Neighbours will be marking its 30th birthday on March 18, with celebrations kicking off today, so here are 30 facts you may not know about the show...
Neighbours is set in Ramsay Street (Channel 5/Fremantle)
1. Erinsborough is an anagram of Or Neighbours.
2. Approximately 28,000 cast and crew have worked on the show in the three decades.
3. Since Neighbours was first broadcast in 1985, the soap has been watched in more than 60 countries around the world.
This includes Barbados, Norway and Belgium, as well as the UK and the US.
4. An estimated 21 million people in Australia and the UK watched Neighbours during 2014.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1T5R_F9Dwbg&feature=oembed
5. The Neighbours 30th anniversary on March 18 will mark the 7,083rd episode.
6. If you were to watch all the Neighbours episodes back to back, it would take approximately 147 days.
7. It takes six months for an episode to be plotted, filmed and edited before it airs on screens.
8. Ramsay Street is an actual residential street called Pin Oak Court in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs.
Brett Tucker has made it in Hollywood (Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP)
9. Five regular cast members (current and past) have played multiple characters.
Brett Tucker steals the record, having portrayed four characters – a patron, construction worker and Ned Goodman, as well as his more permanent role as Daniel Fitzgerald. Alan Fletcher, Scott Major, Tim Phillips and Colette Mann have each taken dual roles.
10. In 2013, three backyards for numbers 22, 25 and 32 were built on the show’s back lot.
This makes it the largest dedicated drama set in the Southern Hemisphere.
11. There have been 15 births, 34 deaths and 41 marriages on Neighbours.
Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan’s characters tied the knot on screen (Channel 5)
12. Scott and Charlene’s wedding (episode 523) in November 1988 was watched by 19.6 million people in the UK.
13. There are approximately 3,320 pieces of clothing in the costume department.
14. Neighbours has filmed outside of Melbourne on five occasions – twice in London and Sydney, and once in Port Douglas, Queensland.
15. The show has launched the careers of global stars.
Kylie Minogue, Jason Donovan, Guy Pearce, Margot Robbie, Delta Goodrem, Jesse Spencer, Natalie Imbruglia and Holly Valance have become household names from the soap.
Stefan Dennis was part of the original cast (Ian West/PA)
16. Stefan Dennis (Paul Robinson) is the only actor remaining who appeared in the first episode.
The actor left Neighbours in 1993, before returning in 2004, making Paul the longest-running character on Australian television.
17. Paul is also the most married character, with five former wives.
18. Jackie Woodburne (Susan Kennedy) has filmed more episodes – close to 5,000 – than any other actress on the show.
19. Ryan Moloney (Toadie) was originally an extra on the show over 19 years ago.
Alan Fletcher and Jackie Woodburne (Ian West/PA)
20. Alan Fletcher and Jackie Woodburne, the soap’s longest-running married couple, played brother and sister in an 1980s police drama, Cop Shop.
21. Harley Bonner, who plays Josh Willis, is the real-life son of Carla Bonner, who played Steph Scully.
22. Harold Bishop’s store has gone through six name changes over the years.
It was first called Daphnes (1986-1993), then Hungry Bite Cafe from 1993 to 1995. It was later named The Holy Roll (1995-1997), The Coffee Shop (1997-2005), Bishop And Carpenter’s General Store (2005-2008) before it was renamed Harold’s Store in 2008 in honour of Harold Bishop (Ian Smith) leaving Erinsborough.
23. The first words spoken on the show were: “No, no, Shane, no, no.”
It was Danny Ramsay, played by David Clencie, having a nightmare.
Harley Bonner and Ariel Kaplan play twins (Channel 5/Fremantle)
24. They may be twins on screen, but in real life Harley Bonner and Ariel Kaplan – Josh and Imogen Willis – are dating.
25. Chris Milligan (Kyle Canning) and Jenna Rosenow (Amber Turner) are also a couple off screen.
26. Rebekah Elmaloglou (Terese Willis) is Dame Judi Dench’s cousin in real life.
Tom Oliver (Channel 5/Fremantle)
27. Tom Oliver, aka Lou Carpenter, was born in Hampshire, in the UK.
28. Tom Oliver (Lou Carpenter), Anne Charleston (Madge Bishop) and Ian Smith (Harold Bishop) all went to school together in Brisbane.
29. In April 1995, the entire cast went on strike for better wages.
They claimed they were getting only half of what their counterparts in British soaps earned.
30. Lily Allen, David Walliams, Matt Lucas, Paula Abdul, Dave Bautista, Neil Morrissey, Emma Bunton and Michael Parkinson are among the famous faces who have stepped onto Ramsay Street.
