Neighbours veterans Jackie Woodburne and Alan Fletcher have spoken out on behalf of the the cast about the soap’s future, after it was axed by Channel 5.
Over the weekend, it emerged the Australian soap could be forced off air after 37 years, following Channel 5′s announcement it is to stop screening the show in the UK this summer.
Unless another British network picks it up, Neighbours will finish filming in June, as the show is largely funded by its international broadcast partner.
Jackie and Alan – who have played Susan and Karl Kennedy since 1994 – revealed the cast are “very emotional” at the real possibility the soap could end this year, and said a “hero” is needed to save it from the axe.
Cast and crew were called to a meeting at the show’s studios in Melbourne on Monday to discuss its future, where Jackie said everyone present was in tears.
Appearing on The Project, she said: “It’s been a rollercoaster, absolutely, the last 24 hours or 36 hours, as you can imagine. Kind of a lot of information to try and process. I still feel a bit in shock, a bit overwhelmed.
“We had a meeting today where our producers gave us some more information, really nothing more than what’s already been out there, but, look, I have to say, the feeling was one of... it was just, it was quite lovely.
“Everybody is sad. We’re all crying, we’re all very emotional about it all, but we’re all so determined to bring this show home as best we can.”
In a newsletter sent to fans, Alan said that the news had “come as a huge shock to a lot of people”.
“The show still has upwards of 1.5 million viewers in the UK on any given day and it seemed to be going strong,” he said, adding that “it seems that the axing of Neighbours is a financial decision”.
He continued: “We need a hero and, maybe, one will come along. In the meantime we have at least seven months of fantastic Neighbours episodes to look forward to.”
If production does come to an end, Jackie said that “everyone wants to honour the show” and end it “with love and with pride and dignity”.
“Would you want to be a writer in that room trying to wind up a show after 38 years in a way that’s going to please everybody? I mean, no pressure at all!” she said.
Jackie added that it would be “awesome” if reports claiming Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan will return to the soap to see it off were true.
The pair found international fame as Charlene Mitchell and Scott Robinson in the 1980s, with their on-screen wedding drawing 20 million UK TV viewers in 1988.
Jason, whose daughter Jemma currently appears on the soap as Harlow Robinson, tweeted on Sunday: “Neighbours changed the Australian television landscape. It launched many careers over decades including mine. Engaged and entertained audiences for generations.
“Hoping that it will find a new home with another UK broadcaster and continue to provide opportunity and entertainment.”
Channel 5 has aired Neighbours in the UK since 2008, after poaching it from BBC One, where it had screened twice daily since 1986.
The network said the decision to drop Neighbours had been motivated by its “current focus is on increasing our investment in original UK drama, which has strong appeal for our viewers”.
Neighbours has long been more popular in the UK than in Australia, where it airs to around 100,000 daily viewers on digital channel 10Peach, with Channel 5 heavily contributing to its production costs.
Aussie network Ten said it is its “intention to continue our association with Neighbours if another broadcast partner comes forward”.
An email to staff from Fremantle Media executive producer Jason Herbison, seen by the Sydney Morning Herald, said that “discussions are ongoing, however there is no new broadcaster at the moment”.
He said that “production must end, effectively resting the show”, with filming set to wrap on 10 June, and the show remaining on air until August.