We all remember the likes of Absolutely Fabulous, SM:TV Live, Blind Date, but there’s been a whole host of other shows from back in the 90s that have been consigned to the TV vaults.
As HuffPost continues its celebration of old-school televisual treats in our series Rewind To The 90s, we’re raiding the archives to uncover a host of programmed you’d likely forgotten all about… until now.
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1. Man O Man
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Man O Man turned the concept of a beauty pageant on its head and featured a host of male contestants, with a female audience voting on the winner after they were put through various challenges. It memorably saw losing contestants pushed into a swimming pool behind them.
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Based on the German gameshow of the same name, Man O Man was hosted by Chris Tarrant and aired for two series between 1996 and 1999.
2. Don’t Try This At Home
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After learning her craft as a presenter with roles on MTV and a number of late night shows, Davina arrived on prime time with her own Saturday night series, Don’t Try This At Home, in 1998.
It saw members of the public facing tough and extreme challenges, such as bungee jumping, or facing their fears by being locked in a room full of spiders.
One episode saw Davina have to bungee jump from a helicopter into the Grand Canyon after one contestant pulled out of a challenge at the last minute.
3. Hetty Wainthropp Investigates
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Patrica Routledge is beloved for her role as snobby neighbourhood busybody Hyacinth Bucket in BBC sitcom Keeping Up Appearances. But after leaving the show in 1995 at the height of its popularity, Patricia said she wanted to pursue other more dramatic roles – the first of which came a year later when she began playing the titular character in detective series Hetty Wainthropp Investigates.
Airing for four series between 1996 and 1998, viewers followed Hetty – a retired woman from the North West of England – solving crimes that were often seen as too trivial for the police.
4. Ground Force
Coming off the success of home renovation series Changing Rooms was its horticultural counterpart Ground Force.
Each week a team of designers, builders and gardeners, headed up by Alan Titchmarsh, Charlie Dimmock and Tommy Jones would transform an unloved garden, sparking a national obsession with decking and pebble bubble fountains.
5. The Thin Blue Line
The 90s was a golden era for British comedy, with shows like Absolutely Fabulous, Keeping Up Appearances, Desmond’s, Dinnerladies, Men Behaving Badly and The Vicar Of Dibley among the most notable.
One that is often less well remembered is The Thin Blue line – a sitcom penned by Ben Elton set in a police station.
Starring Mr Bean himself Rowan Atkinson and Rudolph Walker (aka EastEnders’ Patrick Truman), it focused on the divide between the uniformed squad and CID and their conflicting approaches to policing.
Only 14 episodes were made across two series between 1995 and 1996.
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6. Sunburn
Sunburn was a BBC drama that followed the lives of a group of British holiday reps working in the Algarve, starring Michelle Collins, Sharon Small, Sean Maguire and Paul Nicholas.
The idea for the show, which ran for two series between 1999 and 2000 – came about after writer Mike Bullen (the man behind Cold Feet) watched the docu-soap Holiday Reps.
7. The Grimleys
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This comedy drama followed the trials and tribulations of the everyday Grimley family, based in the Midlands in the 1970s.
Written by Line Of Duty creator Jed Mercurio, it also starred Amanda Holden in one of her early dramatic roles, where she played school teacher, Miss Geraldine Titley.
After a pilot in 1997, it ran for three series between 1999 and 2001.
8. The Cruise
Following the success of the BBC’s fly-on-the-wall documentary series Airport, the broadcaster set its sight on the seas, and launched The Cruise, which followed the staff aboard the luxury liner Galaxy.
It was also the show that launched the TV career of Loose Women legend and cruiser extraordinaire Jane McDonald.
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Jane was working as a singer on board and captured the nation’s hearts with her down to earth sense of humour and blossoming relationship with partner Henrik, who she went on to marry on the show, which aired for 12 episodes in 1998.
One of the key shows in Channel 5’s early years was House Doctor – a home renovation series with a twist.
Each episode would see Californian real-estate stylist Ann Maurice come to the rescue of people struggling to sell their homes, helping them to declutter and redecorate on a budget in order to attract potential buyers.
Having originally aired between 1998 and 2003, there was a brief revival in 2016, where Ann was succeeded by new designer Tracy Metro.
10. Peak Practice
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Peak Practice was an ITV drama that ran from 1993 to 2002 which was set in a fictional GP surgery in the Peak District.
Kevin Whately, Amanda Burton and Sarah Parish were among those who appeared during the course of its 12 series.
