New Look 'Neighbours'

[box_of_delights]

The brand new look to Neighbours launches in Australia on Monday 23rd July. The official website has a preview video of some of the stories and new characters arriving in the next couple of weeks and also showcases the brand new theme tune, logo and opening sequence.

Check this out: http://www.neighbours.com/videos/2833/

It should start airing over here around October.

[McK]

Quoting box_of_delights from 18:48, 18th Jul 2007
The brand new look to Neighbours launches in Australia on Monday 23rd July. The official website has a preview video of some of the stories and new characters arriving in the next couple of weeks and also showcases the brand new theme tune, logo and opening sequence.

Check this out: http://www.neighbours.com/videos/2833/

It should start airing over here around October.

It needs the revamp. Frankly its content and quality have been even lower than usual of late. Whoever runs that show needs to know that bombs and evil twins are the realm of the US soaps which don't even pretend to exist in the same dimension as the rest of us.

[box_of_delights]

Which is exactly why they have revamped it. They've admitted that the sensationalism and US-style melodrama hasn't worked with the core audience and turned away the long term fans they rely on. They've promised a return to good solid characters and to explore family dynamics again.

Sadly, it had come to such a low point in the last few months that they've had to go all out with a new look to underpin the quality changes they're making.

[David Bean]

I haven't watched this programme in about a decade, but I'd be curious to hear what kind of sensationalism and melodrama they've been subjecting you to recently!

[hr]

Psalm 91:7

[box_of_delights]

- A bomb on an aeroplane exploding killing an entire family
- Elle's car exploding
- Carmella's fruit van exploding
- Lassiter's Complex exploding
- The hospital being burned down by a mentally ill patient
- Psychotic twins brandishing guns
- Cliff-edge falls x2
- Harold turning into an almost-murderer
- Mentally ill "scary Mary" stalking Pepper and holding her hostage
- Max and Steph both becoming mentally ill within a year of each other leading to their separation

In addition, the poor writing of most of the characters in the last 18 months, mis-pairings (e.g. the Godly Lyn and evil Paul), the disgraceful replacement of Will with Oliver overnight (due to the Will actor quitting within weeks) and passing on the former's dialogue to the latter etc.

The show have thankfully admitted their mistakes, with the Executive Producer announcing that they 'focused too much on creating scenes that looked good in a 15 min promotion, rather than creating sustained drama'.

[flossy]

Anyone know of where one can watch Neighbours online as I can't get any TV reception in my flat?

I was pissed off that the Lilyana/Paul story had to end (airplane crash). Stingray's death was the dumbest thing ever and Frazer rescuing the little girl from being trodden by horses could be seen from a mile off. But I do disagree with Box-of-Delights on one point: every woman thinks she can reform a bad boy so the Lyn/Paul pairing was a good one in my eyes.

[hr]

If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the substrate.

[Midget]

Stingray died?

Noooo

In jail? Did he bleed to death?

[hr]

IMAGE:img9.imgspot.com/u/04/241/18/160019.jpg new shite
http://standrews.facebook.com/profile.php?id=37100090

[househunter]

Added 15/10/2007

Nice, video from the future.

Still no black people in the show I see?

[oddly familiar]

I'm still seeing an exploding van in the preview. Is this one of the previously exploded vans or a new one?

[hr]

saru mo ki kara ochiru

[box_of_delights]

It is a yet to explode van - Susan and Ringo are involved in it somehow, but no one is killed. It was just a stunt to bring in some viewers along with the wedding in the first episode of the revamp. Ironic considering exploding vans was something they plan to detach themselves from...

[McK]

Quoting box_of_delights from 11:53, 19th Jul 2007
It is a yet to explode van - Susan and Ringo are involved in it somehow, but no one is killed. It was just a stunt to bring in some viewers along with the wedding in the first episode of the revamp. Ironic considering exploding vans was something they plan to detach themselves from...

I miss the days when the most exciting storylines were Karl stealing Marlene's garden gnomes or Helen having another hip replacement. They just don't make it like they used to...

