Neighbours

Licensor: Fremantle Media
Channel: BBC1
Type: Drama
Target Market: Girls aged 10-15

Neighbours is the most popular and enduring of the daytime soaps. Today, after more than 20 years and 5000 episodes, it pulls in over 5 million viewers for the combined 1.40pm and 5.35pm showings, making it the most-watched programme on UK daytime television, other than the news.

Most of those who watch daily are young viewers, especially teenage girls, drawn by the lives and loves of younger characters such as Bree Timmins, Lolly Allen and Rachel Kinski. Over 200,000 girls aged 10–15 watch the 5.35 pm showing each day, a massive 34 per cent audience share for this age group.

In spring 2007 Neighbours was poached from the BBC by Five, in an eight-year deal worth £300m. Five will broadcast the series from spring 2008, making it a centrepiece of their scheduling.

To take advantage of the high profile Five will give to the show, Metrostar and FremantleMedia are developing three Neighbours novels. Aimed at girls aged 10–15, these will be original, compelling stories featuring the younger characters and published under the series title ‘Neighbours Kids’.

Each story has one of the young female stars as its main protagonist with the other teenage characters in supporting roles. Placing the characters in situations where they will learn about themselves and the world around them, the novels will tackle themes with which young girls identify, such as romance, bullying and self-esteem issues.

The three novels are Trapped!, by Rebecca Levene, about a perilous camping trip to the Outback; The Haunting on Edge Street, by Sarah Pinborough, a thrilling ghost story; and Life Lessons, by Alison Davies, about an exchange trip to an English boarding school. Written by experienced teen fiction authors, they will delight the show’s huge fanbase of teenage girls and make perfect holiday reading.

• BBC1, daily, until April 2008, then Five, daily.
• Audience: 5 million
• Licensing: various DVD specials and 20th anniversary items inc. calendar, board game, stamps and a behind-the-scenes book.

Neighbours is a registered trademark of FremantleMedia Operations BV. Based on the Grundy Television programme "Neighbours". Licensed by FremantleMedia Enterprises. www.fremantlemedia.com

For more information:

Email: Stuart Cooper
Tel: 0207 317 0963
Mob: 07747 127310