Just 21 months after showing the final episode of Neighbours, Channel 5 have made the shock announcement that they will be launching a new British soap later this year.

‘One Way Street’ will be set around a middle-class cul-de-sac in the fictional town of Forest Hill, focusing on the lives of the residents of the 6 houses and the nearby shopping centre and school as well as a luxury hotel complex.

Channel 5 confirmed that former Neighbours star, April Rose Pengilly had been cast in the show. Her character, Jo Kingstone, arriving in the first episode with a mysterious secret that she tries to hide from the residents of Forest Hill.

April first appeared on Neighbours back in 2018 as Chloe Brennan, sister to Aaron, Mark and Tyler, staying with it until the show’s cancellation in 2022 and returning for a brief stint in 2023 where we saw Chloe marry Elly Conway.

The show’s creator, Ben Fenlon-Bone, told Ramsay Street UK that the show would be a breath of fresh air on British TV screens.

“We will be focusing on the day to day life of the residents” said Fenlon-Bone. “We want to make the show very sunny and positive, moving away from the dramatic and gritty realism of other British soap operas. We think that soap fans will love it and it will be a great fit in the Channel 5 schedules.”

Channel 5 Head of Commissioning, Anne Sunskurner told us “We are sure that One Way Street will be a big hit with our viewers, offering the perfect blend of unmissable drama and comedy to all soap fans.”

One Way Street is expected to launch sometime later this year, but, probably never.

By Matt Sole

Matt was a Neighbours fan through the late 1980s and 1990s. After a number of years living overseas he returned to the UK and fell in love with Ramsay Street again in 2017. Away from Neighbours, Matt spent many years working as an Entertainment Director for a major Cruise Line. He is also an avid quizzer and has appeared on many TV game shows including Bridge of Lies, competing with other members of the ramsaystreet.co.uk team.