Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan

If you want to listen to all of the episodes of this series right now, early release and ad free, plus a whole host of extra fan club benefits, head to Museum of pop culture. supportingcast.fm or if that's too much of a mouthful, just click on it in the show notes, which is the description bit. that no one reads. Hello and welcome. I am Josh Whittdakom. For today I amm the curator of a place of incredible artifacts and exhibitions, a place that stores the greatest thing on Earth. This is my archive of pop culture As a self confessed pop culture obsessive. I love the geniuses, the scam artists and there I set the absolute madmen. They've made the records shows and films that we love. In each series I will tell you a story of unlikely triumph and usually an enjoyably crushing failure, featuring celebrated stars that in any other industry would probably be politely sated It's a show for people more interested in David Hasselhoff than David Lamy, Elizabeth Taylor, and Queen Elizabeth I. whichich let's be honest, is all of us. join me today to discuss one of, if not the most iconic and beloved show in British television history It's the story of Ramsey Street and Nighbors. It's Matthew Crosby Here we are, Matthew, at the birth of one of the great television shows But just before that, I thought, I'll be honest, it doesn't really have a point Chronologically, I thought it'd be nice to You know, to show again. glory of neighbourors to run through a list of the celebrity cameos that's been in neighbs. Can you name any? Michael Palin. He was home and away Did Matt Lucas and David Williams appear in the background? Not to my knowledge, but there is another pair in nineteen ninety five Chris Lowe One half of the pet shop boys. Yeah. The one who didn't talk. in the pet shop boys. He was willing to talk in this situation. It's not that he didn't talk, he wasn't the singer. No no, he's not Penantella. I get he's not Penantella, but he's he was the more shy retiring guy with a big fat cone in his head. Yeah, ye. So nineteen eighty five, Chris Lowe was the first international celebrity to do neighbourors He drove up to Ramseay Street, stopped and asked Helen Daniels and Marlene Kratz for directions to the studio As if they'd know Yeah. Also, it's a coldder sack. Why have you ended up going up a Coldder sac I don't know the way to this recording studio to record my electro pop album. I just cycle into this cul deac and ask a pensioner. No in a car. Excuse me. , where' did you spring from? Good question. I'm a little lost. Youourre English. Yeah, that's right. I'm looking for a recording studio which is round here somewhere. Oh, yes, that's that studio where the kids did their recordings, I think You in a bag? Yeah, the pet shop boys Oh well, I'm sure you're destined for big things one of these days. I know where that studio is. Look, if you go down here and turn right and follow the road along, turn left at the lights and go along about two kilometers you can't miss it. It's a great, big place. Right, great, fks L I from England. What do they call themselves Hen? The pet people? the Pithop boys. Yes, Yes, somethingomet like that. You've heard of them. What do you mean the pithuop boys are really here in Ramseay Street? Marllen tell me I've got all this CDs. How. I love it. Marlen Kratz was one of the characters. She just went on a cruise and never came back Yeah, classic neighbors If I did my neighbour's marathon of three hundred days I think there would come a point when you werere going through all the old ones where it would be an incred the middle bit would be incredible. is in like the bit that you remember? Yeah. that would be great. And then once it got to about two thousand five, it would be grueling. You'd fall off heart. The year after Clive James did the part of a postman. Amazing. Although most of his scenes were cut Keith Chagwin tried to get on the show the following year after that he can get a work permit Absolutely brutal for Jgggers. No, poor old Jggers. Shane Warne did a couple of episodes, The Wiggles did a couple of episodes. Of course they did. They filmed in London for Carl and Susan's remarriage in two thousand seven. Remember that? yeah, it was like the friendriends episodes. Yeah, so Emma Bunton found Susan's wedding ring that Carl had dropped off the bus. Are you looking for this? Oh, you're kidd Oh, thank you thank you, thank you. you're star. Thankks. I'm kind. Emma. He Actually, I nely tripped over on it, I'm a bit clumsy. Sorry You don't mind, you could have been Emm. Hi Susan. I'm such a huge fan. I heard all about Strictly C come dancing. I so wish I