Neighbours boss Jason Herbison explains decision behind 2 year time jump

RadioTimes.com and other press recently visited the set in Melbourne and caught up with Jason Herbison to find out all about the new episodes - and how they had the perfect opportunity to do something a little bit different.

Since the show will have been off screen for a little while when it returns, Herbison confirmed there will be a two-year time jump when we catch up with the beloved Neighbours cast once more.

"That was decided very early on, when were having talks with Amazon," the exec producer explained. "We knew there was going to be a transmission gap, so life for the audience would have gone on and time would have passed for them too."

He added: "It just felt like a one-off opportunity. In serial dramas, there aren't a lot of things you can do for the first time.

"Of course, other soaps have done time jumps, but in our case, we were actually going to have been off air as well. We felt that it was a great opportunity... and two years felt like a nice timeline."

Furthermore, Herbison is seeing the time jump as an opportunity to bring in new viewers to the long-running series, while still appealing to existing fans.

"Well, it is very much that 'perfect blend'. We are wanting everyone that knows and loves the show, everyone that watched that finale, to come back and to see the Neighbours that they know, love, remember and are missing. We want them to feel as though they've got their show back," he explained.

"I always said the finale was a hug to the audience – a goodbye hug – and I want this to be a 'welcome back' hug. But at the same time, we did want the show to be accessible to a new audience. The time jump is helpful there.

"Very naturally, with new characters coming into the show, there are natural, organic ways to bring a new audience up to date on what might be going on."

To help the new audience, we've got a few new characters to look forward to, including Mischa Barton as Reece, and a new family called the Varga-Murphys.

Read more:

• Jason Donovan on Neighbours reboot: "It happened very quickly"
• Who is returning to the Neighbours cast for Amazon Freevee revival?
• Neighbours trailer gives first look at Guy Pearce in reboot

Neighbours returns on Amazon Freevee on 18th September 2023. Check out more of our Soaps coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on.

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