The show ended on somewhat of a cliffhanger when it was axed by ITV, with two characters going over the edge of a cliff, with their fate remaining unclear.
11. Talking Telephone Numbers
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This ITV game show gave viewers the chance to win cash based on their telephone number.
During the course of each episode, various variety acts would perform and play a short game that would generate a number. Once five digits were selected, viewers who had them in their phone number could call into one of the show’s 96 telephonists. A phone line would then be picked at random, and that person given the chance to win £25,000.
The show was presented by Phillip Schofield between 1994 and 1997, with Emma Forbes joining him for the first four series, and Claudia Winkleman co-hosting the final run with him.
12. The Frank Skinner Show
Graham Norton and Jonathan Ross make up the majority of hosts on the chat show circuit these days, but back in the 90s, they had company from the likes of Michael Parkinson, Mrs Merton, Des O’Connor and Frank Skinner.
You might have forgotten that Frank hosted an eponymous late-night show for the BBC between 1995 and 1999, before moving to ITV for its final six years.
As well as celebrity chat, the show also used to feature a stand-up routine, sketches and a comedy song.
As Saturday afternoons go, Harry Styles’ one wasn’t the most usual.
The former One Direction star spent it being wheeled around on a giant bed outside Buckingham Palace, as you do.
Pictures and videos shared on social media show Harry having a tuck-in with two musicians who were holding a guitar and a drum, as they took over The Mall in central London.
The Watermelon Sugar singer was dressed in what appeared to be brown pyjamas with blue polka dots, finishing off the look with a lime green and pink scarf.
It is thought Harry is filming a new music video.
One onlooker, who gave her name as Ana, said it was “so surreal”, telling the PA news agency: “I was just taking a stroll in London and there he was, doing the most Harry thing ever, riding on a bed across the Buckingham Palace.”
It had been rumoured Harry is planning to release new music in 2022, following up on the success of his second album Fine Line, which came out in December 2019.
This year will also see the release of two films Harry shot last year.
Jon Richardson remembered the “effortlessly hilarious” Sean Lock after one of the late comedian’s last 8 Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown appearances aired on Channel 4.
Jon, who starred alongside Sean, said he noticed how upset he had been during the episode but that his fellow team captain had remained “a true comic to the end”.
After Friday’s episode, which was dedicated to Sean, Jon tweeted: “Watching Sean’s last ep of Countdown I can see how upset I was knowing he was ill and how much that affected my performance, while Sean himself continued to be effortlessly hilarious.
“A true comic to the end. That’s why he’s trending on Twitter and why he’s so missed.”
Panellist Rosie Jones, who also featured in the episode along with Harry Hill and Nick Mohammed, said watching it air was “bittersweet”.
Following his death last year, tributes to Sean poured in from other comedy greats such as Lee Mack, Bill Bailey and Eddie Izzard.
As well as his 10-year stint as a regular panellist on 8 Out Of 10 Cats, Sean was known for appearances on other comedy shows like QI, Have I Got News For You and the Diane Morgan series Mandy.
Graham Norton’s quick wit got the better of Adele after she made a claim during her appearance on his chat show on Friday night.
Graham had been chatting to musical guest George Ezra, who struggled to tell the host when his live shows were coming up.
Reassuring him, Graham said: “No artist ever knows when anything’s happening.”
Adele chipped in, saying: “I always know when something’s happening,” before Graham quickly retorted: “You don’t know when Vegas is happening!”
The Easy On Me singer burst into laughter, admitting: “That was very good… that was very quick.”
Although she has yet to set a date, she insisted her string of residency shows will “100%” be happening before the year is out.
Asked about what happened in Vegas during an appearance she said: “I tried my hardest and really thought I would be able to pull something together in time.
“I regret that I kept going until that late in the day. It would have been a really half-arsed show and I can’t do that. People will see straight through me up on the stage and know I didn’t want to be doing it. I’ve never done anything like that in my life and I’m not going to start now.”
The Rachel Green actor celebrated her 53rd birthday on Friday, with a number of her famous pals sharing messages on social media.
Courteney, who played Monica Geller on Friends, was among them as she posted a picture of her and Jennifer she’d found placed on the set of their old apartment during the filming of the recent reunion special.
Sharing it on her Instagram Story, Courteney wrote: “Happy Birthday @jenniferaniston. I found this picture in our apartment on set.
“It was the first year we became friends. I loved you then and I love you even more now.”
