Australian television soap opera exploring the lives and relationships of the residents of Ramsay Street in a fictional suburb of Melbourne called Erinsborough.

Serial chronicling the lives of the residents of Ramsay Street in the fictional Australian suburb of Erinsborough. When the series began, it revolved around three families - the Ramsays, the Robinsons and the Clarkes, living at no. 24, no. 26 and no. 28 respectively. Nowadays, the scope of the programme is much wider and only one member of the original families remains in the street. The show reached a watershed in 1997 when the last remaining original character, Helen Daniels, died. The departure of her relatives and arrival of the Scully family marked the start of a new era for Neighbours. There's never a dull moment in Ramsay Street, and despite their many feuds, the residents will always - in the words of the show's theme tune - "be there for one another".—Jon Brown <[email protected]>

Now Australia's longest-running drama series entering its 17th year of production, Neighbours follows the lives and dramas of the residents of Ramsay Street, a quiet cul de sac in the fictitious Melbourne suburb of Erinsborough. Originally focusing on three families - the Ramsays, Robinsons and Clarkes - the show went on to achieve international fame in the late 1980s when the characters of Scott Robinson and Charlene Mitchell were married after a courtship that captured the hearts of millions of viewers. The other characters of the time were equally as popular, including such legends as the street's resident busybody Mrs. Mangel, widower Jim Robinson, his ruthless businessman son Paul and fuddy duddy Harold Bishop, who went on to marry no-nonsense Madge Ramsay - granddaughter of Jack Ramsay, the man the street was named after. Over the years, hundreds of characters have come and gone - and as the original families have moved on, other families have replaced them including the Willises, Starks, and Martins, and later the Kennedys, Scullys and Hancocks. For many years, the matriarch of the show was Helen Daniels, the glamorous granny who was always on hand to give the residents advice and support over a cup of herbal tea until her death in 1997 after 12 years on the show.—Moe-6