[Rilla]

Quoting McK from 12:20, 19th Jul 2007
I miss the days when the most exciting storylines were Karl stealing Marlene's garden gnomes or Helen having another hip replacement. They just don't make it like they used to...

Me too!!
And jokes about lamb chops.
I suppose I'm one of the core audience group who's been loyal to neighbours since 1985.
But lately, it's not been worth it at all.

Bring back Scott and Charlene, I say! And Mrs. Mangle!

[hr]

Be good to yourself because nobody else has the power to make you happy.

[eagle]

Since Helen died, who's been chopping the carrots?

[Paranoid]

Bring back Dee is what I say, THEN you'll have more people tuning in again...she didn't die afterall, just did a 'Harold'...we'll find her in a charity shop soon enough!

[hr]

..I've got this pain down all the diodes on my left side...

[box_of_delights]

Not quite Dee, but Libby is coming back in the next few months.

And not Scott and Charlene, but there is a rumour that they are currently casting the role of their first son, Daniel Robinson.

[Cain]

is this like a reboot of Neighbours, like Marvel's Ultimate line?



[hr]

I hold an element of surprise

[David Bean]

Quoting box_of_delights from 20:43, 18th Jul 2007
The show have thankfully admitted their mistakes, with the Executive Producer announcing that they 'focused too much on creating scenes that looked good in a 15 min promotion, rather than creating sustained drama'.

Having come out and admitted that, then, isn't the most obvious conclusion that he failed in his job and should resign immediately?

I would say that it sounds like fun, if it weren't for the fact that I actually remember some of these characters, and the scriptwriters owe a duty of care if not to them, at least to the fans of the show.

[hr]

Psalm 91:7

[box_of_delights]

The problem lies largely with the network who commission it in Australia - Network TEN. Their former drama executive was very keen on "sexing up" the show, increasing the teen cast and upping the drama. When Ric Pellizzeri came on board as EP in 2003 he was keen to up the ante, but was very quick to stress that he would focus first on developing strong characters and building up nuclear families. This worked for a while in 2003-04 but it seems both the network and the scriptwriters with their new found freedom got a bit carried away.

Thankfully, Dan Bennett has taken over as head of drama at TEN and has been keen to take the show back to its gentle suburban roots. They've gone to great lengths to stress that the show will be a lot more family focused and dealing with everyday problems, rather than big ratings grabbers.

[box_of_delights]

A couple of interesting articles about the changes:

From the Courier Mail:
WHILE Monday night signals a new beginning for Neighbours, fans shouldn't expect to see many big changes.
Channel 10's network drama executive Dan Bennett says that aficionados should see only subtle differences next week, as the reworking is planned to continue at a gentle pace for the next 12 months.
``July 23 marks the beginning of the changes, but we have been careful to let everyone know not to expect that we have flicked a switch and made everything 100 per cent different,'' Bennett says.
``There will be a new family, the Parkers, and it's also the week that we start new storylines, so it's the perfect opportunity for viewers who have lapsed to come back and for new viewers to come on board.
``We have been very conscious not to alienate the fans that we have at the moment. We haven't dropped a bomb on Ramsay St to start from scratch, but a new audience can come on from the beginning and join us for a new journey.''
Bennett says the changes, which have included money being injected into improving sets and lighting as well as changing to a high-definition filming format, were needed for the soap to stay competitive.
``We recognise that the audience is spoilt for choice now, because there are so many UK, US and Australian drama productions that are looking so great,'' he says.
``The reality is that people are watching less TV and when they sit down to choose what small amount they will watch, we want our product to be as good, if not better, than other programs.
``We were aware that Neighbours hadn't kept up with production trends but that was because of financial restrictions, so we decided it was time to step up to the plate and inject some funds into the show.''
As well as Steve Bastoni and Nikki Coghill joining the cast, Brett Tucker from McLeod's Daughters has signed on and favourite Kym Valentine, left, will return as Libby Kennedy. Joan Sydney, who played Matron Sloan in A Country Practice, will revive her role as Valda Sheergold and Penny Cook will make regular visits back to Erinsborough.
Bennett says that a fresh approach to storylines was also needed and the new direction would reflect audience feedback.
``It's recognition that we needed to take the show back to the family and relationship stories, and away from the event-style storytelling, and the audience told us they were after a show that they were able to find an emotional connection with,'' he says.
``We don't all go around exploding bombs and carrying guns - there is still a place for that because we are still a soap opera and that will occur - but we do all have issues with our families and relationships so that will be more the focus now.''
Bennett says there's no risk of the show being cancelled. ``Neighbours is really safe,'' he says.