could' have seen it. Oh it's lovely to me?orry. How you orcoganise this He saw me from the bus. He wrisked life and limb to get off to get my autograph just for you. Oh did you? Yes, yes, I did. Thank you. Julian Clary is approached by Izzy, who asked to use his phone And he says, if you're looking to call a hairdresser, it's too late, bit of fun. Ohy remark from Julia. loveovely catty comment. Cole, a newsstand runs into Michael Parkinson and asks for his autograph. I didn't know he crossed over. I didn't know he was Michael Parkinson was so famous that he was famous in Australia, but I guess a lot A lot of people are and they get a lot of British tey over there. Yeah, they've got Graham Norton and stuff I'll give you a billion pounds if you can guess who Susan asks for a napkin Was it Jess Phillips, the MP? No it wasn't, it was Joe Wiley. Joe Wiley. Of the evening session. Of the evening session I know she's still on the radio. Any Jo Wiley, think Jo Wiley's brilliant. Well, she's of doing an evening session on radio twoour she still says the same slot, but just on radio two, doesn't she? She's worked evenings. I suppose her timings are perfect for neighbourors. That's her breakfast television, really? Definitely, yeah. Do you think her and Steve Lamac were watching neighbourors in the BBC Radio O office in the couple of hours before going live? one hundred percent. because they knew they had to talk about something. Exactly. Yes, they've got a live session from Made Avail from therapy. Yeah. They also want to talk about what Carl and Susan have been up to. Or maybe, to be fair Joe Wiley You know, she's doing the evening session. She's also, you know, out of gigs in the nineties She's probably one of the few people to whom the lunchtime neighbors is actually more convenient than the ear. Yeah, that's true That's the quietest part of her day You you know I played the Vicar for Carl and Susan's wedding I'm assuming they couldn't get Roan Atkinson It was Neil Morrisy. Oh, if you can't get Atkinson, get Morrisy And then the wedding was witlnessed by John Oak Coleman and Senita. I remember John Oak Colman and Senita. Yeah. There is a really good clip also of you have Andre Riu. Unless he was a giant, I've got no idea who he is. No, Andre Rio is a Dutch violinist who Absolutely huge He's a kind of popular classical act. He's a Nigel Kennedy. Have you got Skye? He's of VanessA May. Yeah. I've got now TV, so I do have Sky in that respect. Yeah. Sky arts are constantly playing Andre Riu concert. I haven't watched terrestrial television in about five years. So yeah. So if you ever scan by Sky Arts, they'll be playing at a concert where Andre Riu will be playing to about one hundred thousand people in a kind of Town It's always in a town square in somewhere like Marstrict. Okay, yeah, yeah yeah. And he'll be playing kind of bombastic classical music and being quite of amusing as well. Don't you think if you were playing a gig in Maststrict, you would have to at some point say This is a little treaty for you. Yeah, of course, of course. You've gott to say that, haven't you It's the only thing I think of when I think of Masrich. His appearance was named in an online poll Neighbour's weirdest ever storyline, which goes some way when you think about neighbours. Yeah. he emerges from a limo to perform exclusively Paul and Rebecca. In the middle of Ramseay Street backacked by an invisible orchestra before being joined by several other residents ballroom dancing around the street. Was this a dream? Was this some sort of fantasy they had or? I think what happens is he's performing in Ramseay Street and because Andre Rio's performing everyone's kind of like, Well we should head out there and dance to Andre Rio. He just loves an open air gig He'll do an open a kick anywhere. Exactly. Imagine how good his gigs would be if he did them in good venues Have you ever thought of doing a place with a roof Well, talking of music. The time has come to write the neighboure tune. so that it' composed by Tony Hatch with lyrics by Jackie Trent They married in nineteen sixty seven. originally they were having an affair, Matthew. They were making sweet music together, but no one else knew about it. they thought, let's go on maine on this one It is nice to have a music and lyrics married couple, isn't it? It's lovely He people Everybody needs good nameigh Just a friendly Webrage mor Hels to make a better day We need to get to know each other nextext door is only A put step away Creators of the show loved the theme tune so much the show became named after it neighbors. So they Jackie Trent did the lyrics before the show was named neighbors. Oh wow, that was when it was