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'Neighbours' is a long-running Australian television soap opera first broadcast on the Seven Network on 18 March 1985. It was created by TV executive Reg Watson, who proposed the idea of making a show that focused on realistic stories and portrayed adults and teenagers who talk openly and solve their problems together. Seven decided to commission the show following the success of Watson's Sons and Daughters, which aired on the network. Neighbours underperformed in the Sydney market and it struggled for months before Seven cancelled it. The show was immediately bought by rival network, Ten. After taking over production of the show, the new network had to build replica sets because Seven destroyed the originals to prevent its rival from obtaining them. Ten began screening Neighbours on 20 January 1986, beginning with episode 171. Neighbours has since become the longest running series in Australian television and in 2005, it was inducted into the Logie Hall of Fame. On 11 January 2011, Neighbours moved to Ten's new digital channel, Eleven. The shows storylines concern the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the fictional suburb of Erinsborough, Melbourne. The series primarily centres around the residents of Ramsay Street, a short cul-de-sac, and its neighbouring areas, the Lassiters complex, which includes a bar, hotel, cafe, news office and park. Neighbours began with three families created by Watson � the Ramsays, the Robinsons and the Clarkes. Watson said that he wanted to show three families who are friends living in a small street. The Robinsons and the Ramsays had a long history and were involved in an ongoing rivalry. Pin Oak Court, in Vermont South, is the real cul-de-sac that has doubled for Ramsay Street since 1985. All of the houses featured are real and the residents allow Neighbours to shoot external scenes in their gardens. The interior scenes are filmed at the Global Television studios in Forest Hill. Through its entire run in Australia, Neighbours has been screened as a twenty-two minute episode each week night in an early-evening slot. It is currently broadcast at 6:30 pm across the country. The show is produced by FremantleMedia and has been sold to over fifty countries around the world, making it one of Australia's most successful media exports. |