Neighbours legend Stefan Dennis slams plans to reformat Margot Robbie episodes

 He called the move "unbelievably invasive, morally and legally wrong."

Neighbours' Stefan Dennis has hit back at reported plans to reformat old episodes of the soap into short-form vertical video episodes using AI. Variety reports that RoseBerry Media will recut episodes starring Margot Robbie into vertical videos for its Epis Platform.

The publication said that two storylines – including with Robbie's character Donna Freedman, whom she played from 2008 to 2011 – will be cut into micro episodes that will total 150 minutes combined.

This project is being done using RedSnapper, RoseBerry's production workflow, which uses AI to create vertical content.

Speaking to the Herald Sun, Stefan Dennis, who portrayed Paul Robinson in the show, slammed the use of AI for the vertical episodes, calling the new microdrama "unbelievably invasive, morally and legally wrong, and somehow it appears we can’t do anything about it".

"I’ve got my agent [on it]. I imagine everyone else on Neighbours is doing the same thing, as well as the MEAA and Australian Writers Guild. Whether they can stop it is another thing. We’re dealing with a very big machine," he said.

Dennis went on to say he feels "fear" for "his industry and every other industry" with the rise of AI technology.

"A year ago, I made a prediction that in 10 years, the world of recorded media will be predominantly AI. Well, I’m taking that back because it won’t be 10 years," he said. "The avalanche is happening now, and it will swallow us all."

In a statement provided to Variety, co-founder and CEO of RoseBerry Media, Guy Hameiri, said: "Neighbours is an iconic piece of television history, and exactly the kind of premium entertainment IP we believe can thrive in the vertical format.

"This is the first time we’ve had the opportunity to apply RedSnapper to a long-running soap with such a rich library of characters, storylines and cultural moments, and Fremantle has been a fantastic partner in helping bring that vision to life."

Fremantle commercial and international CEO Jens Richter also said in a statement: "Neighbours has an extraordinary legacy, with decades of memorable characters, stories and talent.

"Working with RoseBerry allows us to explore incredible archive in an entirely new way, bringing much-loved IP to new audiences while demonstrating how established television libraries can continue to evolve, find new relevance and importantly create new commercial opportunities.

"It’s an exciting example of how technology and creative thinking can unlock new value from our diverse catalog and content library."

Neighbours to re-release Margot Robbie storyline - but not how we knew it

 The drama lives on.

Neighbours may have come to an end last year, but fans will be soon be able to relive the drama from their phones. According to Variety, the soap is set to be re-released as short-form vertical video on epis.

The new global streaming service aims to deliver mobile-first storytelling, turning existing Neighbours storylines into a microdrama.

The first episodes will revolve around Margot Robbie's character Donna Freedman, who she played from 2008 - 2011, before becoming a Hollywood star..

Two storylines featuring Donna will be recalibrated into vertical micro-episodes, adding up to around 150 minutes of content in total.

The new format will be created by RoseBerry Media, which will use RedSnapper, an AI tool, to transform TV and film into vertical series.

Neighbours is an iconic piece of television history and exactly the kind of premium entertainment IP we believe can thrive in the vertical format," said Guy Hameiri, co-founder and CEO of RoseBerry Media.

This is the first time we've had the opportunity to apply RedSnapper to a long-running soap with such a rich library of characters, storylines and cultural moments, and Fremantle has been a fantastic partner in helping bring that vision to life."

Fremantle commercial and international CEO Jens Richter highlighted Neighbours "extraordinary legacy" and "decades of memorable characters, stories and talent".

"Working with RoseBerry allows us to explore incredible archive in an entirely new way, bringing much-loved IP to new audiences while demonstrating how established television libraries can continue to evolve, find new relevance and importantly create new commercial opportunities," he continued.

"It's an exciting example of how technology and creative thinking can unlock new value from our diverse catalog and content library."

Angry Anderson - known for iconic Neighbours wedding song - dies aged 79

 

Gary 'Angry' Anderson, whose song 'Suddenly' was well known for appearing in Neighbours' wedding episode, has passed away aged 79. The star's death was announced earlier today (23 September) in a post on his band Rose Tattoo's Instagram.

"It is with great sadness we announce the passing of Gary 'Angry' Anderson on the eve of Monday 21 September 2026, surrounded by his loved ones here in Australia," the statement reads.

"Angry was a devoted father, and much-loved member of his friends, bandmates and the wider music and entertainment community. His loss will be deeply felt by all those who knew and loved him both here in Australia and overseas.