still called the People who live N door. Exactly. San. Yeah exactly. Everybody needs good people who live next door. There's something about this isn't working. Yeah, exactly. He thought it's Jackie Do you know the name of the vocalist That's a long shot, isn't it? No, I don't, I don't. Barry Crocker. Oh, you know what? As soon as you said it, of course, I remember the name Barry Crocker He was a friend of Hatch and Tony. And they got him to sing in the demo and that's kind of the version that was used and his name became Australian Rhyming slang as well. Crocker for a rocker for. Having a barry is having a crocker having a shocker I feel like the poor people from neighbourors are your pants and having a bad time It's like poor old Pe tong He's worked with Re before because he did the thing to crossroads Tony Hatch, not Barry Crocker. Tony Hatch did the themes to crossroads. he also did the themes. too Emmdale Farm. Oh yes, very haunting Very haunting. I'm hoping Michael has I underlayed this in a beautiful manner. I'm sure he has. he's a professional Because then you're about to be hit between the eyes with an absolute monster Crosby. He also did spports night. I've got no idea what sportsn sounds like. What does that sound like? Sing a bit of it to me. Or is that Grandstand? No, that's Grandstand. His sports life. Turns out neither us know what Sportsight sounds like. Sports Night is a banger. Let me get listen it on my phone. G me a second. I remember this, yeah It's a gorgeous thing. It's very it feels quite bob fossy, doesn't it? It feels way jazzier than youd imagine for people who just could be talking about that as thought He's got range, doesnn't he? He's got absolute range. He's got the magic touch as well. He also wrote and produced Downtown and other songs for Petula Clark I did know that because Bradley Walsh told me that Fs Bradley W calling me to talk about Patula Clark. He saw her kindred spirit He said, you're about my age, aren't you, Matthew? And I said, Well close enough close enough to have a conversation. He was also before he was you know, writing all these classics, he was in a band with David Bowie called the Lower Third. Really? Wow. So David Bowie was singing and Tony Hatch was on the piano I wonder if David Bowie and Tony Hatch ever kind of reconnected in the nineties. If their paths ever crossed. M ways, Tony Hatch was having a better nineties than David Bowie. Oh absolutely. yeah. more people were listening to Tony Hatch in the nineties than were listening to Hello Space Boy So the lower third, they failed their BBC audition in november nineteen sixty five for the BBC's talent selection group. which was responsible for checking that any act angling for BBC radio play met the quality standards. Oh, I like that. She had to perform for a series of judges. One of the judges said's like an ex then known as David Jones that he was a singer devoid of personality Well, there's something interesting in that, isn't there? Because he basically adopted a variety of different personalities or different characters. Well exactly. So maybe David Jones himself, that was the reason he had to put on all these differe. Well another person described him as an amateur sounding vocalist who sings wrong notes and out of tune Oh yeah, but that's what we like about Bowie Exactly. The best singers aren't always the best singers. There's eight versions of the neighbour's theme tune over the years It was released as a single in nineteen eighty eight the height of the neighbour's music crrz, at the height of neighbours in the UK It charted at number eighty three I guess because you're hearing it every single day whether you want to or not and you know it's not going to go them four times. I mean, I know that's true of like records being played a lot on the radio. You think I better buy this because eventually this is going to fall off the A list playlist Eactly.ere exactly? Well as long as I keep watching the television twice a day So Neil Kennock's shadow Chancellor, you don't need me to tell you who it was, Matthew U was I mean you obviously know this? No, no, no, I know exactly who it is. I've got a post of them behind me It was John Smith. John Smith. Oh, the greatest Prime Minister we ever had. Well, yeah, he goes on to be le with the Labour Party and then he has a heart attack and passes away and then Tony Blair replaces him. He would have been Almost certainly Prime Minister nineteen ninety seven. However, he does do a speech in Parliament where he quotes almost in full the neighbour's theme tune when he's shadow Chancellor You know, if you were to wake up every morning and recites to yourself the neighbour's theme