as she would be instantly recognisable to viewers over there.

"I suspect she grew up watching Neighbours in the UK, so I'm sure she would be open to the idea of joining the cast."

Murphy recently announced that she is expecting her fourth child with Kewell.

Channel 5 has launched a new Neighbours competition for UK fans, offering up a one-week trip for two to sunny Queensland, Australia.

The lucky winner will also be awarded £1,000 spending money, accommodation - and the chance to meet members of the Neighbours cast.

Channel 5's competition ties in with some special Neighbours episodes which are being filmed on-location in Queensland in October.

When Kate Ramsay (Ashleigh Brewer) makes a mistake which causes her to lose her job and friends, she decides to spend time away from Erinsborough and heads to Far North Queensland.

Paul Robinson (Stefan Dennis) later becomes involved in the storyline when more trouble at home leads to him embarking on a desperate mission to bring Kate back to Ramsay Street before it's too late.

All details of the competition are on the Channel 5 Neighbours website.

Former Neighbours star Craig McLachlan paid a visit to the soap's set today after more than 20 years away from Erinsborough.

The actor, who played the role of Henry Ramsay in the '80s, was at the show's studios in Nunawading, Melbourne to record an interview for a forthcoming documentary.

Although McLachlan is not returning to Neighbours, he agreed to pose for pictures on set outside Harold's Store.

Channel 5 has confirmed that the documentary in question will air in Australia, looking back on iconic '80s moments.

Henry Ramsay was last seen on screen in Neighbours in 1989, when he bowed out after nearly three years on the programme.

McLachlan has since appeared in a number of other Australian shows and he competed in the sixth series of ITV1's Dancing On Ice earlier this year.

Neighbours star Jordan Smith has landed a new deal with the soap.

The actor, who plays student Andrew Robinson, recently signed a contract which will keep him in Erinsborough for another two years, TV Tonight reports.

Confirming his intention to stick with Neighbours for the foreseeable future, Smith told the website: "There's so much to learn. I learned more in my first week here than I did in any acting course.

"If I can keep learning and not slack off and just keep getting into it, then when I leave be financially stable and know that I've tried things with acting and know what works and what doesn't - and getting paid to do it - then it's not bad."

The 22-year-old also predicted that there could be interesting times ahead for Andrew's relationship with dad Paul (Stefan Dennis) once he graduates from school.

Smith explained: "Andrew is pretty ambitious, so whatever he does he will always be making money. Even though he wants to be Paul, I think he wants to be equal with Paul.

"Eventually they will have to clash or start taking from each other. Whatever he does, he'll go hard at it."

Neighbours airs weekdays at 1.45pm and 5.30pm on Channel 5 in the UK and weekdays at 6.30pm on Eleven in Australia.

Neighbours cast members and executive producer Susan Bower have released a video wishing fans of the soap a merry Christmas.

James Mason (Chris Pappas), Jordan Smith (Andrew Robinson), Ryan Moloney (Toadie Rebecchi), Tom Oliver (Lou Carpenter), Christopher Milligan (Kyle Canning), Stefan Dennis (Paul Robinson) and Kaiya Jones (Sophie Ramsay) all feature in the video, which was recorded behind the scenes on the set of the show.

Neighbours airs its 2011 season finale on Eleven in Australia on Friday. The programme remains on air on Channel 5 in the UK until December 16 before taking a four-week break.

Here's a first look at Neighbours guest star Toby Wallace, who'll soon be making an appearance as newcomer Corey on the soap.

As reported earlier this week, Corey is a mysterious but charming guy who Sophie Ramsay (Kaiya Jones) meets at a gig in a forthcoming episode.

Sophie is going through a rebellious phase when she meets Corey, and as they get to know each other, it's not long before they share a kiss.
http://i1.cdnds.net/12/02/618x861/to...ys-corey_2.jpg

© Channel 5

Pictured: Toby Wallace as Corey.

