BBC own goal with Neighbours

Posted by me on December 5, 2007 7:10 AM | Permalink

On Monday, the Liverpool Daily Post reported that Liverpool has probably missed out on the chance to be the setting for the soap the BBC hopes to replace Neighbours.

This is the BBC which, as we all know, is funded by the tax payer, and the BBC which never tires of telling us how a) it is committed to the regions and b) relishes investing in new talent.

So, of course, it makes total sense that instead of giving the contract for the Neighbours replacement (it’s off to Channel 5) to a British company, such as Liverpool-based LA Productions it has opted to give it to … another Australian firm.

Now, while there’s a school of thought which says perhaps Channel 5 should have invested in a new, home soap instead of out-bidding the Beeb for Neighbours, at least it was only fighting for a soap already in production.

The BBC has gone a step further … it has actually commissioned this new soap, set in Australia, and called Out of the Blue. Remember the last time the BBC commissioned a soap set overseas? Let’s not dwell on Eldorado.

But there is a serious point here. As we all know, next year is Capital of Culture year in Liverpool and a lot of the cultural chatter has been out the legacy 2008 would leave behind. The BBC could have done a lot worse than to assist with that legacy by setting a soap in the city.

Does the legacy of Brookside still loom large over Liverpool? I think not. Is it because Hollyoaks is set very close by? I can’t see why that would be a problem. Or is because it’s so much easier for the BBC to just try and recreate Neighbours rather than try to be daring? Quite probably.

It seems utterly wrong that the BBC should instead ignore the many production companies capable of delivering a soap in the UK and instead ship out for one abroad. It might be a bit cheaper to send out an overseas SOS but the long-term benefits of a new soap in the UK could be huge for the Beeb.

As for Channel 5, it can make a real success of Neighbours in a way the BBC hasn’t: Show it in prime-time, even if on one of the spin off satellite channels it has. Also, do an omnibus of Neighbours on a Sunday lunchtime – that would attract a whole new audience.