tune, I don't think it's a terrible mantra for the rest of your day. It's before they filmed in Parliament, obviously. So this is how he does it. He says Although he and the Prime Minister are neighbourors he's talking to the actual Chancellor. Yeah, he should take account as many of us who are aficionados do of the theme song of the Nighbors prorograme which we hear twice a day on BBC television. The song goes And he does the full fucking thing Neighbours, everybody needs good neighbours, justust a friendly wave each morning helps to make a better day, neighbs need to get to know each other Next door is only a footstep away. Neighbourors, everyone needs a good neighbours With a little understanding, you can find the perfect blend. neeighbourors should be there for one another. That's when good neighbors become good friends. The Chancellor of the Exchquer may be a good neighbor but Walters and Griffiths, whoever they are, are the good friends. Time after time in the management of his policy has been upended by the Prime Mister's own intervention. And speaking of time after time, Here's the lyrics to that. so weird, isn't it? He was known as a human jukebx, wasn't he? The human jukebox of PMQs. He's done such a large excerpt of it. Well, I guess if it's not being televised, you're allowed to do it, aren't you? He's cleared it. The worst thing was when the next time you see the shhadow Home Secretary setting up a keyboard next to him, and you're like, o God, he's doing home and away Home Secretary and thewice. Do you remember the sombber version of the theme tune? If somebody had passed away when Daphne said I love you Clarky and died in the hospital. sppoiler it if you haven't yet done your one hundred and thirty seven days of watching it. Yeah, I remember that Sad thing, Jane. Yeah. so you get it Todd Landers when he died Jim Robinson, Helen Daniels when she died. Also when Madj died, so you'd get a sad version often with like pictures of the person. Also, the original piano part was used on the intro of Lily Allen's Fuck you. Did you know that? Oh I didn't know that. There you go. But she's perfect age for neighbourors, isn't she? really? Yeah, yeah, yeah. also. Le unattended by her parents quite a lot. She was brought up by the residents of Ramseay Street more so than Keith Allen. Exactly So have you ever seen the first episode of Nighbors? Presumably you didn't watch it at the time? Well, I have a memory of watching it at the time, but that cannot be true. No, it can't. Becauseuse I would' have been four years old. And it would have only been on at lunchtime. I suppose you wouldn't have been at school yet. I wasn't yet at school. Maybe I did. I remember my mum being very excited about it, but I don't know if she was very excited about neighbourors as a TV show. Would she have really been excited about the launch of neighbours? The launch of a new soap? I think back in the eighties, the launch of a big TV show was an exciting. I don't know if it was launched as a big TV show. Do you know what I mean It was launched as Filler. But maybe there was so little TV that everything was exciting when it was new. Like, you know, when Channel five came out, that was very exciting know, evenven though it's channel was no good shows on it. at that time. At that time, It's since got much better. Well, it's part of this story, Matthew. It's part of this very story, isn't it? It is part of this story, of course it is The episode opens of the first episode with shots of swaying trees against the setting sun with haunting music. then we see Max Ramseay, who's staring A Danny Ramseay standing in the middle of Ramsey Street at nightt time wearing nothing but pajama bottoms cars surround him with headlights fixed on him There's Ramsey St's residents there. Helen Daniels Paul Robinson, Julie Robinson Max Ramsey are laughing hysterically at Danny Ramsey And their laughs turn into haunting howls, making Danny sweat in fear Max approaches his son, grabs him by the neck. When Danny resists he lets go and lets out an evil laugh at which point Maria casts a worrying eye over her youngest and holds back Max. Looking up to the sky, Danny's attention is caught by his brother, Shane perched on the edge of a diving board above Ramseay Street. Danny screams for Shane to stop, but he proceeds and dives into the depths below saying no, no The screaming causes him to wake up from his sleep, he sits up in bed It was all a dream. Yeah, I think you can start with it was all a dream, but you can't end with it was all a dream. Did you enjoy that? That's the rule of a great soap Yeah, that's of course. That's gonna grab your attention. It's not a million miles away from