.
News Headlines

Today marks the fifth birthday of Neighbours: The Perfect Blend. A lot has changed in the five years that have passed - back then, Neighbours fans were watching Harold donate his kidney to Lou, and Susan considering returning to teaching after a bout of amnesia. Now, we've recently witnessed Oliver donate a kidney to Richard, while Susan's considering returning to teaching after running down Bridget Parker... never mind.

Things haven't changed too much here at Perfect Blend either. Apart from a small facelift last October. But we're still bringing exclusive interviews and spoilers, episode summaries, features and multimedia content, plus today we add our 1000th biography. And there's still more where that came from - look out in the coming weeks for the launch of our new section profiling the Neighbours crew members, some new galleries and an exclusive interview with new Neighbours executive producer, Susan Bower.

Thanks to everyone who's read Perfect Blend, and contributed to it, over the past five years, and we hope to continue bringing you all the Neighbours news for another five years!

Diabetes UK is one of the UK's leading charity organisations, funding research into the illness, and Alan Fletcher (Karl Kennedy) has very kindly given them a signed shirt to auction off, to raise money and help improve the lives of people suffering from diabetes.

Click here to view the auction and place a bid.

Today sees the re-release of the Neighbours Defining Moments DVD, first released back in 2003, and you can win a copy by visiting LastBroadcast.co.uk and filming your own opening title sequence!

Click here for full competition details.

Monday 25th February sees the re-release of the Neighbours Defining Moments DVD. First released back in 2003, the DVD contains some of the best birth, death and wedding episodes, and a full content list and review can be found here. Although the content remains the same, the cover has been updated to reflect the new Neighbours logo and opening title sequence.

Meanwhile, we have heard from Shock DVD, who produced the first two volumes of the Neighbours Iconic Episodes DVDs, who tell us that there are currently no plans for a third volume in the series.

You'd be forgiven for thinking that a revolving door had been installed at the end of Ramsay Street, with news that three more cast members will be packing up and moving out in the coming months. A PB team member heard during a Neighbours event this week that, hot on the heels of the departure of David Hoflin (Oliver Barnes), three more cast members will be going - Jesse Rosenfeld (Marco Silvani), Sweeney Young (Riley Parker) and, most surprisingly of all, Daniel O'Connor (Ned Parker) will all film their final scenes in around three months' time. It is unknown what will become of poor Elle and Carmella, as they each lose their latest love interests, or how young Mickey is going to cope with losing his dad.

It is suspected that some of the upcoming cast changes are the work of new executive producer Susan Bower, who was appointed in December. With Australian ratings still very disappointing, it is unlikely that these will be the last of the changes for Neighbours in 2008.

It's been an eventful first week for Neighbours on Five. The show launched on Monday 11th February on the channel in a blaze of publicity and ratings were strong, more than tripling the channel's previous averages in the timeslots. Ratings for Monday's 1.45pm episode were 1 million, with 2.3 million tuning in for the 5.30pm showing, only slightly down from the BBC figures the previous week. Tuesday's ratings then took a slight dip to 800,000 and 2 million, before rising again on Wednesday to 950,000 and 2.4 million. However, unlike with the BBC's two daily showings, Five has a number of other screenings, as well as two omnibuses to factor in, meaning that the overall viewing figures for the episodes could still rise.

Meanwhile, the 'filmic look' which Neighbours has adopted on Five has also brought controversy, with fans divided over whether it makes the show look more professional or less real than it used to. PerfectBlend contacted Five about this matter and were given the following statement:

"Neighbours was previously shot in standard definition but is now shot in High Definition Progressive Scan to ensure the series looks as good as possible going forward. Viewers should notice the picture is now much sharper, the lighting is better and there is a significant improvement in audio. While we appreciate some fans may need a little time to adapt to the new look we believe it is essential to maintain the show's high standards and quality."

Kylie Minogue (Charlene Robinson) has launched her own range of interior products, including bedding, curtains and cushions, based on her own design style at home. The range, Kylie At Home, will be available in the UK at House of Fraser and Debenhams from late February. Kylie was also celebrating winning Germany's Goldenen Kamera award for Best International Music Act in Berlin last week.

