Neighbours on verge of being axed after 37 years?

Beloved Aussie soap Neighbours could reportedly be axed in the near future after 37 years on the air.

The show, which launched in March 1985, was once one of the most popular programmes on British TV - drawing in excess of 21 million viewers in the late 1980s - and also launched the careers of stars including Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan.

Neighbours originally aired on the BBC in the UK but in 2008 it switched to Channel 5, which contributes the majority of the soap's budget.

According to The Sun, however, the show has now become an unprofitable endeavour for Channel 5, and the broadcaster has been locked in talks with production company Fremantle to try to find a way forward.

"Channel 5 pay Fremantle Australia many millions of pounds every year and, sadly, there's a shortfall of about £5 million in what it brings back in through advertising," a source told the newspaper.

"There's a lot of disbelief and sadness among those who know it's struggling.

"They are currently in the process of approaching a number of former cast members, including Kylie, to make a special return.

"If it's the end, it really would be something special to have her back in Ramsay Street one last time."

Late last year Aussie broadcaster 10 Peach cut Neighbours down from five episodes a week to just four, meaning that for the first time, UK fans are now watching episodes of the soap in advance of their Australian counterparts.

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