the opening of Breaking Bad What's the opening of Breaking B? Well, it's him in his underwear like in the middle of the desert and you're like, how is he going to end up there? withithout his trousers on the middle of the desert? And then it sort of tells you how he gets to that point Admittedly, he's throw you straight into someone's sort of anxiety dream.. It's like a Safi Brothers movie. So the episode also features a stag do or Buckdoo, as they're called in Australia for Des Clark Wh's getting married to Lorraine Kingham This is quite a nice little bit of storyline. So Lorraine spends the night chatting to her friend Julie and then decides to call the wedding off So she goes to tellell Dees the next morning with her parents. As they arrive, they're confronted by the stripper who was hired for the stag do. who recognizes her father leading the first cliffhanger. Oh How is that not going? This is gonna be a great show? It's very racey, isn't it? It is very racey, To have a stripper, you know and a sort of how do you two know each other plot line? Very racey for the early episodes. So it's on channel seven, right? Gs favorable reviews, the ratings are very high in Melbourne, very low in Sydney The old rivalry because it's set in Melbourne.ol Italy ye. It lasts one hundred and seventy episodes before it's cancellled That's a pretty good run. The people of the street are like, thank God we've got our street back. We got a bit of cash and now we get our street back but no It's canceled actually in july nineteen eighty five But they continue showing the episodes until October in favor. And then they have an hour long news. And then Grundy He doesn't want it to be over. so he starts shopping it around to other networks. Channel ten acquire the Rs of the show the following year. This is a first show in Australian TV history to move from one network to another Amazing. Doesn't happen very often in TV. You've got Bakeoff. Taskmaster. Taskmaster men behaving badly. Men BB is the classic, isn't it? Big brother, I suppose. Big brother, yeah. I suppose that's what this is. one that's stopped and then gets boughtght Another channel brings it back. But it's such a brief period between like it's not off the telly for that long for them to do the old shift. No This is brilliant, how they launch it, right So the premiere On the morning of its premier, january nineteen eighty six various cast members of neighbours are loaded onto the back of two topop loaded lock trucks and sets a design to resemble the rooms in Ramseay Street. Do you remember that sketch in the day to day where the bureau was touring around the country Yeah had the pure right Dehan. I wonder whether that came from this because that's essentially what this is. I bet it did. yeah. G this. It's channel ten, remember? who've bought it off channel seven. They bribed the security guard at Channel seven' studio complex And they drive the cast into the Channel seven studio complex Pat driving out of Channel seven in their studio sets on the back of the car. Amazing. Watched by the news cameras of Channel ten brereakfast with a helicopter overhead What a public he's on those. It's so good. We're moving house. So imagine ITV gets a show off the BBC And then as the final fuck you They smuggle cars into that BBC television centre complex and drive them out with the cast of that show on. Yeah onn the morning it's screened. If ITV got East Enders Yeah and they had Albert Square on a flat bed. With the banners that read we're moving neighbours to a new home There's a rumor that Channel seven' so furious with Channel ten. burnnt all the sets and said they were lost in an accident. That's the rumor not saying it's true. And so they had to write into you show why some of the sets have changed, basically. like decoration storylines, a bit like we were discussing earlier with the door. Because they know that it's easier for them to write into the script, Oh, that's nice new wallpaper you've got misses Mangl rather than to get all the letters going. Why is misses Mgel suddenly all this different wallpaper? Exactly I know the answer, we've had to changed studios. You saw us on leave on a flat bed truck. Exactly Exactly Also channel ten bring in the Laster's hotel complex, which becomes a classic place. It's got the pub, the water hole And it's got the cafe as well. Harold's cafe That was already a set for Holiday Island, which was a different soap, so they just stole that set There's some cast changes. Scott Robinson was previously played by Darius Perkins, but he's replaced by unichale Jason Donovan. Huge Madj comes in, Harold Bishop comes in and a certain character called Charlene played by someone