Home and Away adds gay plot
Policewoman Charlie Buckton played by Esther Anderson will fall in love with Joey Collins, played by Kate Bell.
- Published by David Knox
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Home and Away will introduce a lesbian romance at the end of this month when policewoman Charlie Buckton fall in love with Joey Collins, played by Kate Bell.
The two will share a dance and a kiss, and over the following five weeks their relationship blossoms into love. Actor Esther Anderson (pictured, right), who plays Charlie, talked to gay friends in the lead-up to filming and says kissing another girl “wasn’t that big a deal.”
“You learn pretty much everything at school,” she told the Herald Sun. “I don’t think it’s like I’m lifting the lid on something they don’t already know about.
“To me there’s no difference – love’s love. The fact that your partner’s the same sex is no different. You just want to be loved.”
Of course it isn’t the first time a lesbian couple has been seen in an Aussie soap in an early evening timeslot.
In 2004, Neighbours featured Lana Crawford (Bridget Neval) who developed an affection for Sky Mangel (Stephanie McIntosh).
Source: Herald Sun
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- Tagged with Home and Away, Neighbours
39 Responses
Yeah there is a big age difference, that’s the only thing. Otherwise, people should just get over it, I mean, if you don’t want your kids to see it then don’t let them.
I find it amusing that people are getting upset that a same sex couple have been introduced, yet no one seems to be worried that their kids are accepting hetrosexual rape scenes, bashings, and a woman hanging around putting her kid in danger for an abusive husband. Obviously a gay relationship is so much worse then an abusive hetrosexual one. Just a thought.
if you think this is all about the rights of gays and lesbians. you would stupid to think that. its just a simple rating boost. thats all it is. ten tried to do it with neighbours and look how well that show is going now
People People People.
A) Does the show really need a ratings boost? It wins its timslot, is a top 10 show everynight, and has consistantly high ratings for the last few decades.
B) Ch7 should be thanking all the radio station/websites for the free publicity. Every station on the way to uni this morning were talking about it. Most of the comments were positive, although you do get the occasional wacko..
C) I’m an ‘ethnic minority’, and yet im not offended by the lack of non-anglo-saxon people on tv.
D) Its not like those 2 chicks a couple of weeks ago didn’t pash in the school. No one said anything then. So whats so new about this? The fact that its a ‘relationship’ rather then a ‘one off’ thing? The fact that it lasts 5 weeks? I see it as an interesting storyline.
Yeh the way it’s done in OOTB is the proper way,as just any other ordinary couple no big deal. So what H&A are doing is hardly taboo or revolutionary,even Neighbours did it a few years back. The way it’s done here (i don’t watch so i’m assuming) with two girls who are likely bi experimenting is not the way,they should have two girls who are gay in a proper relationship not just some fling that won’t last a few months. Still it is a good thing ..and I’m sure many of the conservative audience that watch will loathe it so the ratings thing is irrelevant as it will possibly turn away some viewers.
Oh and the age thing is nothing..guys go out with younger women all the time it should be no different with gay couples as long as they are both adults.
Good couple choice.
its just channel 7 looking for ratings boost and nothing else. we arent a burn them at the stake nation any more
It should be good to watch, but it is hard to see the characters will get together. On the show Joey is portrayed as around adens age, 20 and Charlie is probable in her late 20s. They could have picked better characters to show this storyline. I cant see there being any chemistry between them
Yawn.
How many weeks is it before Charlie goes back to men, do you think?
Honestly, there’s one Greek person and one Asian person in the whole of Summer Bay. And the producers happily patted themselves on the backs when they came to town. When was the last time they caught the bus?
“As it is it’s mainly for the titillation of straight male viewers who are reputed to love lesbian porn.”
There certainly ain’t any ”straight male viewers” watching this show, just a bunch of teenage girls and their mums….this is definitely progress for homosexuality.
couldn’t they have gone with 2 people closer in age, joey looks like a teenager and charlie is like late 20’s, this age difference means it won’t last or be taken seriously. although they did put kirsty and miles together, but joey looks so much younger than kirsty does.
