'Neighbours' gets new exec producer

[Abigail]

Former Neighbours scriptwriter Susan Bower has been named as the Aussie soap's new executive producer.

Bower will take over from Ric Pellizzeri, who is bowing out after five years, when production resumes in the New Year.

Though the soap's recent revamp has failed to have the positive effect on Oz ratings that producers had hoped, Bower has insisted that she is confident about further changes which will be seen in 2008.

"I'm really excited to be working on an Australian icon," she revealed. "The talented people who have worked on the show for years have made significant changes which will bear fruit very soon."

"I have the greatest respect for serialised drama," Bower added. "I never call them soapies."

[TaintedLove]

I wonder if there`ll be a huge cull in the cast? New producers often get rid of a lot of characters - in the Brit soaps anyway. A new broom sweeps clean and all that.

[StarsOfCCTV]

I hope they don't axe the cast, it's so confusing when they do it! Blink and people disappear, blink and new people with complicated life stories appear!

[Ruffed_lemur]

Hope there isn't another cull of the cast. So many have left this year already.