Neighbours veteran Stefan Dennis has criticised the way the show has been treated after it was recently given the axe for a second time in three years.
Less than two years after the soap was saved and picked up by Amazon Freevee, the tech giant recently chose not to renew its distribution deal for the show.
In a recent interview Dennis, known for playing villain Paul Robinson, got candid about Neighbours' treatment – comparing the way it's promoted to fellow Aussie soap Home and Away.
"The reason Home and Away is on at 7.00, and why Seven promotes the shit out of it and why it's rating, is because of Neighbours," Dennis told TV Tonight.
Related: Neighbours' last episode: What fans can expect from the emotional farewell
He recalled how a senior executive at Seven, "all of those years ago in 1985, decided that a bright spark idea would be to axe Neighbours because it wasn't doing very well.
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"That poor bugger went to the grave with that hanging over his head, because it was the worst decision Channel Seven ever made. They vowed they would never let that happen again."
Dennis went on to say that not every soap fan is aware that Neighbours is still on TV, blaming this on a lack of marketing for the show.
Home and Away is produced in-house by the Seven Network in Australia, meaning the network directly oversees the soap's publicity alongside its production and distribution.
Meanwhile, Neighbours is commissioned by Channel 10 and Amazon, and produced by an independent company.
Related: Neighbours cast's emotional reactions to sudden show cancellation
"So when Home & Away came up, they went, 'We are going to promote the crap out of this. Nobody will ever not know that this show is on air'," Dennis continued.
"Whereas with Neighbours, I walk down the street, people say, 'You're the guy that used to be on Neighbours?' I go, 'Well, still am, actually.' And they say, 'Is that still going?'
"When Home & Away would sort of dip in the ratings, what did they do? They promoted the crap out of it even more," the actor added.
"Neighbours has been a shocking, shocking, bouncing ball in a business game. And you can't do that with business."
Dennis also lamented that news of Neighbours' cancellation had eclipsed the soap's 40th anniversary celebrations, saying: "It's a bit of a shame, because it's an incredible accolade for an Australian show to say they've been going for 40 years other than other than news and current affairs.
"But unfortunately, that's now being completely and utterly overshadowed by the fact that the show is now on its way out. So the 40th anniversary means nothing now."
Following news of the second cancellation, Neighbours fans have launched a Change.org petition to save the soap.
At the time of writing, the petition exceeded its initial goal of 5,000 signatures. It now has more than 17,000 signatures and is aiming for 25,000.
Neighbours releases new episodes from Mondays to Thursdays for free on Amazon Freevee and Prime Video in the UK and US. In Australia, the show airs from Mondays to Thursdays at 4pm on Channel 10, with a 6.30pm repeat screening on 10 Peach Comedy.
