Axed soap Neighbours to make innovative return to social media screens with aid from AI technology

Despite being axed three times already, Neighbours is rising from the ashes once again – this time in a bid to appeal to social media users.

The beloved Australian soap, which launched in 1985, was on screens for just a matter of months before the axe fell. The following year it was sold to the UK, and a game-changing revamp by a new broadcaster made household names of Kylie Minogue, Guy Pearce and Jason Donovan.

Later, Natalie Imbruglia, Delta Goodrem and Margot Robbie found fame on the suburban Melbourne cul de sac Ramsay Street.

Unfortunately, after British funding was withdrawn in 2022, it ended once again. Amazon Prime Video swooped in, bringing new episodes to audiences in the digital age.

However, after celebrating its 40th anniversary last year, the deal ended and the last ever episode aired in December. An open-ended finale left viewers wondering where the Erinsborough residents would head next, with the demolition of their homes threatening to disperse them across Melbourne.

With appetite for the serial still lingering, UKTV signed a new deal with production company Fremantle Media to broadcast classic episodes each weekday lunchtime.

Now, Fremantle has joined forces with RoseBerry, an innovative television company that produces programmes in a vertical format for its 'epis' app.

As first reported by Variety, instalments from Margot Robbie's era of the programme, which saw her play schoolgirl Donna Freedman between 2008 and 2011, will be re-cut with artificial intelligence (AI) to bring them to new audiences.

The publication notes that, while traditional soap operas would focus on a multitude of characters, these new episodes will be based entirely around Donna's exploits.

A total of 150 minutes' worth of content will be produced by scanning the Neighbours archive with RoseBerry's AI-assisted platform RedSnapper.

The company has already worked with Hollyoaks producers Lime Pictures to make an original series on the soap's set in Chester, starring former cast member Tamara Wall.

"Neighbours is an iconic piece of television history and exactly the kind of premium entertainment IP we believe can thrive in the vertical format," Guy Hameiri, co-founder and CEO of RoseBerry Media, said in a statement.

"This is the first time we’ve had the opportunity to apply RedSnapper to a long-running soap with such a rich library of characters, storylines and cultural moments, and Fremantle has been a fantastic partner in helping bring that vision to life."

Fremantle commercial and international CEO Jens Richter, added: "Neighbours has an extraordinary legacy, with decades of memorable characters, stories and talent.

"Working with RoseBerry allows us to explore incredible archive in an entirely new way, bringing much-loved IP to new audiences while demonstrating how established television libraries can continue to evolve, find new relevance and importantly create new commercial opportunities.

"It’s an exciting example of how technology and creative thinking can unlock new value from our diverse catalog and content library."

An early clip released shows that the Donna story kicks off with her relationship with Ringo Brown (Sam Clark).

Read more:

• I gave Kylie Minogue, Margot Robbie, Jason Donovan and more their big breaks on Neighbours - this is what I saw in each of them
• Where to watch and stream Classic Neighbours as it returns to screens
• Terence Donovan, Neighbours star and father of Jason, dies aged 90

Neighbours airs on U&Drama weekdays at 2pm, or can be streamed on U and Channel 4. Selected iconic episodes and the entirety of 2012-2025 can be watched on Amazon Prime Video now.

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