Former Neighbours actors and crew have raised concerns about a plan to use AI to re-edit old footage into short episodes for mobile phone viewers.
Fremantle, the producer of the Australian soap opera, has partnered with US-based RoseBerry Media on the project. The show aired its final episode last year.
The first micro-drama will focus on Margot Robbie, who played Donna Freedman on the show from 2008 to 2011. Robbie has not responded publicly, and the BBC has contacted her agency for comment.
How the AI Tool Will Be Used
The companies say the AI tool will “scan decades of episodes to map character arcs, storylines and standout moments.” This is meant to help editors quickly find the strongest material.
Neighbours ran for more than 9,300 episodes. RoseBerry Media head Guy Hameiri said this is the first time the company will use its in-house AI tool on the show’s footage to make “premium vertical television.”
A Fremantle spokesman said the episodes will use “original, previously broadcast footage, dialogue and performances.” He said the tool does not create new scenes, change actors’ faces, or use synthetic voices.
He added that a human editor will review and approve every stage of the editing process.
Jens Richter, head of Fremantle’s commercial and international arm, called the project “an exciting example of how technology and creative thinking can unlock new value” from the company’s catalogue.
Actors and Crew Raise Consent Questions
Matt Werkmeister, 34, played Zeke Kinski and shared many scenes with Robbie’s character. He joined the show in 2005 at age 13 and is now a producer and director in Melbourne.
Werkmeister said he has not been contacted by the companies. “If they’re creating a new micro-drama out of something that already exists, I feel there needs to be consent for using our image and voice as well as the writers,” he said.
He noted that streaming did not exist when he signed his contract two decades ago. Because of this, he is unsure what his rights are.
Sam Clark, 39, played Ringo Brown from 2006 to 2010. His character later married Robbie’s character on the show.
Clark, now a producer and voice actor in Los Angeles, said he learned about the project when a friend sent him an article. He said he does not mind the old work getting a second life “as long as it’s not being manipulated into new storylines.”
Sound recordist Bruce Findlay, 68, worked on Neighbours from its first episode. He compared the project to “cutting up a Picasso and rebuilding it” and said it “belittles the process.”
Fremantle is understood to be in talks with two unions about the project. Residuals, which are ongoing payments to actors and writers when their work is re-aired, will be paid. These payments do not apply to crew.
The Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance confirmed the talks. Its acting CEO, Adam Portelli, said workers “should be consulted before their likeness or expertise is used in a way they could never had envisioned when they signed contracts decades ago.”