called Kylie Minog of course Ive got to say these changes channel ten have made Hm All for the better. Oh, they know what they're doing Channel ten. Yeah. There's a reason they're channel ten and not channel seven Guy Pierce, Craig McLaoughlin, there're brought in as is Red Grundy's wife Joy, who plays Rosemary Daniels. Oh he does claim She did an audition like everyone else. he says, comeome on, mate? Come on. It just happens that I liked her because I was already married to her Guy Pierce says during his time with neighbourors he did a competition called Win a Date with Guy Peierce he said the contest winner ended up leaving mid dinner with the restauranteur. Do we know who the restauranteur was? Do we know if they also would later nominatedate for an Oscar? It's Marco Pierre White. Fair enough, fair enough. But Jason Donovan. So Jason Donoan' dad is in neighbour. A you aware of that Tererence Donovan. Terrenance Donovan, Doug Willis. Doug Willis. Yes, yeah. His great grandfather, you don't need me to tell you this was the last licensed cow herder in Kensington That was my good fact. I was keeping on pocket for later on. And his Grand could forecast the weather through her feet? Really? Apparently. A bit like Amanda Sefried in Mean Girls feet. But this is in Jason Donoan's book, he describes that as a something of a donovan trait being able to forecast the weather through your feet. What is it? Like you can feel it in your joints when it's about to rain. It's not like your toes face up, is it or something So he was originally, he was a kid actor, Jason Donan. He's thing called Skyways at the age of eleven, right? He describes this experience he had on Skyways. So he says later that morning the director introduced me to a girl who looked pretty much the same age as me and he told me she would be playing my on screen sister Done this before? she asked as we headed out of the trailer on set. No, have you A bit here and there, she replied with a little smile What's your name then Jason Donovan, I blurred out. What's yours Kyie Kylie Minogke Oh my Godd, amazing It's perfect, isn't it? It's so what to make you. And then obviously come back together on the show, right? But the show isn't getting the ratings initially. And their press guy Brian Walsh is credited by Grundy with turning things around in Grundy's autobiography, he says Walsh and the Grundy organization held a desperation meeting. Walsh suggested doing some filming in Sydney. He phoned Ray Miller, then the editor of the Sydney Daily Mirror to say that there were two kids in school uniform and fair Dinkcam they were having a sex scene down here They weren't. But the resulting front page headline, Shock Teen Sex on TV seemed to do the trick and the ratings started to rise It's a little creepy It's a little creepy. It's a little creepy. to be like, I know what's gonna They' fair Dinkcome having a sex scene. Fair Dinkome to kids in school uniform having sex I'd like to say it's a different time, but I think that sort of thing still plays today, unfortunately. Exactly, exactly. There you go. In nineteen eighty six, they do sell the show to the BBC and this is when things start to really change is not a mega mega hit in Australia In the UK, that's where things will go, Mega. So when we started watching it in the UK, it's nineteen eighty six so I was at school by that point, Are they starting with episode one or are they starting with? We're always a bit behind. We're a bit behind. We're always six months, ye, yeah, six months out. That's why they would be able to come over and do Panto while still being on TV or they'd be able to come over and promote big storylines and stuff like that G it got it, got it. It's only a year after East Enders has started and East Enders Eanders gets off to it. An incredible stark. Do you consider like these shows build. East Ender starts in february nineteen eighty five is a hit from the off As an audience of seventeen million for its first episode By Christmas day nineteen eighty six, it's getting thirty million doars. which is the most watched show in UK soap history That was the Den and Angjie one, presumably. The divorce, yeah My husband this terrible love Not a little white one black Remember Aange? Because I do, because I was sitting four feet away from you lapping up every word Six little months to live. Six tragic little months until old Ege is gonna to pop off That the bit of sickest joke that you've ever played. And then what's Ffred? O other jokess on you This My sweet H is a letter from my solicitor telling you that your husband has filed a petition for divorce It also tells you to get yourself a siliza pretty damn quick Hey