I think the point they’re trying to make is that P+ could’ve stepped in and rescued the show, and reaped any benefit of increased (arguable as they don’t release ratings and hard to compare to linear viewing) audiences that Freevee are claiming.
Bit if a moot point, given @KICK-IT’s point above.
Neighbours. Mondays To Thursdays At 4.00pm On 10 And 10 Play And 6:30pm On 10 Peach.
Award-winning media personality, Maria Thattil has stepped onto the Neighbours set this week to commence filming her guest role on the iconic series.
From being crowned Miss Universe Australia in 2020 to gracing our screens on 10’s I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!, Maria is a published author, speaker, actor, and host who is set to add Ramsay Street resident to her long list of credits.
Receiving Marie Claire’s 2023 The Voice of Now Award and headlining global campaigns for inclusivity and LGBTQIA+ rights, Maria uses her voice to campaign for change.
Maria joins the cast as Amira Devkar, the older and sometimes bossy sister of Haz Devkar, played by regular cast member Shiv Palekar. It’s an emotional reunion for the siblings who have had challenges with their strict parents. However, despite having her brother’s best interests at heart, not everyone on Ramsay Street is thrilled with Amira’s arrival.
Maria said “I’m so excited to be heading to Ramsay Street to bring Amira to life, and best believe she’s coming in with a bang! It’s a pretty surreal thing to get to play a queer woman of colour on one of the most iconic shows in Australia, as seeing that representation was unheard of when I was growing up. I couldn’t be prouder to join the Neighbours cast and I can’t wait to stir up a little fun.”
Set to debut in 2024, Maria’s character is definitely set to add some flair to the vibrant world of Erinsborough.
I hope that Maria Thattil does a good job on the show. I was wondering when the character “Haz” (who runs Harold’s Cafe) was getting a family member entering the street.
Family members of characters usually pop up months later of them entering Ramsay Street, and randomly too. True soapie style. lol
Why would they though? This situation is actually an example of Paramount working independently in different countries - axing the show in the UK but trying to keep it on air then subsequently striking a deal to revive in in Australia.
As we’re seeing now the big players are realising that keeping shows for themselves to air on their own streamers around the world isn’t actually as good a business model as the one it replaced of selling them on, so in terms of future viability it makes far more sense to have the risk split across two companies rather than one, especially as Paramount+ really isn’t a big player in the UK at all.
Herald Sun reports today that Krista Vendy is back on Neighbours as Tess Bell. The character has returned to show her support to save Erinsborough High School.
I never really connected with her returned character and found her a bit annoying TBH, just IMO, despite some key storylines and her being prominent across 2010, 2011 and 2012.
I think it was the casting and continuity. She looked nothing like the previous Summer (Marisa Siketa) we all knew from her years in the early-mid 2000s as a series regular alongside Boyd (Kyal Marsh) and Max (Stephen Lovatt). Plus she’d been absent from the show prior to early-mid 2010 for nearly 4 years, not to mention Boyd had departed in mid-2007 and Max about 5 months before that, leaving Steph as the only loose connection - but luckily Lyn (Janet Andrewartha) had recently returned as a series reg in late 2009 so there was at least some solid connection there. But unlike Michaela Banas (temp for Libby in late 2008) and Erin Mullally (replaced James Sorenson as Declan in 2010) who were immediate replacements and also looked more like their previous actors, this was not the case with Jordy.
So having Jordy back again, trying to keep this ‘Hoyland’ name alive for some reason with virtually zero connections today, just seems like a random nostalgia grab for fans from say 2010 or those who follow her social media/current life ventures maybe. Surely producers/writers could’ve gone with one of many better characters with better connections and storylines for a current return, even if brief.
2012 was, IMO, the last decent season (even though Ten’s network problems had well and truly begun including Neighbours on Eleven), but from 2013 when those new families arrived as well as a number of early season cast departures (Lucas, Vanessa, Andrew, Summer, Natasha from memory - and over that next year Chris, Kate, Callum and Sophie). That’s when the show really started going downhill big time, I tuned-out for about 12 months around then but did start re-watching around late 2014 and stayed until Sonia (Eve Morey) left at the very start of 2019. While that period had some good moments, nothing like the past.
The storyline that stands out most from 2012 for me, is Priya Kapoor having an affair with Paul Robinson and they’d meet up at Erinsborough High or something and ruining the family, her daughter Rahni was friends with Callum and Sophie.
That’s an obscure deep cut
Shows how desperate this new Neighbours is. So pathetic…:
It really is. They’ve lost the plot with all these random, useless and unnecessary returnees.
I don’t think it’s desperation. I think it’s the Executive Producer trying to bring back as many of his favourite past characters as he can. Maybe he just likes the nostalgia or maybe he thinks this is going to generate publicity and bring back some old viewers.
For a long time, they struggled to bring actors back to the show but now it seems they do want to come back. But it does feel like there’s too many coming back and they just seem to be cameo appearances.
Generally, since it came back, I think the show has only been good with the newest familes and characters. They should have concentrated more on those and introducing more new characters rather than wasting time on returnees.
I think it’s good that they have former characters returning but some of them do seem a bit forced.
But I will always be devo because they can never bring back Daphne. Forget Scott and Charlene, Mike and Jane, Harold, etc, etc, Daphne dying legit upset me back in the day 
Thanks Greg Fleet!
TelevisionAU gone all hip 
I would say the Tess character is forced more so, at least they with Scott he had hid brother. Who does Tess have? A pig in state?
His favourite past characters? He doesn’t really spank for the fans.
I re watched that episode recently on DVD. Yep can confirm great acting from all involved 
Ooh! Don’t remember the spank episode. 
I wonder if former show staples like Kym Valentine (Libby Kennedy), Lyn Scully (Janet Andrewartha) or Stephanie Scully (Carla Bonner) or former popular long-runners like Jane Hall (Rebecca Napier), Lucas Fitzgerald (Scott Major), Callum Jones (Morgan Baker), Kate Ramsay (Ashleigh Brewer), Sophie Ramsay (Kaiya Jones) or Chris Pappas (James Mason) have been offered return stints or expressed interest?
A number of these actors have also been producers/writers/directors behind the camera, come back to mentor, guest appearances or have continued to show support/love on social media for the show.
