Watch Neighbours legend Dr Karl Kennedy’s birthday video message to one of our team

As the dulcet tones of Dr Karl Kennedy rang out from my mobile phone, I don’t think I’d ever been more excited.

A few years ago, Neighbours’ premier medic sent me a video to wish me happy birthday after I signed up for the Alan Fletcher fan club. (For the uninitiated, he’s the actor who plays the good doctor in the teatime soap staple.)

You might laugh – my colleagues sure did – but I’ve watched Australia’s number-one export since it started in the UK in 1986, so the 26-second message from the Ramsey Street stalwart was a dream come true for me.

I’ve always hated to miss an episode, so much so that even back in the ’80s my Nan would record them all on to VHS tape whenever we went on holiday, and I’d spend a happy few hours catching up on all the drama when we got home.

I still watch it religiously now, so it was with disbelief that I heard the news at the weekend that the show faces cancellation.

How can it not be making enough money? It’s amazing!

This is the show that brought us Scott and Charlene, aka Kylie and Jason, and more recently Hollywood star Margot Robbie. Legendary characters like Toadie and Paul Robinson are still part of the fabric of the most famous cul-de-sac in Oz.

But more than that, it’s a part of the childhood memories of almost every ’80s and ’90s kid. All of my friends watched it. My Neighbours annuals, sticker books and encyclopedic knowledge were part of the cultural currency of the playground.

When Scott and Charlene got married, the nation watched (and I watched on repeat thanks to my treasured Neighbours weddings compilation video tape), and I’m surprised there wasn’t a day of national mourning when Bouncer died.

Surely we can’t let Channel 5’s funding priorities get in the way of allowing another generation to grow up wondering what on Earth Anzac Day is and telling everybody to ‘wrack off’?

I hope not. In the meantime, you’ll find me getting my daily Erinsborough fix while I still can.

Have you seen The 18 big events coming up in Worthing this year?