Neighbours fans will be left reeling by the news the beloved Aussie soap has officially been axed for a second time.
The long-running favourite was dropped for the first time after 37 years back in 2022, but it then found a surprising saviour in Amazon. However, The Sun reported on Thursday that makers Freemantle had failed to reach a deal with Amazon meaning that the soap will stop production in the summer of 2025. This means that the final episodes of Neighbours will air in late 2025. The official Neighbours social media account confirmed the news in a statement on Friday: "We are sad to announce that Neighbours will be resting from December 2025. New episodes from the 40th anniversary season will continue to air on Prime Video and Ten four times a week until the end of the year, with all the big soapie twists and turns that our viewers love."
A source told the paper: "Amazon gave Fremantle two years to see if it worked but sadly they just didn’t get the viewers.
"It’s a really sad day especially for the cast and crew who work on the show in Melbourne. This really is the end of Neighbours just as it’s celebrated its 40th birthday."
It continues to be a difficult landscape for soaps with the BBC in recent years axing both Doctors and Holby City. There are also fears that other soaps could be axed with ratings falling over the years due in part to increased competition from streaming services. The news about Neighbours ironically comes as EastEnders broadcasted its live episode as part of its 40th Anniversary celebrations. There's no suggestion EastEnders is being axed.
Neighbours previously "ended" with a massively hyped farewell episode which saw Kylie Minogue, Jason Donavan, Margot Robbie and Guy Pearce all returning.
But it's hard to imagine the makers will be able to get together such a big-name line-up again for another farewell. This may result in the feeling that perhaps Neighbours should have just ended on that magnificent "final" episode.
Neighbours fans only hope is that another broadcaster steps in — but that looks unlikely. Farewell Ramsay Street.
