Dan Ewing: I never understood Neighbours

[Ukfan2013]

Press just like to make a huge deal out of it so it brings up the rivalry with Home and Away and Neighbours. I personally think people are making a huge deal out of nothing. I'm sure Dan isn't the first from either soap to be asked about each other. And he wont be the last

[cadyctslover]

Having watched the video, I don't really see anything wrong with what Dan said. He's not really saying anything bad about Neighbours, just that he preferred watching H&A when growing up. Whether he ever watched either show is another question, it's most likely for brownie points with the producers!

I am interested to hear that

another character from the Braxton's past is going to be returning to 'exact revenge'.

This sounds really interesting, and just goes to show they aren't running out of ideas... .

Honestly though H&A has improved in 2013 in my opinion, I find it far more bearable than last year where the Braxton overload really reached its pinnacle. I'm loving Neighbours though, great to see that show really back on its feet .

[shyongirl]

I have watched Neighbours for years but have gone off it, but still keep up to date for certain stories and characters. I have watched Home and Away since I was little so it is my favourite even though I went off it a while back anyway, but I did watch all the episodes I missed which was four months worth because I wanted to catch up. I suppose I should watch all Neighbours now until I go back to the start again and regret it like I did with Home and Away.

[HomeandAwayFS]

Wow. The Braxton haters are really looking for anything to criticize. (Maybe i shouldn't have said that but oh well) Who cares if Dan doesn't like Neighbours? It's not a big deal and a really petty thing to boil up about.

As far as Neighbours vs Home and Away. Here in Australia Neighbours is on Eleven, a secondary digital channel receiving less than 400 000 viewers an episode while Home and Away is still on Seven the most watch network in Australia, in a prime time slot receiving a million viewers a night. I've watched both my whole life and at times I used to enjoy Neighbours way more then Home and Away but the last 3 years have really shown which show will survive.

[Light of the Bay]

I'm no Braxton hater and I'm not looking for "anything to criticize". I was merely sharing my thoughts on the article. I think I'm entitled to that?

Anyway, Neighbours has been in a real slump the last few years but I think it's really stabilised and it's "found itself again". It's rediscovered its core values and what makes it work - the only differnce is its modernised and fits in with the 21st century. I think H&A has strayed/is straying from its roots. But let's not get into that.

I'm not certain at this point which show will survive longer... When the time comes for the Braxtons to leave I think H&A will lose a lot of viewers but I'm sure it will survive.

[TelephotoMarigold]

Wow. The Braxton haters are really looking for anything to criticize. (Maybe i shouldn't have said that but oh well) Who cares if Dan doesn't like Neighbours? It's not a big deal and a really petty thing to boil up about.

As far as Neighbours vs Home and Away. Here in Australia Neighbours is on Eleven, a secondary digital channel receiving less than 400 000 viewers an episode while Home and Away is still on Seven the most watch network in Australia, in a prime time slot receiving a million viewers a night. I've watched both my whole life and at times I used to enjoy Neighbours way more then Home and Away but the last 3 years have really shown which show will survive.

Actually, it is a big deal.

As I stated earlier,,. what to Dan was a throwaway comment will go on to haunt him further down his career. For example look at the furore over the comments that Melissa George has said in the past and again when Paul O'brien mentioned that he didn't like H&A. For any actor to slate that they do not like a show they are in, or in this case a rival show, they will be remembered for it.

Do not label people 'haters' as that is rude and condescending and does not add to the debate and increases the divide amongst fans. Further I do not see from any of the comments posted that 'people are boiling up' over it. They are stating their opinion as you do.

I further suggest that you read the original source of the quote from Digital Spy. Repeated below for your convenience.

The actor, who plays Summer Bay's Heath Braxton, admitted he never understood the appeal of the fellow Australian soap.

Speaking on NovaFm, Ewing said: "I never got the Neighbours thing. I always preferred girls in bikinis. I would never say anything bad about our Channel 11 reverent but I have always liked the scenery and visuals of Summer Bay."

Ewing also admitted that he is having to cover up on screen, due to spending less time in the gym.

He said: "I only go about twice a week now. It used to be about four or five times, but with our schedule it's bugger all.

"Heath wears a lot more T-shirts these days."

Which as you can see was the basis for the earlier comments and not that much of a jump for people when they commented prior to seeing the video of the whole interview.

