Ramsay Street is gearing up to welcome a few more familiar faces.
Seven long-time characters are joining Amazon Freevee’s continuation of Australian soap “Neighbours.” The new additions include Annie Jones (as Jane Harris), Rebekah Elmaloglou (as Terese Willis), Georgie Stone (as Mackenzie Hargreaves) and Tim Kano (as Leo Tanaka). All cast members will return as series regulars.
Meanwhile, those returning in guest roles are Ian Smith (as Harold Bishop), April Rose Pengilly (as Chloe Brennan) and Melissa Bell (as Lucy Robinson). They will be joined by “Neighbours” stalwarts Stefan Dennis, Alan Fletcher, Ryan Moloney and Jackie Woodburne, who were previously announced.
The new chapter of the long-running soap series — which centers on the residents of Ramsay Street in a fictional suburb of Melbourne — follows the July 2022 series finale.
“Neighbours” ran for more than three decades and nearly 9,000 episodes before being canceled in early 2021 when the show’s primary funder, U.K.’s Channel 5, pulled out. While it seemed the show wouldn’t return at all after it ended without a new buyer secured, distributor Fremantle made the surprise announcement in November that Freevee had swooped for a brand new season.
Production will begin this spring, with a world premiere slated for the fall.
The new series will premiere for free on ad-supported streaming service Amazon Freevee in the U.K. and U.S. It will also stream on Prime Video in Canada, Ireland, New Zealand and South Africa, and will be available seven days after launch on Prime Video in Australia.
Previous seasons of “Neighbours” as well as many iconic episodes have also been acquired by Amazon Freevee. The free streaming service will feature two series-themed FAST channels, including “Neighbours – Looking Back,” starting Feb. 28, and “Best of Neighbours,” starting March 7.