Among the other stars wishing Jen a Happy Birthday online was her The Morning Show co-star Reese Witherspoon, who praised her friend’s “love of life, humour and endless positivity”.
She wrote: “When I think of Jen and all the wonderful adventures we have had together, I just smile.
“Knowing that @JenniferAniston is in the world makes me happy!
“Her love of life, her humour, and her endless positivity are such a gift. Let’s all wish Jen Happy Birthday.”
US TV show host Ellen DeGeneres posted a compilation video of Jennifer on her show, writing: “Happy birthday to a true day one.”
We’re used to people using shows like The X Factor and Britain’s Got Talent to launch themselves into the spotlight – but what you might not realise is that plenty of household names made their TV debuts in a very different way.
Long before shows like Cutting It, Wild At Heart and Britain’s Got Talent came calling, Mandy made her TV debut when Cilla Black tried to find her a match on Blind Date.
During her 1991 appearance on the show, Amanda introduced herself as a drama student who loved singing the blues as well as classics like Knees Up Mother Brown (??), as well as confessing her ultimate celeb crush was Jack Nicholson.
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Sadly, though, it wasn’t to be, with the future BGT star going home without a date… which her potential suitor seemed more than a bit gutted about when he clapped eyes on her for the first time.
But Mandy isn’t the only member of the BGT panel with a surprising game show appearance near the top of her CV.
Simon Cowell’s very first TV appearance was as a contestant on Sale Of The Century, two years before his eventual co-star’s stint on Blind Date.
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He may be best known now for his business decisions, but his time on Sale Of The Century ended in him leaving with 20 quid’s worth of cooking utensils. We wonder when the last time he picked them up was…
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Olly Murs’ optimism came back to bite him somewhat when he was a contestant on Deal Or No Deal, during which he turned down an offer of £26,000 and ended up pocketing just a tenner.
The future chart-topper appeared on the Channel 4 game show two years before shooting to fame on The X Factor, and after becoming a household name, he was invited back to compete in a celebrity special.
Unfortunately, he fared even worse second time around, ending up with just 50p. To make it up to his chosen charity, Olly pledged to donate £5000 of his own money.
We know him best as a member of JLS, who became one of The X Factor’s most successful acts ever in 2007, but Aston has actually been singing on screen for a lot longer than that.
As a teenager, he appeared on Stars In Their Eyes Kids, telling host Matthew Kelly: “Tonight, Matthew, I’m going to be Michael Jackson.”
He performed a cover of The Jackson 5’s Rockin’ Robin, ultimately finishing in second place.
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And speaking of celebs who appeared on TV classics as teenagers, let’s talk about Michael Underwood, who was a contestant on a kids’ special of The Crystal Maze when he was 15.
The presenter was the first of the young contestants to take on a challenge, but failed to win his team any crystals in either of the physical or skill-based tasks he took on.
Michael’s presenting career began almost a decade later, when he began hosting the dream-fulfilment show Whatever You Want.
Minus his trademark beard, Joe Wicks suffered a very stressful blunder when his buzzer appeared to not be working, leaving him rather vexed, as you can see in the video above.
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Just four years before The Office would achieve huge success, Stephen Merchant was a contestant on Blockbusters back in 1997.
Despite getting off to a good start, it wasn’t ultimately a strong showing for the comedy writer and actor, finishing with 15 points to his opponents’ 50.
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Another comedy star with a previous game show appearance in their past is Taskmaster favourite Alex Horne.
Alex did a great job on Countdown, winning three consecutive shows in 2008 during Des O’Connor and Carol Vorderman’s tenure, before he was eventually bested.
Having gone on to become a popular comic, Alex has returned to Countdown several times, appearing as a guest in Dictionary Corner as well as a panellist on the show’s 8 Out Of 10 Cats specials.
