Neighbours axe protests mentioned live on Channel 5 as Boyzlife stars demand answers

The campaign against Neighbours' axing got a surprise mention live on 5 News thanks to Boyzone's Keith Duffy and Westlife's Brian McFadden – as the pair used an interview to urge Channel 5 to save the show.

The Irish singers stopped by the studio yesterday evening (February 15) to talk about their upcoming tour, as Boyzlife.

But the duo quickly changed the subject, as McFadden said: "To tell you the truth, we're not actually here to talk about the music, we came in to find out what happened with Neighbours. What is going on?

"We're here on behalf of the Irish people who love Neighbours, to protest," he continued, as presenter Claudia-Liza Vanderpuije tried to get things back on topic.

Related: Why Neighbours deserves a lifeline after Channel 5 axe news

"To the boss of Channel 5, I did say to keep it quiet and they just completely disregard," she said."

"Kylie Minogue... Natalie Imbruglia... Where's the future singers from Australia gonna go now?" Duffy interjected.

There must be a lot of passion here, because you should be plugging your stuff, and you're just like, 'No, we don't want to talk about that'?" Vanderpuije added.

"We are gonna have words after this. That's enough – cut!" she joked as her guests shouted "Bring back Neighbours!"

Last month, Channel 5 confirmed that it will stop airing the show in August 2022, and when it became apparent that production on the series will likely end if another UK broadcaster is not secured, fans launched several campaigns to save the soap on social media.

Related: Neighbours star Takaya Honda shares important message with fans after show axe news

Over the last couple of weeks, many have also been sharing praise for cast and crew – as well as reflecting on what Neighbours has meant to them over the years – in light of its potential cancellation.

Several cast members have spoken out about the decision, too, including Rob Mills, who played Finn Kelly on the soap until last year. In an Instagram post, he said that he was "deeply saddened" to hear that the show could end this summer.

"It's an institution," he noted. "A living, breathing, creative machine that has employed 1000's of people over the 37 plus years it's been bringing Australian stories to life."

Neighbours airs weekdays at 1.45pm and 6pm on Channel 5 (UK) and Mondays to Thursdays at 6.30pm on 10 Peach (Australia).

Read more Neighbours spoilers on our dedicated homepage

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