Neighbours is leading the way in TV productions returning amid the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
The Australian show has become the first soap to resume filming – though with a number of measures in place including social distancing and temperature checks, as well as editing to make actors look closer for intimate scenes.
Executive producer Jason Herbison has now revealed that other productions around the world have been in touch with Neighbours for advice.
"I hope we've been able to provide some proactive advice," he told Sky News.
"Our production facility is one of the largest in the world and that puts us in a very fortunate position. We have three large interior studios and two smaller ones as well as a gigantic backlot, where we have created the world of Erinsborough.
"We are taking advantage of every inch of the site and spreading everyone out, creating separate areas which limit the movements of each individual."
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Herbison and star Alan Fletcher also elaborated on whether the soap will include storylines related to coronavirus when it returns.
"[It's] very difficult to write coronavirus stories for Neighbours that could be way out of date when screened," Fletcher said. "Wiser heads than mine will decide on this."
"We've debated about whether to incorporate the coronavirus into the narrative," Herbison added. "However, we are currently plotting episodes that won't air until much later in the year, so anything we write now might feel very outdated.
"Further to this, there's a creative question – will our viewers want to switch on Neighbours and relive it again? Or is our job to provide escapism? I tend to feel it's the latter.
"However you might see some lingering hints of it on screen, as if the virus might have somehow passed by our fictional world and our characters have adopted some of the habits and precautions, such as around hygiene."
They added that Dr Karl Kennedy would "definitely not" be treating patients, but it would be "certainly something we would acknowledge in dialogue".
Neighbours airs on Channel 5 in the UK and on 10 Peach in Australia.
The information in this story is accurate as of the publication date. While we are attempting to keep our content as up-to-date as possible, the situation surrounding the coronavirus pandemic continues to develop rapidly, so it's possible that some information and recommendations may have changed since publishing. For any concerns and latest advice, visit the World Health Organisation. If you're in the UK, the National Health Service can also provide useful information and support, while US users can contact the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
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