Neighbours are in desperate need of good friends right now, and fans are proving to be exactly that, with a campaign to save the show from cancellation.
After Channel 5 announced that the show would be dropped from their schedules this summer, the Australian serial is in danger of being cancelled for good.
Devoted fans were heartbroken at the idea of losing Ramsay Street for good, and they wasted no time campaigning to keep the show alive.
In the wake of the tragic news, the hashtag #SaveNeighbours has been trending on social media, with one fan even starting a petition on Change.Org to keep the show from disappearing from our televisions.
With nearly 40,000 signatures on the petition, it has proven to be a big success.
Fans, on the other hand, aren’t letting up, and are now on a mission to get the show’s classic theme song to No. 1!
On Tuesday (February 8), one Twitter user proposed the idea, writing: ‘What if we all downloaded Barry Crocker’s original Neighbours theme from iTunes and Spotify and tried to get it in the charts to express how much we love it!
‘Perhaps that will assist to bring greater notice to how much @NeighboursTV is loved and needed in our lives.’
Fellow viewers dubbed the concept “brilliant,” and it quickly gained traction, with admirers purchasing and streaming the renowned theme on music services.
The Barry Crocker song landed at No. 102 on the iTunes downloads chart last night. It is at 27 at the time of reporting!
Meanwhile, the EP is currently ranked No. 8 on the platform’s albums ranking.
Isn’t it impressive?
Despite common belief, Neighbours continues to be a hugely successful show in the United Kingdom, with 1.5 million viewers per day between the two daytime shows.
Channel 5’s reasons for cancelling the show, on the other hand, appear to have little to do with its popularity, since the decision is based on a desire to invest in ‘original UK drama,’ with the broadcaster telling Metro.co.uk that there is a strong appeal’ for it.
However, there is still hope for Neighbours, as Network 10 – which produces the show in Australia – is allegedly committed to keeping the show on the air, with a representative telling TV Tonight that they are ‘hopeful’ that Freemantle would find a new broadcast partner.
Channel 5’s reasons for cancelling the show, on the other hand, appear to have little to do with its popularity, since the decision is based on a desire to invest in ‘original UK drama,’ with the broadcaster telling Metro.co.uk that there is a strong appeal’ for it.
However, there is still hope for Neighbours, as Network 10 – which produces the show in Australia – is allegedly committed to keeping the show on the air, with a representative telling TV Tonight that they are ‘hopeful’ that Freemantle would find a new broadcast partner.
The soap’s Irish broadcaster, RTÉ, is currently ‘in talks’ with Fremantle.
Fans are going to any length to save the beloved soap, and if this campaign has shown us anything, it’s that they’re not going down without a fight.
Who could blame them, to be honest? The Australian soap, which first aired in 1985, has been a staple of television schedules in both Australia and the United Kingdom for nearly four decades.
Kylie Minogue, Margot Robbie, and Liam Hemsworth are just a few of the many celebrities who have benefited from it.
So, if you, like many others, want to show your support for the show and help rescue it, go to your favourite music outlet or join the petition.
Neighbours air on Channel 5 weekdays at 1:45 p.m. and 6 p.m.