Neighbours guest star who threw farewell party for ’emotional’ cast accused of ‘not reading room’

Neighbours guest star is accused of ‘not reading the room’ after hosting a farewell party for the cast and crew despite being on set for just a few weeks – as the soap faces cancellation

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Just a few weeks ago the cast of Neighbours were seen in tears after Channel 5 said it would no longer bankroll the show, throwing its future in doubt.

But apparently one guest star, who had only been on set for a month or so, didn’t take this into account when they filmed their last scenes for the Aussie soap recently.

The mystery actor didn’t ‘read the room’ and hosted a farewell party for the cast and crew, despite the majority of them already being emotional at the prospect of losing their jobs, according to The Herald Sun.

Tone deaf: A Neighbours guest star has been accused of ‘not reading the room’ after hosting a farewell party for the cast and crew despite only being on set for a few weeks. The Aussie soap (2021 cast pictured) is facing cancellation after British broadcaster Channel 5 pulled funding

‘Surely it could not be true… that someone who landed a stint for a mere handful of weeks on the faltering soap Neighbours would expect the production to throw them a farewell party?’ reported gossip column The Rundown.

‘What’s wrong with a bunch of flowers and a thank-you on the way out the door?

‘Sounds like someone might be stuck in the past and isn’t reading the room too well with the large cast and crew already emotional at the prospect of losing their jobs come July.’

Britain’s Channel 5 acquired the rights to the soap, which has been on air for 37 years, in 2008 and agreed to pay most of the production costs.

International audience: The soap first hit UK television screens in 1986 when it was shown on BBC One, a year after it launched in Australia

International audience: The soap first hit UK television screens in 1986 when it was shown on BBC One, a year after it launched in Australia

However, the broadcaster recently announced it would stop airing Neighbours, leaving the show in financial jeopardy.

From this summer, the network is planning to focus on ‘original UK drama’ instead.

Channel 5 largely funded the production costs because it was not commercially viable for Australian broadcaster Network 10 to finance the Freemantle Media-produced show alone.

However, a Network 10 spokesperson recently said: ‘As outlined in the email to Neighbours cast and crew, it is our intention to continue our association with Neighbours if another [UK] broadcast partner comes forward.

‘Network 10 has an ongoing commitment to the show, the cast and crew and is hopeful that Fremantle will find a new production partner. We will provide further updates as they become available.’

Icon: It comes after Jackie Woodburne said Neighbours will leave a 'massive gap' in television

Icon: It comes after Jackie Woodburne said Neighbours will leave a ‘massive gap’ in television

It comes after Jackie Woodburne said Neighbours will leave a ‘massive gap’ in television.

The 66-year-old actress, who had played the iconic role of Susan Kennedy since 1994, compared the cancellation of the classic soap opera to the ‘loss of an icon’.

In an interview with Studio 10, she said: ‘It doesn’t matter how aware you are of the fans that watch the show and how much they enjoy it; but this week, it’s like a floodgate has opened and I’ve received the most beautiful messages from people.

‘People are really going to miss the show and it’s going to leave a massive gap in the landscape of not just Australian television but internationally and specifically in the UK as well.

‘It’s the end of an era, it’s the loss of an icon and we will never ever see a show like Neighbours again.’

Coming to an end: 'It's the end of an era, it's the loss of an icon and we will never ever see a show like Neighbours again,' Jackie said. Pictured: The iconic Ramsay St sign

Coming to an end: ‘It’s the end of an era, it’s the loss of an icon and we will never ever see a show like Neighbours again,’ Jackie said. Pictured: The iconic Ramsay St sign 

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