The perfect end? Why Neighbours had more work to do

After nearly four decades on the air, Australia's favourite cul-de-sac said goodbye last week. We reflect on an iconic and complicated legacy, and why the cultural stalwart should have brought more diversity to our screens.

By Sally Spicer

Culture

By Sally Spicer

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It seems odd to claim that a show that ran for 37 years and almost 9,000 episodes was cancelled prematurely. But that’s exactly how Melbourne TV writer Vaya Pashos feels about Neighbours, which ended in a cameo-laden blaze of glory on Thursday evening.

The show had more to do, she tells me, to make amends for its problematic past with regards to representation of cultural and gender diversity. In recent years, First Nations actors and actors of colour have described it as a painful, unwelcoming, homophobic and racist environment.

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