We hear that Corey will only appear in a handful of episodes, but it should be interesting to see how he fits into Sophie's rebellion following her troubled times with Noah and Kate. Will there be more heartbreak ahead for the teen?

Neighbours airs Corey's first scenes next week on Eleven in Australia and in February on Channel 5 in the UK.

Neighbours boss Richard Jasek has joined the debate over alleged racism in Australian TV casting.

The soap's executive producer, who took over from Susan Bower earlier this year, said that the show needs to reflect the diversity of the community more than it has in the past.

He told The Age: "Our instincts as storytellers is to tell a story about the world as we know it. There's never been pressure that we should or shouldn't have any kind of story.

''It's in our interests to keep the accent of the show current. It would be stupid to cast Anglo characters only. It's not a numbers game, it's about remaining in line with contemporary reality that has been put through our perspective."

Neighbours has previously faced criticism for a lack of ethnic diversity in casting choices, and Home and Away star Jay Laga'aia recently accused his show of racism in casting.

However, Jasek said that changes - driven by storytelling requirements - are taking place on Neighbours.

A family of Indian and Sri Lankan heritage recently moved into Ramsay Street, and there are guest roles played by actors of Chinese, Greek, African and Thai descent.

Neighbours actor Stefan Dennis has revealed that he is "thrilled" that co-star James Mason has been nominated for a Logie Award.

The long-running cast member, who plays Paul Robinson in the Aussie soap, joked that the only downside to Mason receiving the nod for 'Most Popular New Talent' might mean that the 22-year-old is not scared of him anymore.

Dennis told Channel 5: "'He may be 'Freckles' to Paul; however, I'm thrilled for James and it's well-deserved recognition for the hard work he has put in. However, nothing is going to change on set; I still want him to be afraid of me."

Mason said that he is "very grateful to everyone who voted" for him, adding: "Mum has been a bit like a campaign manager and I seriously thought she was going to hurt herself when she found out. The whole family are rapt and as I keep saying, just to be nominated is fantastic."

The actor made his Neighbours debut in 2010 but only became a cast regular last year. His alter ego Chris Pappas is the soap's first regular gay character.

Other nominees in the 'Most Popular New Talent' category at the Logies include Dan Ewing and Steve Peacocke from Home and Away, Winners and Losers star Tom Wren and Peter Kuruvita.

The Logie Awards take place on April 15.

Former Neighbours actor Guy Pearce has joked that the Australian soap's character Mrs Mangel was more terrifying than any aliens in Prometheus.

Pearce, who played Mike Young on the show between 1986 and 1989, laughed and replied "never" when asked whether encountering interfering Erinsborough resident Nell Mangel could ever match any encounters with aliens experienced by his character Peter Weyland during the forthcoming Ridley Scott movie.

"Funnily enough, the actress who played Mrs Mangel - Vivean Gray - was the most sweet and delightful lady you could ever come across," added the Lockout star. "So it was an amazing testament to her acting ability that she played one of the most harrowing characters on Australian television."

Gray left Neighbours in late 1988 - following repeated abuse from members of the public who associated her with the divisive Mrs Mangel - and reportedly resides in England.

Neighbours star Ben Barber has revealed that his character Rhys may finally get together with Vanessa (Alin Sumarwata).

Medic Rhys has been attracted to Vanessa since she arrived on Ramsay Street, and Barber explained that the pair will soon share a kiss.


"As Rhys loves to make the first move, he goes in for the kiss," he told TV Week.

Vanessa is currently pregnant with Lucas's (Scott Major) baby, which Barber explained has not put Rhys off her.

"Rhys is attracted to Vanessa because of her fire and passion. She also doesn't play games and she says what she thinks.

"Rhys loves that about Vanessa and sees her as someone he can trust, which is rare for him."

When asked if he could handle the pregnancy situation in real life, Barber added: "I would be conflicted, definitely.

"But if it was the right girl, I'm sure you could make it work."