"The show is iconic"Channel 5's decision to drop Neighbours has shocked many, including the boss of Network 10, the Australian channel airing the soap.
Network 10's Beverley McGarvey has recently commented on the show being axed after its UK broadcaster, Channel 5, decided to focus its funding on different productions.
Despite petitions to save the show, it was not possible to find another commissioner in the UK, meaning the soap will end for good this August.
"I think it's devastating," McGarvey told the Screen Forever conference (via TV Tonight).
The network boss also said she is hoping the show will be saved somehow, adding that Network 10 "would love to continue to be the [soap's] Australian partner".
"The show is iconic. I grew up watching Kylie and Jason in that era. It was kind of my first taste of Australia," she said, referring to singer Kylie Minogue's stint on the soap between 1986 and 1988.
"We would love to be able to keep doing it. But unfortunately, unless they find international partners, it's not possible for us to continue."
Earlier this year, Neighbours executive producer Jason Herbison discussed potential endings for the soap, leaving the door open for a possible return to Ramsay Street somewhere down the line.
"We see the next few months as being a huge celebration for the show with a bit of everything for viewers," he said. "Any ending will be respectful of the past, the present and always open to a future."
Neighbours airs weekdays at 1.45pm and 6pm on Channel 5 and streams on My5.