After months of anticipation the quiet suburban enclave made famous by a certain Australian soap opera welcomed back some familiar faces on Monday.
Little more than thirteen months after airing what everyone believed would be its final episode, Neighbours returned to Ramsay Street with old cast and a new home having been revived by streaming service Amazon Prime.
With work now officially underway on a new series of the long-running soap opera, cast and crew were seen embracing one another as vans containing production equipment pulled into the Melbourne street.
Evidently pleased to be back, show regular Ryan Moloney – a household name thanks to his role as Jarrod “Toadfish” Rebecchi – was filmed ferrying bags into his old home in suburban Nunawading.
Alan Fletcher was also back, having reprised his role as Dr. Karl Kennedy, while show stalwart Stefan Dennis – the show’s longest serving cast-member – prepared to shoot his first scenes as Paul Robinson for the rebooted show.
Here he comes: Ryan Moloney returned to Ramsay Street on Monday as filming commenced on a new series of Neighbours after the axed show was revived by Amazon Prime
Make way: Alan Fletcher (L) and Stefan Dennis (R) were on set as they prepared to reprise their respective roles as Dr. Karl Kennedy and Paul Robinson
Old friends: Cast and crew were seen embracing one another as vans containing production equipment pulled into the Melbourne street
Has it really been a year: Moloney warmly welcomed a co-star as they prepared to shoot on the Melbourne set
Other familiar faces included Annie Jones, Rebekah Elmaloglou and Georgie Stone, with all three expected to reprise their respective roles as Jane Harris, Terese Willis and Mackenzie Hargreaves.
Elsewhere Tim Kano and Lucinda Cowden, best known for their roles as Leo Tanaka and Melanie Pearson, were also filmed moving boxes outside the famous Ramsay Street residences.
The revamped soap originally confirmed it was back in production earlier that day.
‘Lights, camera, action, let’s go! Brand new Neighbours is officially in production!’ read the caption alongside an Instagram post from the show’s account.
In the accompanying images were cast members Alan Fletcher, Lucinda Cowden, Rebekah Elmaloglou, Stefan Dennis and Annie Jones.
The actors beamed as they got back to work, but not before sharing a champagne toast outside the fictional Lassiters Hotel.
Hard at work: Moloney carried what appeared to be a shooting script as he idled with co-star Dennis on the famous street
Everybody needs good neighbours: Georgie Stone (L) and Tim Kano (R) waited to film scenes as the first day of production kicked off on Monday
Breakthrough: Georgie found fame as Mackenzie Hargreaves after making her Neighbours debut in 2019
Plenty to talk about: The blonde star was seen chatting to cast-members as she waited for cameras to roll
Moving in: The group were eventually filmed as they carried boxes and bags into a home on the famous street
Neighbours should be back on screens by the end of this year after what appears to be a remarkable change in fortunes.
The show was thought to be indefinitely over after Australia’s Network 10 wielded the axe on July 10 2022. Channel 5, the show’s UK home, also dropped the show that month.
The series now will air for free on Amazon Freevee in the UK and US and will include streaming rights to thousands of episodes from previous seasons. The series will stream on Prime Video in Australia, New Zealand, and Canada.
The continuation of the long-running soap series follows the finale in 2022, which was watched by millions of adoring fans.
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Returning in guest roles are Ian Smith as Harold Bishop, April Rose Pengilly as Chloe Brennan, and Melissa Bell as Lucy Robinson.
Good to be back: Stefan Dennis returns as the show’s longest serving cast-member
Hello there: Neighbours star Rebekah Elmaloglou acknowledged fans as she returned on Monday morning
Banter: Georgie Stone shared a joke with a male co-star while preparing to shoot scenes
All set: Actresses Annie Jones (L) and Lucinda Cowden (R) were in high spirits as they made their way across the Melbourne set
Lights, camera, action! Moloney was keen to take a photo of the clapper board on Monday
Greetings! Tim Kano waved and grinned onlookers as he prepared to shoot his next scenes as Leo Tanaka
All set: Moloney and his co-stars will return to TV screens at the end of the year
Incoming: Boxes of generic household objects were ferried into one of the Ramsay Street homes on Monday
Lauren Anderson, head of AVOD original content and programming, Amazon Studios, recently 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.
‘With the power of streaming, we’re able to offer a catalogue of thousands of Neighbours episodes for new audiences to discover this legendary series and current fans to relive their favourite moments.
‘We look forward to immersing the audience in new Ramsay Street experiences when we relaunch the show next year for Amazon Freevee and Prime Video customers.’
However, the beloved series is reportedly unlikely to return as a daily program as it previously was during its impressive 37-year run.
UK audiences were flooded with nostalgia during an emotional Neighbours finale which saw Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan make an epic comeback to the soap, joining a host of stars amid Margot Robbie and Holly Valance returning to Ramsay Street for one final time.
The Channel 5 soap first aired in 1985 and has been on screens for 37 years, but in March it was announced the Australian series was being axed after 8,903 episodes with the finale airing in March.
Walk this way: Show regular Moloney appeared to direct box carrying cast-members into a nearby property
Getting involved: Georgie got her hands dirty on Monday as moving day continued in earnest
Upbeat: Moloney looked delighted to be back on set as he chatted to crew members
The Neighbours cast are back on set and cameras have begun rolling. Pictured: Cast members Alan Fletcher (Karl Kennedy), Lucinda Cowden (Melanie Pearson), Rebekah Elmaloglou (Terese Willis), Stefan Dennis (Paul Robinson) and Annie Jones (Jane Harris)
‘Lights, camera, action, let’s go! Brand new Neighbours is officially in production!’ read the caption alongside an Instagram post from the show’s account
Cheers! The actors beamed as they got back to work, but not before sharing a champagne toast outside the fictional Lassiters Hotel
Coming soon: Neighbours should be back on screens by the end of this year. The series will air for free on Amazon Freevee in the UK and US. The series will stream on Prime Video in Australia
Familiar face: Returning in guest roles are Ian Smith (pictured) as Harold Bishop), April Rose Pengilly as Chloe Brennan, and Melissa Bell as Lucy Robinson