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","type":"video","meta":{"url":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrD_6wApzIg","type":"video","version":"1.0","title":"Who Wants to be a Millionaire Mark Labbett (The Beast) 29th April 2006","author":"Ben Crowl | The Home Of Millionaire","author_url":"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrwcOkjonY5As8aEiL3uEZA","provider_name":"YouTube","description":"On this episode of WWTBAM, we see Mark Labbett AKA The Beast from ITV’s The Chase, return to take on the Millionaire computer and it’s cash for questions.\nHow will he get on…. you’ll have to watch to find out!\n\nIf you are enjoying my videos, please Like, Comment and Subscribe for more.\n\nSocial Media:\nFacebook: BenCrowlWWTBAM","thumbnail_url":"https://i.ytimg.com/vi/jrD_6wApzIg/maxresdefault.jpg","thumbnail_width":1280,"thumbnail_height":720,"cache_age":86400,"options":{"_start":{"label":"Start from","value":"18","placeholder":"ex.: 11, 1m10s"},"_end":{"label":"End on","value":"","placeholder":"ex.: 11, 1m10s"},"_cc_load_policy":{"label":"Closed captions","value":false},"click_to_play":{"label":"Hold load & play until clicked","value":false}}},"fullBleed":false,"flags":[],"enhancements":{},"options":{"theme":"news","device":"desktop","editionInfo":{"id":"uk","name":"U.K.","link":"https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk","locale":"en_GB"},"slideshowAd":{"scriptTags":[],"otherHtml":""},"slideshowEndCard":{"scriptTags":[{"attribs":{},"scriptBody":"\r\n (function(){\r\n var c = document.getElementById(‘taboola-endslate-thumbnails’);\r\n c.id += ‘-‘ + Math.round(Math.random()*1e16);\r\n \r\n var taboolaParams = {\r\n loader: \"//cdn.taboola.com/libtrc/aol-huffingtonpost/loader.js\",\r\n mode: \"thumbnails-b\",\r\n container: c.id,\r\n placement: \"Endslate Thumbnails\",\r\n target_type: \"mix\"\r\n };\r\n \r\n if (typeof window.modulousQueue === \"function\") {\r\n \twindow.modulousQueue.add(function(){ doTaboola(taboolaParams); });\r\n } else {\r\n \tdoTaboola(taboolaParams);\r\n }\r\n }());\r\n"}],"otherHtml":"
Mark “The Beast” Labbett is one of the UK’s most famous quizzing experts, so it’s probably no great surprise that before finding fame on The Chase, he gave a few game shows a go, including Mastermind and Fifteen To One.
Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? was perhaps his most successful attempt. Having failed to land in the hot seat when he played Fastest Finger First in 2005, Mark – who was then working as a supply teacher – returned a year later, leaving with an impressive £32,000.
Much later, he made an appearance on the rebooted version of the show in 2020, serving as Charlotte Church’s “phone a friend” during a celebrity special.
Her specialist subject was “The Life And Works Of Lorenz Hart”, the lyricist behind standards including Bewitched, Bothered And Bewildered, The Lady Is A Tramp and My Funny Valentine. Sadly, no clip exists of Anne in action, but enjoy this snap of her looking ever-so-80s in the Mastermind studio all the same.
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Then in his early 20s, comedian and actor Stephen Fry appeared as a contestant on University Challenge in 1980, representing Queen’s College, Cambridge.
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He’d later achieve huge success as a quiz show host, when he began presenting the hit panel show QI.
Miriam Margolyes – University Challenge
Miriam Margolyes
Another iconic Cambridge alum to compete on University Challenge was the always-outrageous Miriam Margolyes.
We say “always-outrageous” because Miriam has long claimed that this appearance on University Challenge was the first case of anyone saying the f-word on the BBC after struggling to contain her disappointment about a botched answer.
The moment itself was censored, though Miriam has insisted it was very much apparent what she was saying – though sadly a clip of the explicit outburst doesn’t appear to exist.
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Around the celebrations for Sir Captain Tom Moore’s 100th birthday, the BBC dug out this old clip of him competing on Blankety Blank, where he tried to match his answers to celebrity panellists like Freddie Starr, Ruth Madoc and Roy Kinnear.
He went out on the first round during a 1983 Christmas special – but at least he got to keep the iconic Blankety Blank cheque book and pen, eh?
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Deal Or No Deal worked a little differently in America, where contestants had briefcases opened by models, rather than boxes being unveiled by their fellow players.
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One such model was the future Duchess of Sussex, then an aspiring actor by the name of Meghan Markle. She would, of course, later achieve success as part of the cast of Suits, before her humanitarian work led her to meeting (and, indeed, marrying) Prince Harry.
Rebekah Vardy was not referring to Coleen Rooney when she called someone a “nasty bitch” in a message to her agent, the High Court has heard.
Mrs Rooney, 35, accused Mrs Vardy, 39, in an October 2019 Twitter post of leaking stories about her private life after a months-long “sting operation”.