Kimberley Davies (Annalise Hartman) is expecting her third child. Kimberley revealed in interviews last year that her husband, Jason Harvey, had cheated on her during her first two pregnancies, but the couple have reportedly mended their marriage and are looking forward to the birth of a sibling for Isabella and Joshua.

Christian Clark (Will Griggs) has accidentally revealed that he's landed a role in the upcoming movie X-Men Origins: Wolverine in an interview with a small US newspaper.

Scott Michaelson (Brad Willis) is facing court proceedings again, five years after suing his client, former Neighbours actress Holly Valance (Flick Scully) for sacking him and breaching her contract. This time it's Michaelson being sued, with reports that New York skincare company emerginC is taking legal action against his beauty supply company CPL Group for delays and unauthorised product recalls.

Rick Maier has been appointed as the new Head of Drama at Ten following Sue Masters' resignation last month. Maier formerly worked as a scriptwriter for Neighbours , and we interviewed him in August 2003, when he had just finished working as Ten's Executive Producer for Creative Development, and he said at the time that he was still watching - and loving - Neighbours.

Maier's new role will see him responsible for the current and future drama output for the channel, as well as developing new primetime series.

Ian Smith (Harold Bishop) has been in the UK this week, publicising Neighbours' move from BBC One to Five and taking part in numerous television and newspaper interviews. As well as claiming that he constantly had to stop producers from bringing in a gay storyline for Harold, he has mentioned the constant streams of abuse he has received from many members of the public, citing one example when he was at his father's funeral and some other mourners from a nearby service ran over shouting "Harold Bishop!".

Marquise baby wear has celebrated their 75th anniversary in style, by collaborating with top Australian fashion designers and celebrities to produce one-of-a-kind baby wear for auction. Proceeds from the sale of these decorated singlets will go directly to Children’s Cancer Institute Australia. The CCIA is the only independent medical research institute in Australia dedicated to research into the causes, prevention, better treatments and ultimately a cure for childhood cancer.

Both Natalie Saleeba (Rosetta) and Natalie Blair (Carmella) have signed singlets up for auction, so why not visit www.ccia.org.au to check them out and make a bid.

With news that the Nine Network is planning a remake of classic Aussie soap The Young Doctors, a campaign is underway to get the original series released on DVD in its entirety. The show featured the likes of Jackie Woodburne and Alan Dale, as well as former Neighbours producer Stanley Walsh as Derek Holland.

Though two DVDs featuring selected episodes have been released, many fans would now like to see all 1396 episodes released. If you're a fan and would like to join the campaign, e-mail Umbrella Entertainment to show that the demand. You can contact Andrew Mercado at info@umbrellaent.com.au

David Hoflin is the latest name to depart from Ramsay Street. In an interview added at LastBroadcast, he's quoted as saying that he'll miss Sarah May, the baby who recently started playing little Chloe Cammeniti, when he finishes filming later this year. It is currently unknown exactly when David will leave, or how Oliver's departure will come about.

There's been a slight change to the details for Sunday's Neighbours documentary on Five. The show, now titled Neighbours On Five will now be broadcast at 6.00pm, ten minutes earlier than previously advertised.

Neighbours moves to Five on Monday 11th February, screening at 1.45pm and 5.30pm.

Voting for this year's 50th TV Week Logie Awards is now open, and for the first time, voting can be completed online. Click here to make your voice heard.

From these initial votes, shortlists will be produced and announced in the coming weeks, when a second round of voting will begin. The ceremony will take place this year on Sunday 4th May.

Could Stephen Fry be the latest name to make a Neighbours cameo? During an interview with The Mirror newspaper, Caitlin Stasey (Rachel Kinski) explained that Stephen's sister is married to her Uncle Philip, and the two often see each other at family events, where he has expressed an interest in making a guest appearance "in the way people such as Neil Morrissey and the Little Britain guys have done."

To view our archive of past news stories click here