Jodi Anasta and April Rose Pengilly to kiss on Neighbours as soap ramps up storylines

Ramsay St’s residents are kissing off their G-rated past with sexier storylines moving in to help stop younger fans moving out. This week, fans of the show will see two favourite female characters kiss following a same-sex wedding in September. SEE OTHER ICONIC AUSSIE TV MOMENTS.

• Former Bachelor joins Neighbours

Ramsay St’s residents are kissing off their G-rated past with sexier storylines moving in to help stop younger fans moving out.

This week Jodi Anasta and April Rose Pengilly are set to lock lips as Neighbours kicks its classification from G up to PG for the first time in its 33-year history.

It follows Australia’s longest-running drama featuring the country’s first small-screen same-sex wedding in September, with Magda Szubanski acting as celebrant.

April Rose Pengilly’s character will lock lips with Jodi Anasta’s character. Picture: Alex Coppel

Jodi Anasta joined Neighbours in 2016. Picture: Richard Dobson

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“The move to PG helps us to steer the show into more contemporary storytelling,” executive producer Jason Herbison told The Daily Telegraph.

“We are not changing the essence of the show but we recognise our audience has matured and can be a little more grown up. We can push the envelope a tad more here and there.

“We know the kinds of shows that young people are watching elsewhere so this gives us the ability to appeal to those audiences.”

The kissing scene that will be aired this week. Picture: Supplied

In September Neighbours was the first small-screen to have a same-sex wedding on the show. Picture: Supplied

Herbison said storylines could now be pushed further, with greater detail.

“We are really putting our foot on the drama pedal.

“Whereas, before we might have told stories in a more gentle way, now we are accelerating things. We have a great storyline coming up where there’s a siege and whereas in the past we might not have been able to show a gun, this time we can show the gun.

“It is really about more authentic storytelling. We are still family friendly, we are still positive messaging but we can be more authentic in what we do.”

In 1984, the nation cried as Molly died after a leukaemia battle.

In 2000, Maggie Doyle was shot dead in Blue Heelers, leaving many in mourning.

But Herbison said the show would still be OK for everyone to watch together.

“We are still family friendly, we are still a show at 6.30 weeknights that parents can watch with their kids but we are recognising that kids are a lot more mature than they ever were before,” he said.

“Young people are exposed to so much more now so we are kind of now catching up with that and being a little more adventurous and more contemporary in storytelling.”

In an episode of Sons and Daughters in 1982, Patricia (Rowena Wallace) tells Angela (Ally Fowler) her lover John (Peter Phelps) is her twin.

But Herbison said the show had always tried to cover the whole community.

“Diversity is really important to us,” he said. “I don’t see that as a G or PG issue. I see that as the right thing to do.

“We have had gay characters on the show consistently in the regular cast since 2010 and we also have a culturally diverse cast … We have to be inclusive, we have to represent our audience, our audience come in all shapes and sizes,” Herbison said.

Also in a first, Neighbours will not take a break over Christmas and New Year with new episodes screening on Channel 10’s Peach channel right through the break.