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Fremantle has partnered with RoseBerry Media to transform segments of the long-running Australian series Neighbours into short-form vertical videos for the Epis platform using an AI-assisted tool known as RedSnapper. The project begins with two storylines featuring Margot Robbie as Donna Freedman during her time on the show from 2008 to 2011, yielding around 150 minutes of content drawn from more than 9,300 total episodes that aired between 1985 and 2025. A Variety report first detailed the collaboration, noting that the technology helps scan archives to map character arcs and identify key moments while relying exclusively on previously broadcast footage without creating new scenes or synthetic elements. Fremantle and RoseBerry Media have maintained that human editors review and approve every stage of the process.
Stefan Dennis, who portrayed Paul Robinson across four decades on Neighbours, told the Herald Sun the plan was unbelievably invasive, morally and legally wrong and that it appeared little could be done to stop it. He confirmed his agent was reviewing the matter and expected similar steps from other cast members as well as the Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance and the Australian Writers Guild. Matthew Werkmeister, who played Zeke Kinski and shared screen time with Robbie in a love-triangle storyline, said he learned of the project only when contacted by media and described the use of his image through AI on an unapproved platform as extremely concerning. Werkmeister noted that his original contract was signed at age 13, long before streaming or vertical mobile formats existed.
Sound recordist Bruce Findlay, who contributed to Neighbours from its very first episode and has nearly five decades of experience in television, compared the AI re-editing approach to cutting up a Picasso. He told the BBC that the team had worked hard to produce the original series and that chopping it into tiny pieces before reassembling it with artificial intelligence belittled the entire process. Findlay added that the show occupied a special place in his heart, underscoring the emotional stake many crew members feel in how the archive is handled.
According to a Guardian Australia investigation, the production companies insisted the microdramas would incorporate only original dialogue, performances and footage without altering actors’ faces or using generated voices. RoseBerry Media chief executive Guy Hameiri described the effort as the first deployment of the company’s in-house AI system to sift through the extensive Neighbours library in pursuit of premium vertical television. The Guardian reported that the initiative has ignited wider industry discussion about mining television archives for new distribution formats that original contracts never contemplated.
The Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance acting chief executive Adam Portelli has urged the Australian federal government to enact legislation that guarantees consent and compensation for creative workers whose performances are repurposed by artificial intelligence. Multiple outlets including Mediaweek noted that actors such as Sam Clark were consulting unions including SAG-AFTRA before issuing further statements. The pushback reflects broader concerns across the entertainment sector about consent in an era of rapidly evolving technology for content repurposing.
Neighbours concluded its original run in 2025 after four decades on air but has experienced several revivals, making its catalogue a rich resource for new ventures. Industry observers point to the expanding global appetite for vertical short-form drama tailored to mobile screens as a driver behind such projects, though exact market figures vary by source. The current dispute centers on whether existing agreements cover these novel uses or require fresh approvals from performers and crew involved in the original productions.