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The family and band members are asking for privacy at this difficult time and will not be giving interviews," it continues. "We kindly ask that their wishes are respected as they come to terms with this devastating loss and take time they need to grieve.

"We thank everyone for their prays and messages of love and continued support. With love, The Anderson family and Rose Tattoo Band. Stay young, grow strong."

Anderson rose to fame as the frontman of Australian band Rose Tattoo, and released single 'Suddenly' as his debut solo effort in 1987.

The song gained widespread prominence for featuring in Scott Robinson (Jason Donovan) and Charlene Mitchell's (Kylie Minogue) Neighbours wedding episode the same year, with Minogue choosing the track.

It reached number three in the UK charts, as well as number two in Australia – held off in the latter by Minogue's own 'Locomotion'.

Anderson recently suffered a cardiac arrest while on tour with Rose Tattoo in Europe and was hospitalised.

Fans have since paid tribute to the singer, one writing: "Oh mate! Rest up mate, job well done!", with another adding: "Rest in peace legend."

"My deepest condolences to the family and the band! I sincerely wish you all strength! It was an honor to share the stage with you! Rest in peace, dear Garry," a third said.

Neighbours and Home and Away star Terence Donovan dies - as son Jason leads tributes

 Donovan played Doug Willis on Ramsay Street.

Neighbours and Home and Away star Terence Donovan has died at the age of 90, his family have announced. The actor, who is the father of Jason Donovan, had a career spanning six decades on television and in films.

The news of his passing was announced by sons Jason and Paul on Instagram who wrote: "Our Dad was a huge character, larger than life. He was our best friend ... our world! We will desperately miss him but we take comfort knowing we were all here by his side in his final days."

In a further post, Jason and Paul spoke about their father's work in the Australian film and television industry, championing Aussie-made projects and leading to successful exports such as Neighbours.

I want to take this moment on my Dad's passing to pay tribute to not only the actor and his body of work, but also his passion and purpose as a believer in an Australian identity and as a trailblazer for Australian stories," the brothers wrote.

"My Dad was born and grew up in England, left Britain on a dream....and turned that hope into a reality. When we actually sit down and think about it we, my brother and I cannot begin to express how truly proud we are of him."

Commenting on TV Week's tribute post, Jason's former girlfriend and Neighbours co-star Kylie Minogue, wrote: "Vale Terence. Thankful for your kindness and guidance in my early, crazy tv days with Jason. Xx."

Kylie's sister Dannii added: "What an incredible life and body of work. I'm so glad his family were with him."

Donovan got his big break playing Detective Mick Peters in Australian police series Division 4, before moving on to another police serial, Cop Shop, in the late 1970s.

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He is perhaps best known outside of Australia for his portrayal of Doug Willis in Neighbours, beginning in 1990. After leaving the soap in 1994, he made guest appearances until his character was killed off in 2016. In 2022 he returned as a vision in what was thought to be the soap's final episode, with Jason and Kylie also appearing.

On Home and Away Donovan played Al Simpson, taking over the role from George Leppard, for a six-week stint in 1990. Throughout his career Donovan also worked in theatre, appearing in stage productions across Australia.

Donovan's final role was in 2025 Australian independent film Puppy, alongside Nadia Townsend and Bernard Curry.

Neighbours secretly scrapped a shock death storyline - after the networks demanded it

 "All the what-ifs are always often far more interesting."

Neighbours' former script producer Shane Isheev has revealed the original outcome for the infamous Hotel Death Trap storyline. The shocking episodes saw numerous characters caught up in an explosion at Lassiters Hotel back in 2016, with several fatalities.

Among the victims were Josh Willis (Harley Bonner) and his grandfather Doug (Terence Donovan), who both tragically died in the horrific incident. However, according to Isheev, fans might have said goodbye to some completely different characters had Bonner not already been leaving the soap

Appearing on the Just Tak podcast, hosted by Takaya Honda (David Tanaka), Isheev was asked how stories on the soap were developed from their initial conception to their actual airing.

Legitimately, not one story that from its initial conception was the same to when it made it to screen," he replied. "Do you remember the hotel explosion? I won't go into what all the alternatives were, but that week started off very differently with what was gonna happen, who was gonna die and to what ended up being on screen."

The script producer shared that "the changes were dictated" by the "network", after deciding that they "didn't want that person to be killed off".

And then we found out that Harley was leaving so we decided to kill him off," he added. "Yeah there's all the what-ifs are always often far more interesting than what makes it to screen."

Elsewhere in the interview, Isheev addressed the planned earthquake storyline which was later scrapped when the show was cancelled in 2022. He shared that they had actually written the plot to explain location changes, as there was a possibility that they would lose the Lassiters backlot.

