As this weekend marks 35 years since the wedding of beloved Neighbours TV couple Scott and Charlene, Ambassador Cruise Line reveals whether Brits are good friends with their postcode pals.
- Most of us are a friendly bunch and speak to our neighbours weekly
- Equal amounts of Brits say they are either best friends or worst enemies with the people next door
- One in ten will get together to put another shrimp on the barbie this summer
- Causes of rifts with neighbours include troubles with noise, car parking, rubbish bins and barking dogs
This Saturday 1 July, TV golden couple Scott and Charlene from the much-loved Aussie soap, Neighbours, will celebrate their (fictional) 35th wedding anniversary! Brits loved following the plot as good neighbours became good friends (and more).
Now the loyal audience has grown up and settled into their own neighbourhoods, we want to know what real-life inter-street drama is like in the UK in 2023. Did watching the highs and lows of a close-knit community make us more likely to interact with our own neighbours over the last three decades? Or is technology making us more antisocial, and less likely to have a conversation over the fence? Ambassador Cruise Line surveyed more than 2,000 Brits to gauge neighbourly relations of the modern day.
No one can fall in love like Scott and Charlene or build a grudge like Izzy and Susan if they don’t speak, so we are off to a good start with regular neighbourly chit-chat – the vast majority (71%) of us speak to our neighbours at least once a week and 20% speak to them every day.
Almost a third (32%) say they are very friendly with their neighbours, with 4% claiming that the neighbour is their best friend and 4% claiming that they love their neighbour so much, they wouldn’t move house!
It seems that neighbourhood relations may not go as far as we might think however – only 9% of Brits invite their neighbours to social events such as BBQs and just 5% say that national events such as football and Royal celebrations bring them together. So, while most of us will be happy to chat with our neighbors, we’re not as keen to go as far as inviting them into our homes.
Of course, like every popular TV soap, every plot needs some animosity. 4% say that they and their neighbours really don’t get on and 8% say that their neighbour makes them want to live somewhere else. 4% say that they would not even lend their neighbour a cup of sugar!
There is a healthy stratum of paranoia across the UK, with 7% of Brits convinced (without proof) that their neighbours don’t like them. Likewise, 6% of us judge our neighbours for their behaviour and antics, showing that curtain twitching is still going strong today. 6% try to limit drama by avoiding them altogether and more than one in ten (12%) of us are dramatically cliquey, choosing not to sit on the fence when getting on with neighbours who live on one side, but not the other.
Unsurprisingly, the most common source of neighbourly arguments is noise, followed by car parking woes, then bins and dogs barking. We didn’t have a tick box for jilting at altars, adultery or downright skullduggery, but they do say that TV reflects real life, so you never know!
Escape your neighbours (or take them with you) on sailings with Ambassador Cruise Line this summer
Ambassador is a proud British company and guests will feel they’re experiencing a home away from home on board the line’s ships, named Ambience and Ambition. Featuring traditional British elements such as ‘Buckingham Restaurant’, ‘Borough Market’ and the ‘SW19 Bar’, guests will feel at ease onboard ships that have been conceived to offer them a fresh, invigorating and warm welcome that’s perfect for those looking to enjoy the company of others, whether they be partners, old friends or new acquaintances.
With multiple sailings across August and September ranging between 7-14 nights, there is a cruise for anyone wishing to enjoy a great value cruise this holiday season. Adults wishing to visit homegrown hotspots including John O’Groats, Isle of Skye, Isle of Mull and Guernsey will enjoy the British Isles Discovery Cruise on 2 September from London Tilbury, while the British Isles & Seine Discovery Cruise on 8 August from Liverpool will take in the Isles of Scilly, Portsmouth, Invergordon and Belfast as well as a quick trip along the River Seine.
Families can also make memories together on Ambassador’s multigenerational cruises, which include the seven-night Summertime Fjordland sailing from London Tilbury on 5 August 2023 and the 14-night Summer Balearics Getaway sailing from London Tilbury on 12 August 2023.
The launch of Ambition in May, the cruise line’s second ship, heralded the first departures from eight regional UK ports: London Tilbury, Newcastle, Dundee, Edinburgh Leith, Liverpool, Belfast, Bristol, and Falmouth – making it easier for guests from all over the country to enjoy a no-fly cruise with the company.
To find out more about Ambassador’s wide selection of sailings, guests can visit the Ambassador Cruise Line website or call freephone number 0808 1028701.
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Notes to Editors:
- Ambassador surveyed 2,000 people in the UK & Ireland via Mortar Research
For further press information, please contact:
Braden Cantalope | Sarah Geppert | Charlotte Wright | Emma Arthurs
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T: +44 (0)203 440 8930
E: [email protected]
About Ambassador Cruise Line
Ambassador Cruise Line launched in 2021, offering premium-value no-fly cruises to the UK market. Based in Purfleet, Essex, Ambassador provides authentic adult-only experiences combined with a selection of multi-generational itineraries to multiple destinations including the Nordics, Greenland, Iceland, Canada, the Mediterranean, Caribbean and Africa. The cruise line’s first ship, Ambience, entered the fleet in May 2022, operating from her home port of London Tilbury. From the 2023/24 season, guests will sail onboard Ambience as well as Ambassador’s second ship, Ambition, which sailed her maiden voyage in May 2023 and heralds the launch of sailings from eight regional UK ports: London Tilbury, Newcastle, Dundee, Edinburgh Leith, Liverpool, Belfast, Bristol, and Falmouth.
Ambassador’s extremely experienced management team is led by Chief Executive Officer, Christian Verhounig, and its principal shareholder is Njord Partners LLP, London. Ambassador is a member of ABTA, the UK’s leading travel trade association widely acknowledged as the mark of trust and reassurance associated with travel brands. Consumer funds are protected by means of a financial failure insurance policy managed by TMU Management Limited and underwritten by Accelerant Insurance Europe SA, who are regulated by the Financial Services and Markets Authority (FSMA 3193). The scheme is fully compliant with the Package Travel and Linked Arrangements Regulations 2018.
For more information, visit www.ambassadorcruiseline.com
