Bob Morley Joins Neighbours for Six Months

[Miranda]

I can't understand 'family groups' being against gay storylines. What if a member of their family is realising they are gay and they want positive role models in life/ on TV? My daughter is 5 and she already knows that some men marry men, some women marry women and some men marry women. She asks questions and we answer, there's no mystery or stigma about it.

It makes me cross when people want homosexuality to be brushed under the carpet. there are far worse things in life e.g. murderers, rapists, paedophiles, drug gangs etc. They should be the ones stigmatised if anything.

(gets off soapbox)

[Zetti]

I cannot wait for this. Practically jumped for joy when Miranda told me. (Wouldnt have been very good )

I cannot wait and the fact that Bobby clearly hated his time on H&A doesnt bother me anymore (it used to) because he is an actor doing a job. I actually love Chris on Neighbours & I hope that the storyline is played properly.

[b2sb09]

The Charlie/Joey storyline had potential but it was obviously only ever intended to be a cheap and quick publicity stunt. They promoted it as “Home and a Gay” and did a Today Tonight segment highlighting the negative responses and thereby garnering good and bad publicity before it had even aired. With the way it was marketed and the lack of follow up as it was quickly swept under the carpet like a dirty little secret (only a few throwaway lines to her so-called bisexuality followed much later and they could be counted on one hand) to me suggests (IMHO) that they were never serious about the importance of such a storyline, despite their assurances that it was.

They’ve had opportunities to have Charlie re-explore this side of her personality, yet they just had her going back to Angelo after each break up and even when they knew he was leaving, I doubt they even considered introducing a woman for her; no, it was another guy who deserves to be in jail (Hugo, Roman, Brax and Angelo - his may have been an accident, but it was still manslaughter and a crime).

That’s what annoys me the most, they said it was important and the right time to do such a storyline, yet they’ve made no further effort to do it again and seem happy to promote good looking guys getting away with serious crimes (the signing of Brax and Heath for a couple of years is a perfect example of this).

I’ve always remembered these quotes from when the storyline aired.

Welsh said: "The idea of this show has always been that we hold a mirror to society - and when society changes, we change with it. What's ahead in Home and Away is right not only for the series, but also for the times we are living in."

Anderson also defended the controversial plot, saying: "I feel it's time for us to be telling this story. It's really important for us to reflect society, and this storyline is what is going on for many people in real life."

It’s too bad they never followed through, even by introducing a completely new character. Others have suggested Dex is gay and I could certainly see that, but I just can’t ever see them going that way with him, which is unfortunate.

I hope Neighbours doesn’t go the same way as HAA did with Charlie and Joey, but with the way they’ve handled Chris so far (who unlike HAA, was made a regular character after he came out), I have far more faith in them doing justice to a same-sex storyline than I ever would HAA. Bob is also in it for six months, which gives them a greater opportunity to explore their relationship and to develop a foundation without rushing into it and then ending it in the blink of an eye.

“I look forward to the time when they (Charlie and Joey) become just another couple in the town's population.” It’s such a shame that I can’t see any same-sex couples becoming just another couple in Summer Bay any time soon.

Sorry for the rant, but I really couldn't talk about a same-sex storyline on Neighbours without pointing out HAA's failings in this area. If Neighbours, which has a G rating can introduce a permanent gay character and then follow through with a relationship, then I really don’t see why HAA can’t, other than they don’t want to.

It’s 2011, it’s time HAA caught up.

[lozlovesh&a]

No. what I meant was that is the only picture of Drew I could find on the BTTB avatar list. I wanted one of Drew on his own, but there wasn't one

Yes, it was a weird pairing.

Oh right!! Glad you agree with me. lol. That's weird there's only one on there. You could always search google for an image then save it on your comp then upload it to photobucket then upload it on here.

[elikell]

Yay for the show. I'm so glad that Chris got upgraded to a regular character after he came out, and this is surely a step in the right direction.

Who cares if the characters are gay? It's about time people just accepted life as it is and not try to change it. There are gay people wherever you are. It's time to accept it and move on.

Everyone is entitled to love whoever they want.

Sorry, rant over.

[Perry]

I replied in the Neighbours thread but since that place is a dead letters office nowadays I'll say it here. I am really looking forward to this but he's playing a gay nurse??? Why don't we just dress him in pink and let him carry a chihuahua in his handbag.

[Miranda]

I completely agree b2sb09 and Elikell. Joey and Charlie was a travesty.

You also have a point Perry, they could have made Bob have a non stereotypical character doing a job like construction or something. But maybe they want to handle one stereotype at a time. I dunno, just philosophising

(just practising my sarcastic smiley, I might need it in future

[QUIET ACHIEVER]

It should be interesting to see if Bob Morley has grown in his style of acting from H&A and The Strip. His acting was bearable in the one episode he appeared in from Sea Patrol though.

From memory the last time that they "attempted" a gay storyline would have been back in 2004 with Sky Mangel (Stephanie McIntosh) and Lana Crawford (Bridget Neval).

Thanks for the info.

[~Lynd~]

Drew was one of my favourite characters during his stay in HAA.This storyline sounds interesting.I have to say I am surprised to see Bobby in another soap though seeing how he spoke of his time on HAA.