Does the show need an injection of life, if so, then what?

[hapitoby]

1 hour ago, Luigi Severus Fletcher said:

If Marilyn and David were to get together, she could move back to her old house.

The show needs a bit more diversity, Neighbours has done it, why not Home and Away?

I'd love to see an Asian family, Indian family, Hispanic family, Middle-Eastern family or a Black family move to Summer Bay, hell turn it up a notch and make the family either Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist, Shintoist or Muslim. That'd make for some interesting storylines. Maybe they could give Roo a foster kid of one of the aforementioned backgrounds.

Even Prisoner had people who weren't of the Christian faith in it (they had Hannah Geldschmidt (Jewish) and Yemil Bakarta (assumed to be Muslim)) and that was the 1970s and 1980s.

I agree with you but no way this is happening in Home and Away. Maybe by 2050 if we're lucky.

[Light of the Bay]

The show really does lack in diversity - at this point could it be a Network 7 policy? I get the impression tptb at 7 are very conservative. 

[adam436]

RFDS, which is now Channel 7's only other continuing drama, has a large diversity in a relatively small cast in terms of a gay character and several characters from different heritage.

With that in mind, it's hard to see how could be Channel 7? 

[Red Ranger 1]

I mean, the show's less diverse than it was 12 months ago unfortunately, but aside from the obvious (and disappointing) continued lack of LGBT representation, I'm puzzled by people acting as though it's not diverse at all (and somehow less than Neighbours in that regard, as if that's full of Jewish and Muslim characters, which it's not?). It still has Maori and Aboriginal characters and references their culture.

[Light of the Bay]

It’s mainly LGBT representation I was referring to (should have specified) and it does make me think there is an agenda at 7 against this. Let’s be honest, on the whole they haven’t exactly shown same sex relationships in a positive light historically. 

[cymbaline]

I wonder are they thinking of the international markets they sell Home and Away to? Audiences in some countries might take exception to having same sex or trans characters.

[hapitoby]

1 hour ago, cymbaline said:

I wonder are they thinking of the international markets they sell Home and Away to? Audiences in some countries might take exception to having same sex or trans characters.

I think it's even simpler than that. When they're tried, they've received minor backlash...yet with gangs, crime etc. gets the views without the backlash.

I do think there's definitely more to it ofc but if the ratings are doing well with the current formula and the very few times they've tried to introduce same sex relationships didn't go as well as they wanted, well maybe they just wont bother, unfortunately. I know it's an oversimplification of the whole thing and I do believe there's a lot more to it.

There was the interview with I think Dan Bennett where there was talks of Brody being gay, and his original plans with Skye etc. the show just doesn't seem to want to break the mould much. So they just resort back to the same formula - interchangeable 20/30s straight relationships..and if it's a sibling dynamic, it's an overprotective older brother.

[Red Ranger 1]

20 hours ago, Light of the Bay said:

Let’s be honest, on the whole they haven’t exactly shown same sex relationships in a positive light historically. 

I mean, I wouldn't say they've portrayed it in a negative light historically. I think people attach too much attention to the fact that the Summer Bay Stalker had been in a relationship with a woman (who was never seen in the same episode as her), even though her main on screen relationship was with a man. Otherwise, the few LGBT characters they have had tend to be sympathetic characters.

[adam436]

I guess they've always just come in for their storyline and left: Mandy, Matilda's friend from therapy, Joey, Ty and Doctor Alex.

It would be nice to have an ongoing character, but it probably doesn't work when the show is so obsessed with relationships within the younger cast. They'd be written as a comic relief character or thrown into a love triangle with a heterosexual couple. The older cast are all mostly single though, so maybe that's where such a character could be added.