The Neighbours Effect: Gen Z Brings Back Big Hair, Double Denim and 80s soap style

• The 80s has been voted Britain's standout decade, coming top for pop culture hair, music, TV shows, theme tunes and catchphrases
• Nearly half (49%) of Gen Z would try a modern take on an 80s mullet or perm
• The findings come as the first two series of Neighbours arrive onU (U.co.uk) in its 40th anniversary year, taking viewers back to where Scott, Charlene and Ramsay Street first became household names
• To celebrate the arrival, U has created an 80s-inspired Neighbours style kit packed with nostalgic props to recreate the era's most memorable looks
• Fans can also enter a prize draw to win the ultimate 80s-inspired gift box filled with nostalgic Neighbours-inspired collectables.
  

Big hair, bigger shoulder pads and even bigger soap drama are back, as new research reveals Britain’s love affair with the 80s is far from over. 

The decade came out on top across six out of eight cultural categories, with Brits rating the 80s best for everything from hair and music to pop culture, TV shows, theme tunes and catchphrases.

Commissioned by free streaming service U to mark the return of Neighbours, the research celebrates the show’s 40th anniversary and the arrival of its first two series on U, taking viewers back to where it all began. 

Plenty of Brits are ready to embrace its unmistakable style again. Two thirds (66%) would bring back at least one 80s fashion or beauty trend, with denim jackets (11%), big volume hair and curls (9%) and retro trainers (8%) among the looks people would most like to revive. 

For older viewers, Neighbours was tea-time appointment viewing. For younger audiences its return offers a gateway into a decade of bigger hair and bolder clothes, with nostalgic episodes helping to bring 80s style back into focus - and Gen Z seem particularly ready to embrace it.

Nearly half (49%) say they have already tried, or would be likely to try, a modern take on an 80s mullet or perm.

Few shows captured the look of the era quite like Neighbours. Charlene’s curly perm was named the show’s most iconic fashion and style moment (30%), followed by her tomboy style (17%), wedding outfits (16%) and Scott’s double-denim look (14%).

When asked what they miss most about watching TV in the 80s, 90s or earlier, Brits pointed to the shared rituals that made television feel like an event; everyone watching the same episode at the same time (42%), watching with family (36%),talking about it the next day (31%), singing along to theme tunes (27%)and waiting in anticipation for cliff-hangers to be resolved (20%).

That sense of shared viewing still resonates today, with 38% of Brits saying they wish big family TV nights were still part of everyday life like they were in the 80s. The study also found that nearly half (47%) have indulged in a rerun of a classic TV programme during the last 12 months.

The appetite for archive TV is not just about nostalgia. The survey found42% find classic shows comforting to revisit, while 49%said classic soaps deliver a level of drama and escapism they still enjoy today rising to more than two thirds (68%) among Gen Z and 60% among Millennials.

Iconic characters (45%), dramatic storylines (39%) and theme tunes are just some of the reasons classic soaps have stayed at the forefront of Brits’ minds with over a third (38%) rewatching to be transported back to their younger years.

Emma Tibbetts, Director of Programming, Scripted, UKTV said: “First arriving on screens in 1985, Neighbours quickly became a daily ritual for UK viewers, turning Ramsay Street into one of TV’s most recognisable addresses. As the soap celebrates its 40th anniversary and its first two series return to screens on U, fans can go back to the friendships, romances and cliff hangers that helped make the show a global phenomenon. Neighbours has always been more than a TV show; it’s part of a cultural memory of a generation. Bringing the original episodes back to U, gives fans the chance to relive where it all began, while inviting a new audience to discover the characters, drama and unmistakable 80s style that made Ramsay Street iconic." 

To celebrate the return of Neighbours, viewers can win the ultimate Neighbours fan box, filled with 80s-inspired treats and playful nods to the show’s early years. 

From stickers and nostalgic keepsakes to tributes to Charlene’s garage look, Scott’s mullet and Ramsay Street’s most recognisable details, the box is designed to bring fans a little closer to where it all began. Fans can enter via the UKTV’s StreamOnU Facebook and Instagram pages.

The first two series of Neighbours are available to stream free on U and to watch on U&DRAMA.

HOW TO ENTER

• Open to all UK residents aged 18 and over
• To enter via Facebook, you must follow the StreamOnU account, like and comment ‘Classic Neighbours’ on the competition post. In doing so, you are agreeing to the competition’s terms and conditions:
• To enter via Instagram, you must follow the StreamOnU account, like and comment ‘Classic Neighbours’ on the competition post. In doing so, you are agreeing to the competition’s terms and conditions:
• Lucky winners will receive the ultimate 80s-inspired gift box celebrating the return of Neighbours to U, with standout pieces including a mechanic-style name badge, retro shoulder pads, your own Scott Robinson Wig and Ramsay Street fridge magnets
• Entries must be submitted by 23:59 BST on 30 September 2026. Any entries received after this time will be automatically disqualified
• The winners will be contacted by 14 October 2026 (within 14 days of the competition closing date) and will be contacted by U’s social team on the platform you entered the competition via
• The winners must respond within four days of being contacted
• For any entry queries, please contact or

For further information on the terms and conditions, please visit:

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Notes for Editors:

• Image available HERE
• Survey of 2,000 UK adults facilitated by OnePoll in August 2026.