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The wife of former England star Wayne Rooney, dubbed “Wagatha Christie”, claimed Mrs Vardy had shared fake stories she posted on her personal Instagram account with The Sun newspaper.
Mrs Vardy, who is married to Leicester City striker Jamie, denies the accusations and is suing Mrs Rooney for libel.
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At the start of a preliminary hearing on Tuesday, the High Court heard that WhatsApp messages between Mrs Vardy and her agent and friend Caroline Watt had been disclosed to Mrs Rooney’s legal team.
Mrs Rooney’s barrister David Sherborne claimed that “abusive” messages were sent about Mrs Rooney.
However, on Wednesday, Mrs Vardy’s barrister Hugh Tomlinson QC said a text in which she referred to someone as a “nasty bitch” was not about Mrs Rooney.
“This is not a passage about Mrs Rooney, it is a passage about someone else,” he said.
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Coleen Rooney
Anthony Devlin via Getty Images
Mr Tomlinson previously told the court that the messages referred to by Mr Sherborne, which were said to “reveal that Mrs Vardy and Ms Watt are responsible for the leaking”, were “selective”, and said parts of the exchanges which were left out had “precisely the opposite effect”.
During Tuesday’s hearing, the barrister quoted messages from Mrs Vardy to Ms Watt in which she said she was “offended” that Mrs Rooney thought she was the person who had leaked the information.
He added: “If one reads these messages in full, what one sees is that Mrs Vardy expresses shock at being accused and she is here communicating with the person that Mr Sherborne says is her co-conspirator.
“These are obviously candid personal messages, and if she was really concerned – ‘Oh, this is terrible, we have been found out’ – then it would have been completely different.”
Mrs Rooney is bringing a claim against Ms Watt for misuse of private information and is asking for it to be joined to the libel case.
Mr Sherborne told the court that if Mrs Vardy wins her claim on the basis that she was not the person who leaked the information, then Mrs Rooney will be left without “vindication” unless she is able to bring the claim against Ms Watt as part of the same case.
He also said that while Mrs Rooney’s lawyers wanted further information from the WhatsApp messages between Mrs Vardy and Ms Watt, Ms Watt’s phone had fallen into the sea after a boat she was on hit a wave, shortly after the last hearing.
“(It was) most unfortunate, because it was only a short time after the court ordered that the phone should be specifically searched,” he said.
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Discussing the lost phone on Wednesday, Mr Tomlinson said: “That is what happened. Mrs Vardy was not present when that happened. She (Ms Watt) was on holiday, she lost her phone.”
Mrs Vardy’s lawyers have opposed the application to add the claim against Ms Watt to the libel case.
“If the defendant had genuinely wished to bring a misuse of private information claim against Ms Watt in order to vindicate her rights this claim could have been brought 15 months ago,” Mr Tomlinson said in written arguments.
Ian Helme, for Ms Watt, also opposed the application and previously said she has given “clear and consistent” denials against the claim for misuse of private information.
The trial is due to begin in early May but is likely to be delayed.
The hearing before Mrs Justice Steyn concluded on Wednesday, with judgment expected on Monday morning.
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Everyone has got their own work hangover stories, but we’ll bet none of them are as good as Steph McGovern’s.
The Packed Lunch presenter has revealed how she once “threw up” in the toilets of 10 Downing Street after a night partying with Kylie Minogue.
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Steph recalled how she’d once been sent to No.10 to interview then-prime minister Gordon Brown while she was nursing a hangover from dancing the night away with one of the biggest stars in the world.
The host – who perviously presented the business news on Chris Evans’ drivetime radio show and worked as a producer for political journalist Robert Peston – had been invited to a party in Hyde Park by Chris, which was attended by the pop princess.
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But she ended up paying the price the following day when she was sent on a last-minute dispatch to meet the PM.
Steph McGovern
Samir Hussein via Getty Images
Speaking on Monday’s edition of Steph’s Packed Lunch, Steph recalled: “Kylie was there, I was literally living my best life. I was drinking, I’d taken the next day off work but obviously as a journalist you can’t take days off if news happens. I got a phone call from Robert Peston. He said, ‘We’ve got an interview with the prime minister in the morning, you need to get it organised but you can’t tell anyone, you need to get a camera man or woman there for me at number 10.’”
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Steph continued: “I was hammered. I rang the news desk to organise the cameras. They were like ‘You’re drunk, Steph, you need to go home’.