"Because there had been a real life earthquake in Melbourne around that time, you know what happens, all of a sudden... even if it's implausible to happen again, it's going to happen in there as well," he said.

It was to give other context, there was a very small chance - this might get me into trouble but I'm going to say it anyway - that we were going to lose the backlot from the people who owned the land."

He added that the earthquake storyline would have allowed them to "flatten and destroy that backlot" and have "really good production value", before finding "somewhere else" to film.

Neighbours actor Matt Wilson quits project with co-star after four months

 "I've got to realign my priorities."

Neighbours star Matt Wilson has quit a project he collaborated on with former co-star Takaya Honda, with the actor explaining that he wanted to "realign" his priorities after "spinning too many plates".

The respective pair, who played Aaron Brennan and David Tanaka on the beloved Australian soap, set up a podcast - Bin Night with Tak and Matty - in December, with the duo interviewing several former co-stars across the episodes.

After 18 instalments, it has been confirmed that Wilson has departed the podcast, though Honda has since released a new episode where he told listeners what the future holds for the project.

Wilson uploaded a video to the podcast's Facebook page on Wednesday (22 April) to discuss his exit, saying: "Hey bin chickens. I just wanted to make a little video to say that, unfortunately, I have to step away from Bin Night with Tak and Matty.

"Personally, I've just been spinning too many plates and they're starting to fall off. One of the reasons I stepped away from Neighbours was because we had too many kids and it was getting quite difficult to juggle."

"I've got to realign my priorities and see what I can make work. Without giving 100% to everything, I don't think I'm doing everybody the service that they deserve," he continued, before praising Honda as "one of the best interviewers in the whole country".

Wilson also reserved praise for the "amazing producers" and the "fantastic job" that they had done, before he thanked fans for listening every week. In his final note, he said it was "goodbye for now".

The comment section was full of messages from supportive fans, as one wrote: "You do what you gotta do Matty! Everyone will understand. Have loved you both on Neighbours AND Bin Night - but I’m sure Takaya can take the reins just fine - he IS a fab interviewer!"

"You will be missed Matty , really enjoyed you guys together. But totally understand and look forward to some stuff from you in the future maybe. But great that Tak is carrying on," wrote another listener.

In the latest episode of the podcast, Honda said that Wilson's exit had made for a "challenging" fortnight for him, but was looking forward to planning how the show could be taken forward in the future.

Despite his departure from the podcast, Wilson does have another project lined up, with the actor set to feature in a new short film. Titled Love in the Moonlight, the project sees Wilson play a former 1950s Hollywood star whose ghost remains in the 21st century.

Delta Goodrem shares Neighbours behind-the-scenes secret as she prepares for Eurovision

 "I got the script and I just cried."

Neighbours star Delta Goodrem joined the Australian soap back in 2002, playing schoolgirl Nina Tucker. The fan favourite character was introduced as a nervous teenager with a hidden talent for singing.

However, according to Goodrem, Nina's personality could have been very different had she not intervened. The actor shared that the role was rewritten to suit her vision, after she had a word with the show bosses.

Appearing on ITV's This Morning, Goodrem shared that she began acting at a young age and used the money to finance her very first musical demo. After launching her singing career, she was offered the role of Nina – but not as we know her.

When I first got the script sent to me, I had actually joined as a singer. The role was going to be a singer but they were trying to get me in quicker which was amazing," she told presenters Ben Shephard and Cat Deeley.

"We thought 'oh, we'll put her as the bad-girl-turned-good' and I got the script and I just cried because I had written this song 'Born to Try' and I just felt in my heart that that would be, you know, in that moment I just didn't feel that was the right place for my song."

The star explained that she spoke to the "amazing" producers to adjust the character, which led to the Nina saw on screen. She acknowledged that it was a bold move as she was only 15 or 16 at the time.

I don't know if I would have done it now. My parents were outside the office going 'oh my gosh!'" she laughed.

As for her singing career, Goodrem will soon be representing Australia in this year's Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna, Austria. She will be performing the song 'Eclipse', which she co-wrote with Jonas Myrin, Ferras Alqaisi and Michael Fatkin.

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It feels like a celebration. I'm kinda approaching it like I'm really excited to be able to be over here, getting to share new music," she said. "I just feel really grateful to get to bring the song and bring it to life on the stage."

She added: "It's definitely questioned my songwriting, you know, when everyone dissects your song. Me and the producers and writers have been like 'oh we've never experienced like that dissect'. But it's really fun. It's enjoyable."