The cast and crew of Neighbours, a cherished Australian soap opera on Channel 10, gathered on set last Wednesday for a special closing celebration. Neighbours has finally come to an end.
In order to express how sorry she was to be saying goodbye, actress April Rose Pengilly posted the moment to her social media accounts.
The 34-year-old beauty paid a heartfelt homage to the whole cast and crew of the enduring series in a post on Instagram.
April, who plays Chloe on the programme and describes her emotions as “raw,” added, “I just have heaps of love for my Neighbours family, and for all of you who have supported us.”
“I’m grateful.”
After choosing not to renew its contract with production company Fremantle to produce and broadcast the series in March, UK channel 5 chose to cancel Neighbours.
The daughter of INXS musician Kirk Pengilly, April, expressed her heartbreak upon learning that “our sets, my home for the past four and a half years, were already being demolished” in her Instagram story.
April thanked Neighbours producers Fremantle and Channel 10 for the special farewell meal and said she will have more to say “later.”
The TV Week Logie Awards came under heavy fire earlier this month for neglecting to appropriately recognise the cancellation of Neighbours during the programme.
But it appears that during the upcoming AACTA Awards presentation, Australia’s longest-running soap opera will get the proper send-off.
According to Foxtel’s Executive Director of Drama Brian Walsh, the Neighbours actors will be invited on stage for the Foxtel-sponsored AACTA Awards to “make a point” of saying goodbye.
“I was really disappointed, especially since we had the Neighbours actors present.” How much would it have cost for them to be allowed to take the stage and have their moment? Walsh, who in the 1980s served as Neighbours’ publicist, said.
If we’re going to celebrate accomplishment on a night like the Logies, then for goodness sake, please let a show that has captivated audiences for 37 years have its moment and take a bow. Walsh called the Logies send-off “dismissive.”
On August 1, Neighbours will conclude its run in Australia and the UK.