Christmasir. By nineteen eighty eight, it's got an average of twenty four million viewers watching Eastendnders. Fast basically half the country. That's insane numbers, isn't it? It's wild, isn't it? Imagine starting with seventeen million as well. I know. So even if it dips a little bit You're fine Of course Asolutely wild. So the first episode on the BBC of Nighbors airs on the twenty seventh of october nineteen eighty six whichich is the same day of the regulation of the financial markets. Coincidident. The bigig bang of Margaret Thatcher's government. Yeah. It's actually on twice on day one But the times of it are nine twenty five AM and one twenty five PM Nine hundred twenty five feels like an odd time. I I guess one hundred twenty five is a pretty od time as well but at least it's lunch. Yeah, you like, I'll sit down with my lunch and watch neighbourors, but it's post breakfast television, nine hundred twenty five, isn't it? Yeah Yeah, it's the Lorraine slot is? It's the Lorrainee slot is' what is yeah. Some stories are cut for the BBC version, I'm afraid to say. We're prudish over here. Billy and Melissa's attempts to have sex, Danny's pregnancy scare, and I'm sorry to say that they think we can't handle Glenn and Lucy committing incest What a bunch of squares. Have you not seen sons and daughters? I don't know what the Australian obsession with incest is. They absolutely can't get enough of it. It's quite a small population. They just make huge edits to the episodes. They don't really have any options. so these edits don't really make much sense. Every now and then there's an episode that's sort of seventeen minutes long as opposed to half an hour. Exactly. Do you remember? Fr the Stock Aken and Waterman episode H came up with the idea of moving it to five thirty five Pete Waterman. It's a good game. because he came up with quite a lot of ideas. He did. I'm sure he claims he came up with it. In his book he says I came up with the idea of showing it twice a day. So Michael Grade, the controller of BBC or BBC O or whver he is. If you want to listen to those that series, it is one of our classics. He's at home And his daughter is at school age says, Oh, I got in trouble at school today, dad. I said, you're in trouble, what? Oh yeah, we all got caught. We should have been in the playground, but we're in a room watching television. We're all watching neighbours. And he says, I went into the office the next day and I said, We're moving neighbours to five thirty five PM so the kids can watch it when they come home from school. And the rest, as they say, is history. Fantastic. So Michael Grade's daughter is responsible for it. Do your kids in any way, do you think influence the decisions you make in in your television career? They would, yes They're huge fans of whoo do you think you are? so I thought I'd do that they were hoping that we werere going to find out you weren't their real dad. Well, exactly. yeah. There is a situation thereough, obviously where people respond it's like when we discovered, I think it was the Stock Eken and Waterman episode as well, that Cliff Richard plays all his songs to his milkmen to see whether his milkman thinks they're good. If hears the milkman whistling them the next day then he knows it's a hiss, exactly ye. It's the man in the street test, isn't it? It's your kids. It's exactly that. You know, you can do all the audience research you want, but actual connection with people, that's what it's all about In a sort of slightly more sinister way, it's Trump going to Baron. What are all those awful podcasts you listen to? I'm going to do them all Exactly. I wouldn't describe Baron Trump as the man in the street guess not. But I'm talking about listening to your kids as in, listening to the younger generation to understand how to operate as an older person. So quickly becomes a huge cultural phenomenon Part of this is the young audience. It's so watched by sixteen million people per episode. Wow. peaks at twenty one million people in nineteen ninety Which, and this is a lovely fact, is more than the entire population of Australia. It's absolutely wild. The neighbour's Annual in nineteen ninety two, these are the words that it claims It says att the start of the Gulf War in january nineteen ninety one, when many programs were taken off the air, neighbourors, while rescheduled occasionally, never lost a single episode Even wars can't stop the hapers. I think you've gotone a bit mad actually If you're saying we're biger than the Gulf War. Even Operation Desert Storm's not going to hold us back. Exactly. Also, it's the neighbour's annual It's for kids to get to read on Christmas Day. Stop mentioning the