Neighbours is a long-running Australian television soap opera first broadcast on the Seven Network on 18 March 1985. It was created by TV executive Reg Watson, who proposed the idea of making a show that focused on realistic stories and portrayed adults and teenagers who talk openly and solve their problems together. The series primarily centres on the residents of Ramsay Street, a short cul-de-sac in the equally fictitious suburb of Erinsborough. Neighbours began with three families: the Ramsays, the Robinsons and the Clarkes. When storylines for certain characters become tired, the scriptwriters simply move one family out and replace it with a new one. Ramsay Street is now a mixture of older characters and newer characters. The following is a list of characters and cast members who are currently appearing in the show or who are upcoming, returning and departing.