Emma Tibbetts Lands 420-Episode Neighbours Uktv Deal
The neighbours uktv deal puts the first 420 episodes of the soap on U&Drama and the U streaming service. UKTV is starting with 115 episodes in July, then adding five more each week, so British and Irish viewers can follow the early run in sequence again.
Emma Tibbetts, UKTV’s Director of Programming for scripted content, said: “Neighbours is one of television’s most iconic and enduring dramas, and we’re thrilled to bring the back-catalogue to U.” She added: “This acquisition further expands the breadth of scripted entertainment available on our free streaming service, strengthening our growing slate of global IP.”
UKTV and Fremantle
The deal with Fremantle takes the story back to 1985, when Neighbours began airing, and to 1986, when it first reached One in the UK. It later moved to Channel 5 in 2008, before ending its latest run in December last year after nearly four decades on screen.
Louise Toner, Vice President Distribution UK and Ireland, International, for Fremantle, said: “Neighbours is a truly iconic series, loved across generations.” She added: “We’re thrilled to partner with UKTV to bring its classic episodes and unforgettable characters back to audiences old and new.”
Erinsborough’s first 420
The first 420 episodes will be repeated chronologically on British and Irish screens for the first time in decades. That gives the earliest Erinsborough stories a straight run again, including the original focus on the Ramsays, the Robinsons, Des Clarke and Daphne Lawrence.
Those early episodes also carry the soap’s long commercial history: it has been sold in over 60 countries worldwide and helped make household names of Kylie Minogue, Guy Pearce and Margot Robbie. In practical terms, UKTV is not just filling library space; it is using a known title to broaden the free scripted lineup on U while giving viewers a clean entry point into a show that still matters to the platform’s catalogue strategy.
July launch on U
The July rollout starts with 115 episodes, then adds five every week, which makes the schedule easy to track for anyone returning after years away. Episode 234 is the point where Charlene Mitchell joins, so the run will eventually reach one of the soap’s better-known turning points without skipping the groundwork that made it land.
For viewers, the immediate move is simple: wait for the July drop on U&Drama and U, then watch from the start if they want the full sequence. For UKTV, the cleaner play is clearer still: this is a library acquisition built to keep scripted viewing inside its free ecosystem, and the scale of 420 episodes gives it room to do that.