and


from the Daily Telegraph (Australia):
Let's get one thing straight - Neighbours is not being relaunched. Rejigged, remodelled, revamped, re-imagined and refocused. Just not relaunched. Producers of the long-running soap have been at pains to make the July 23 transition into what they call "phase two" of Neighbours as seamless as possible.
Any word of a relaunch might bring negative connotations - like a car that has stalled, or a ship which has run aground.
In truth, both analogies work. Neighbours has suffered a ratings slide to the point where last year less than 700,000 viewers a day were tuning in.
Choking in the face of robust ratings on the part of its 6.30pm timeslot adversaries, Nine's A Current Affair and Seven's Today Tonight, there was a general acknowledgement at Ten and by the show's owner FremantleMedia that the show needed, if not an overhaul, at the very least a fresh splash of paint.
Ten's drama executive Dan Bennett says there was a recognition Neighbours hadn't kept pace with other Australian dramas on TV.
"We knew that if we wanted to remain relevant and be around for the next 20 to 22 years we had to step up to the plate and make changes that needed to be made so that Neighbours is as good as any other Australian drama on TV," he says.
"We knew it was going to be quite a long process. We're not kidding ourselves that we could flick a switch and all of a sudden everything would be fixed."The announcement that Neighbours would shift gears followed news of a change in the UK, where arguably the most hardcore fans of the show live and where it screens to almost six million viewers a day.
UK network Five will pick up the show from 2008 after outbidding the BBC, which has aired the show since 1986.
Neighbours' owner FremantleMedia is reportedly using the $720 million Five paid to aquire the rights to the soap to help fund the makeover.
So what will viewers see when they tune in on Monday? Firstly, the new opening titles will be splashed with a bit more colour and there is a new mix of the theme song. By next year, the show will be seen in High Definition, improving the overall look.
As well as a new aesthetic, we'll be introduced to a new family. The Parkers - Steve (Steve Bastoni), Ned's older brother, his wife Miranda and daughter Bridget - move to Erinsborough from Sydney.
Another recognisable new cast member is former All Together Now star Jane Hall, who plays Rebecca Napier. And Kym Valentine, who played Libby Kennedy between 1994 and 2004, will return to Ramsay St.
Viewers can expect storylines to evolve in upcoming weeks.
"Neighbours tends to be at its most successful when exploring high-stakes relationship and family stories and the audience tends to not respond as well to the higher reality stories. Guns and psycho stories are all good in small doses," Bennett says.
One of the best examples of a relationship-based story which kept viewers hooked was that of Karl and Susan Kennedy.
"Karl cheated on Susan several times but the audience were still clapping when they got back together," Bennett says.
Pippa Black, who plays Elle Robinson, is set for a somewhat controversial storyline.
"I nearly flipped out when I picked up the script," she says. "I went up to the producers and said, 'What's going on?'"
But Black approves of the changes. "We're getting a lot more studio room and hopefully sets won't wobble when you close the doors."
* Neighbours, weekdays, Ten, 6.30pm

[Paranoid]

Awwww Kym Valentine was definitely me first ever on-screen crush!


...Libby and Dee...now there's a dream made in heaven!!


But Valda??? Why the hell do you want to bring HER back? Has Lynne left for good?

[hr]

..I've got this pain down all the diodes on my left side...