Gulf War. It's good for them to learn about it. It's a great way to learn about history. Yeah. It's great all current affairs as was then. Yeah, there's an academic called Richard Carr who is a senior lecturer in history and politics at and University He estimated eightighty percent eight zero of twelve to fifteen year olds were watching neighbourors at this time It was so huge. I think that's probably true. because if it is getting twenty million, most of its audience are of teenage age. Yeah. Some of these things are so mad. In nineteen eighty eight, Sunday Mirror ran a competition to win a trip to Melbourne to see the soap being made received more than a million entries in the first three days, and they had to take on twenty extra staff to cope with it It was neighbourorsmania At the center of that, it was Kylie and Jason Mania Scott and Charlene. Charlene's the mechanic from one family. Scott is from the other family. He's a Robinson. she's a Ramseay They' are kind of Romeo and Juliet but also off screen There's a romance. Not long after the relaunch of neighbourors Kylie joins the cast Obviously, Jason's worked with her on Skyways before He says what I can remember was of her joining the cast was sitting in the wardrobe van and this new actor had arrived and she turned around to me, but I couldn't remember her. No, He had no memory of her from Skyways. You're meeting a young Kylie Oogan, she's not being burned permently into your memories. Exactly. She's got ribs to burn. Exactly. We've had some fun Jason facts. I should tell you Kylie's mother, who's originally from Wales, Matthew. Is she? Moved to Australia in nineteen fifty eight as part of the assisted migration scheme She was on the same ship as the Gib family You're kidding me. The Bee Gese. The BeeGes, Yeah. Yeah, who did move back to the UK nine years later, but they were on that say. What a talented ship. Yeah. There's a lot of pop culture history on that ship. There is, if that ship had gone down, we'd be living in a very different world indeed, wouldn't we? Poorer world, A poorer world culturally. But Kylie and Jason pired up off screen. They're advised not to confirm their relationship to drive tabloid speculation. A will they won't they offs screen? Yeah, absolutely. They first get together, Matthew. It's a very romantic relationship at the Sydney Travel Lodge This is Jason's description of their relationship The most exciting relationship on Eth at this point to many people O weekends, we'd go swimming in the morning. this is from his book or head down to South Melbourne. have flotation tank sessions, which was a bit of a trend back then. I remember flotation tanks yeah. If you think they were zeichgeisty Matthew, wait for the next sentence. Kylie and I had just got into cappuccinos They were always ahead of the curve on those trends, weren't they? Exactly. Always ahead of the curve. Kylie and I just got into cappuccinos around this time and she was simply mad about them. She didn't like them to be too strong, they had to have a lot of frothy milk on top. That's a cappuccino for you. That's a cappuccino for you. I don't know if Jason was short on the word cow. They were a combination of ground coffee beans, water and milk. And if that's not painting enough a picture for you, it was contained in a cup. very rarely a saucer. Kylie and Jason, despite that, are in a thrilling off screen relationship despite his description of it We are going to come to that And Really what we're going to come to is that on screen relationship, the wedding of Scotland and Charlene, which is the high point of neighbours. And I'd say the high point of Britain culturally in the nineteen eighties So that is about to come up and then Arival is launched, Matthew home and away and do you know which channel launches it? No, not those basters at seven. Those basters at seeven have launched a rival. They built the set on a flat bed truck and drove it in as their publicity. Certainly the set was a beach, so it was an absolute nightmare. Just having a hg of sand delivered. Like someone to do some construction work That is all in the next episode If you want that now and the final episode, then head over to the fang Club the link is in the show notes, join the fang Club. You get it all now. You could be enjoying Charlene and Scott's wedding right now plus the sad death of neighbourors with an incredible monologue. by Susan Kennedy in episode four. That's all there. pllus extra episodes. Click on the description of the show notes. othertherwise, we'll see you in a few days st And from the very first moment I saw you I never felt such emotion Come You are back Hees She returned to someone ry Oh