Kylie Minogue
Antony Jones via Getty Images
“When I’d finally organised the camera crew, I put the phone down and was like I’m not going home yet, I’m dancing with Kylie Minogue, this is never going to happen again in my life. So I didn’t go home and ended up going to a big party at Chris Evans’ house.
“He has a guy who works for him he calls Mrs Doubtfire and he [Chris] said ‘I’ll get him to give you a lift in the morning’… So I got dropped off at Downing Street in one of Chris Evans’s spy 100 Ferrari cars and I had to and go this interview with the prime minister.”
Steph, laughingly added: “And I threw up in the loo of Number 10… But still, the interview went well!”
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Steph’s Packed Lunch airs weekdays at 12.30pm on Channel 4.
Over the weekend, it emerged the Australian soap could be forced off air after 37 years, following Channel 5′s announcement it is to stop screening the show in the UK this summer.
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Unless another British network picks it up, Neighbours will finish filming in June, as the show is largely funded by its international broadcast partner.
Jackie and Alan – who have played Susan and Karl Kennedy since 1994 – revealed the cast are “very emotional” at the real possibility the soap could end this year, and said a “hero” is needed to save it from the axe.
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Cast and crew were called to a meeting at the show’s studios in Melbourne on Monday to discuss its future, where Jackie said everyone present was in tears.
They’ve been our Neighbours for 37 years, but we could soon be farewelling the residents of Ramsay Street after UK network Channel 5 announced it would no longer broadcast the show. Jackie Woodburne plays Susan Kennedy, and joins us.#TheProjectTVpic.twitter.com/vxihFqDGiZ
Appearing on The Project, she said: “It’s been a rollercoaster, absolutely, the last 24 hours or 36 hours, as you can imagine. Kind of a lot of information to try and process. I still feel a bit in shock, a bit overwhelmed.
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“We had a meeting today where our producers gave us some more information, really nothing more than what’s already been out there, but, look, I have to say, the feeling was one of… it was just, it was quite lovely.
“Everybody is sad. We’re all crying, we’re all very emotional about it all, but we’re all so determined to bring this show home as best we can.”
In a newsletter sent to fans, Alan said that the news had “come as a huge shock to a lot of people”.
“The show still has upwards of 1.5 million viewers in the UK on any given day and it seemed to be going strong,” he said, adding that “it seems that the axing of Neighbours is a financial decision”.
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He continued: “We need a hero and, maybe, one will come along. In the meantime we have at least seven months of fantastic Neighbours episodes to look forward to.”
If production does come to an end, Jackie said that “everyone wants to honour the show” and end it “with love and with pride and dignity”.
“Would you want to be a writer in that room trying to wind up a show after 38 years in a way that’s going to please everybody? I mean, no pressure at all!” she said.
Jackie added that it would be “awesome” if reports claiming Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan will return to the soap to see it off were true.
The pair found international fame as Charlene Mitchell and Scott Robinson in the 1980s, with their on-screen wedding drawing 20 million UK TV viewers in 1988.
Scott and Charlene’s wedding drew 20 million viewers in 1988
Fremantle Media/Shutterstock
Jason, whose daughter Jemma currently appears on the soap as Harlow Robinson, tweeted on Sunday: “Neighbours changed the Australian television landscape. It launched many careers over decades including mine. Engaged and entertained audiences for generations.
“Hoping that it will find a new home with another UK broadcaster and continue to provide opportunity and entertainment.”
@neighbours changed the Australian television landscape. It launched many careers over decades including mine. Engaged and entertained audiences for generations.Hoping that it will find a new home with another U.K. broadcaster and continue to provide opportunity and entertainment
Channel 5 has aired Neighbours in the UK since 2008, after poaching it from BBC One, where it had screened twice daily since 1986.
The network said the decision to drop Neighbours had been motivated by its “current focus is on increasing our investment in original UK drama, which has strong appeal for our viewers”.
Neighbours has long been more popular in the UK than in Australia, where it airs to around 100,000 daily viewers on digital channel 10Peach, with Channel 5 heavily contributing to its production costs.
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The cast of Neighbours were told the show faces an uncertain future
Fremantle/Channel 5
Aussie network Ten said it is its “intention to continue our association with Neighbours if another broadcast partner comes forward”.
An email to staff from Fremantle Media executive producer Jason Herbison, seen by the Sydney Morning Herald, said that “discussions are ongoing, however there is no new broadcaster at the moment”.
He said that “production must end, effectively resting the show”, with filming set to wrap on 10 June, and the show remaining on air until August.