As for comparing the two shows and going on ratings where is the source for the figures you quoted? Home and Away has struggled to reach the million viewers mark up until recently and it was a surprise to me when I noticed that the figures had increased. Neighbours on the other hand is always quoted in reference to Home and Away despite the fact that although they are both soaps they are very different. More recently Neighbours has had a turnover with new characters joining and other, favoured characters leaving; or in the case of one character, rejoining the cast, and despite this they are still maintaining the same or similar demographic numbers. In addition, they have added to the sets they use by showing outside the 'Ramsey Street' houses.

Neighbours is going from strength to strength and focusing on the future of the show with dramatic writing (wedding day explosion for example) and not relying on things such as rehashing the 'make up-break up' storylines or the crime filled ones of the Braxton clan. How many people from the Braxton's past can surface and cause trouble? How many times can Heath and Bianca break up? How many brothers can turn up let alone be conned into doing dodgy deals? Whereas many see the Braxton's as good drama some see only the endless poor dialogue, cataloguing bad writing and serious issues with the plots and if we so-called 'haters' are supposed to respect your liking of the show and the characters (if not actors) then you should give us the same respect over our opinions and stop attacking us every time we post something because all we are doing is expressing our views just the same as you.

[shelly25]

Having watched the video, I don't really see anything wrong with what Dan said. He's not really saying anything bad about Neighbours, just that he preferred watching H&A when growing up. Whether he ever watched either show is another question, it's most likely for brownie points with the producers!

I am interested to hear that

another character from the Braxton's past is going to be returning to 'exact revenge'.

This sounds really interesting, and just goes to show they aren't running out of ideas... .

Honestly though H&A has improved in 2013 in my opinion, I find it far more bearable than last year where the Braxton overload really reached its pinnacle. I'm loving Neighbours though, great to see that show really back on its feet .

With some one returning from their past, I assume that's Adam?

[alexx]

I agree that this year Neighbours has become a great show again (it was horrible for years). I've literally stopped watching H&A and started watching Neighbours on a daily basis again because it's improved so much over the past few months. Characters and storylines are far more balanced; relatable, dramatic and comical. Whilst Home and Away just comes across as mostly shallow, repetitive, cold and boring.

As for Dan, he's only stating his opinion. We all have our own tastes. Having said that, Neighbours actually does have chicks in bikinis and pretty much always has. I agree that they are restricted in the locations though, seeing a beautiful Aussie beach, bushland, caravan park (the original) was lot more visually stimulating than an Aussie street and backyards in the 1990's, but the quality of writing rules when it comes down to it Imo.

[Jezz]

Dan is entitled to his opinion, and it's not worth losing sleep over.

In regards to the two shows at the moment, I'm preferring Neighbours over Home and Away at the moment. From 2008-2012, Neighbours was a train wreck and on the verge of extinction, but ever since Richard Jasek became executive producer, the show has gone from strength to strength. I've watched Home and Away for a lot longer than Neighbours, but at the moment I don't think the show's great. I actually like the Braxtons, but it's the other characters like Bianca, Maddy, Spencer, April and Roo that make the show somewhat lacklustre. I still enjoy both shows, and I find it difficult to tune out of any show completely, but put it this way I was enjoying Home and Away more 5-7 years ago as opposed to the present day.

[HomeandAwayFS]

All I was saying was that right now Home and Away is doing much better than Neighbours as we saw at the Logies. Home and Away was nominated for 5 or 6 awards and actually won one award while Neighbours wasn't even nominated. Don't get me wrong I love Neighbours and agree that since Richard Jasek has come on board it has improved greatly and the drama IMO has almost reach the level of HAA. I understand how my last post may have seen like I was bad mouthing N but I truely hope both soaps stay on air for much longer.

Also, I highly doubt these comments will come back to haunt him and you can't really compare it to Melissa because they are two different situations. Dan is simply saying he doesn't see the apeal of one show which is understandable as men aren't always attracted by soap operas. While Melissa was constantly dissing HAA and acting like an ungrateful snob. Home and Away built her and she might not have had as much success without it. Neighbours has not helped Dan what so ever. By the time he was on air Neighbours had moved to Eleven. All he was doing was stating that he didn't like a show and that's understandable.