Amazon has announced it is reviving Australian TV soap Neighbours, less than four months after its much-publicised final episode.
The show will resume filming next year and will then be available in the UK and US on Amazon Freevee, the company’s free streaming service.
Neighbours is “a unique series with a powerful connection with its fans across the world”, Amazon said.
Those fans had thought it was over when its star-studded finale aired in July.
Kylie Minogue, Jason Donovan and Guy Pearce were among the old favourites who returned for what was thought to be the last episode, in which all the houses on Ramsay Street were up for sale.
But Stefan Dennis (Paul Robinson), Alan Fletcher (Karl Kennedy), Jackie Woodburne (Susan Kennedy) and Ryan Moloney (Toadfish Rebecchi) will be among the cast members returning to the Melbourne street for the new series.
However, actor Takaya Honda, who played David Tanaka, told his social media followers that many former members of the cast had not to have been told about the relaunch.
He posted a picture of Fletcher, Woodburne and Moloney on Instagram, writing: “Apart from these three and Steffan [sic] the rest of the cast are finding out with you. Please give us time to process. We don’t know anything more.”.
The new series will be on subscription service Amazon Prime Video in Australia, New Zealand and Canada, while it will be once again broadcast on TV channel Network 10 in Australia. Previous episodes will also be available to stream.
Amazon executive Lauren Anderson said: “Neighbours has captivated its audience for nearly 40 years, building a dedicated and loyal following for the lives and stories of the characters on Ramsay Street.
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