Are you sitting down? Because some big Neighbours news has just landed! After the high of the 30th anniversary, 2016 is shaping up to be bigger than ever. It's only April, and there has already been a lot of drama and cast changes, and there are a number of new and much anticipated faces joining the show in the coming months. Coming up this week is HOTEL DEATH TRAP which will see three residents say goodbye to Ramsay Street, although they won't all be dying. When there is an explosion at Lassiter's literally no one is safe and many lives hang in the balance - but who won't make it out alive? Check out this dramatic trailer, and share your thoughts in the comments below: But this isn't the biggest news to come from Neighbours HQ. Despite having storylines as big as Hotel Death Trap, word from the studio is that the future of Neighbours is on thin ice. Even with these big events, ratings within Australia remain at low levels, barely making it over 200,000 views a night. While viewership in the UK makes up for these small local numbers, one Neighbours producer, Lance Hartman, fears that the show can't continue to rely on the overseas market. "We love seeing Neighbours so popular in the UK, but as time goes on, fans here in Australia don't seem to be tuning in as much, even with these major storylines taking place. Even though Neighbours is one of Australia's biggest television exports, at the end of the day it's the Australian fans who were are producing this show for." While Lance doesn't have a definitive answer on whether Neighbours will be off the air within the next few years, executives at Network Ten have a big decision ahead of them. "Neighbours is one of the most iconic shows on Australian television, and so any decision we make with regards to it's future will be well thought out. We have to ask ourselves if we can justify producing a show that only the overseas market is supporting." spoke a Network Ten drama coordinator, Annalise Wilkinson. Despite this talk within the Network, Lance revealed that until a formal decision has been made, production will continue as usual. "Obviously we will accept whatever decision Ten makes, as it will be in the best interest of the Network and our team. But in the mean time, we will continue as normal." Speaking of what's to come in the 2016, Lance revealed some more exciting details: "We've got some great new characters arriving over the coming months, who we've already revealed, but some old faces will be appearing in August and September. We've been listening to requests by fans, and are excited to see this person back on set. We originally didn't think we could bring this character back, so we can't wait for the fans to see their reappearance on screen. We will be keeping her return well under wraps until the episode airs!" So don't fret just yet Neighbours fans. While there is talk about the show ending, there is still a lot of great action and drama to come, so definitely keep your eyes on Ramsay Street! Wow, we did not think this would blow up quite like it did, but for those who were paying attention to the fact that it was 1am in Australia when this story went live, you'll know that this is also an April Fools. Sorry for freaking everyone out, but everything below the Hotel Death Weak promo isn't happening. All the quotes are made up, (and to the keen eyes, you may have noticed that Annalise Wilkinson & Lance Hartman are named after three characters - Annalise Hartman & Anne/Lance Wilkinson), so you can rest easy because Neighbours will be continuing for many years to come! |