The cast of Neighbours has announced the return series of the Australian TV show will start filming next month.

Alan Fletcher, Jackie Woodburne, Stefan Dennis, Ryan Moloney, Annie Jones, and April Rose Pengilly told the audience of Neighbours – The Celebration Tour at the London Palladium that production will start in April.

The six actors including Fletcher, 65, who played Karl Kennedy, and his on-screen wife Susan, portrayed by Woodburne, 67, were also confirmed for a new chapter of the long-running soap.

“It feels very real now. It’s a hive of activity at the studio,” Neighbours’ executive producer since 2013, Jason Herbison, said.

“We’re busy writing the next chapter of Neighbours, bringing to life again the show’s much-loved characters as well as new residents.

“It’s exciting to see the sets being prepped, ready to start filming on April 17 which will be a huge day for everyone involved”.

Andrew Thompson will also return as a producer for the series, which will be filmed at Nunawading Studios in Melbourne. The suburb, in eastern Melbourne, is where the soap was previously filmed.

Since first airing in 1985, Neighbours has followed the lives of those living and working in the fictional Melbourne suburb of Erinsborough.

The series was initially dropped by Britain’s Channel 5 following failure to secure new funding. The broadcaster aired a finale last July, before it was revived.

The series, produced by Fremantle, will premiere for free on the streaming service Amazon Freevee in Britain and the US in the latter half of 2023.

It will also stream on Prime Video in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Ireland and South Africa.

-AAP