Whilst I applaud H&A in venturing into the taboo, I can’t help but agree with Pietro that this is for ratings and titillation for the younger male viewers who love the thought of two girls “going for it”!. An ongoing gay male character and his partner is still, unfortunately, years away on the soapies in Australia. I cant wait for the Diner to be owned by two 30-something hip gay boys from the city. 🙂 And lets not forget, we are still very “white” in our aussie soaps with a couple of greeks (eg Leah and her family) and Jai (?) with his asian heritage. This is still not reality, tho i guess we dont have to be correct – it is mere escapism.
About time. Most aussie tv is homophobic, and having a proper gay relationship shown without prejudice can only be seen as a good thing.
When H&A has a gay male storyline that is ongoing, then we might be able to say there is progress. As it is it’s mainly for the titillation of straight male viewers who are reputed to love lesbian porn.
Out of the Blue has a lesbian couple too but they’re just treated like any other couple on the show and it’s never really been an ‘issue’ storyline, apart from in a couple of episodes near the start. It’s really refreshing way for a soap to do it. It’ll be interesting to see how H&A handle this.
wow this is original (not) ….why even label people as gay…iam very much hetro and have a lot of male and female gay friend couples…this won’t make a big impact…apart from the pervs out there that would like to see girls kissing girls…
why would they do this. they arent struggling like neighbours are. this make things worst. neighbours was already going downhill when they decided to bring in a gay story line 2000 times, channel 7 executives have probably asked them to do it, so tt can make a story out of it
I agree with Marg. This storyline should be explored with decency and make people realise that gay people male or female are “normal”. Brothers and Sisters have been very successful with thier permanenet gay character who is in a committed relationship, rather than a character who decides to have a same sex relationship after many with the opposite sex. To me it trivilaizes same sex feelings!!! I hope it is respcetful… the jury is still out.
Let’s hope they treat this relationship better than Grey’s treated Callie and Erica…
It makes me sick that we make such a big deal of these storylines. Gay people go to school, to uni have jobs and some are in the public eye. The worst thing about these storylines is they tend to be more about titilation then showing a real romance between a couple. Brothers and Sisters is a show with the guts to have a permanent gay character in a relationship. It needs to be a commitment from a show to feature a “normal” couple. This will help to break down the shock horror of these relationships which exist in everyday life. Let’s hope the Home and Away storyline is something substantial not a “quick pash” for ratings
A good way to spice up an ailing soapie methinks!
Home and Away has lost a lot of viewers since Kate Ritchie left. I know it still wins its timeslot regularly, but the ratings have still dropped quite a bit since early last year.
It needs to bring back some of the older characters to return the show to its roots.
I do find it amusing how the “news” sites put a spin on it as if advertisers won’t like this storyline. This is not the first gay storyline in Home and Away.
Shannon (Isla Fisher) had a lesbian lover in 1997/1998 when she was attracted to her author friend who was an older woman (shock!). Christopher Ross (Pippa’s natural son) came back just a few years ago all grown up and in his teens, who revealed he was gay and that he had a crush on Seb. The problem I have with Home and Away and gay characters is that they never keep the storyline on board for longer then a couple of weeks. Charlie Bucton has just been dating two different men and is now suddenly a lesbian, and a year from now you will probably find that she’s married to Jack (after he comes back from the dead) or Miles.
Gay characters in a fictional small town are never going to work 100% simply because there is only going to be a small handful of people that are gay and therefore limits the relationship opportunities of the character. On a personal note, I would have much rather seen them have a gay scene between Aiden and Geoff…. 😉
I really don’t see this is an issue like the ‘Family Groups’ are currently arking up with. Some of their comments I’ve heard on the radio this morning are sold old-school, it’s a shame they are given the airtime to add their grievances…
Good on 7 and H&W for being progressive.
I’m not entirely convince that Home and Away wont treat this in a exploitative way.
I never thourght I’d say this but for once well done to Home and away for having a gay storyline. We need more gay people on Aussie TV and esspecially in our Aussie soaps and dramas.