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‘Neighbours’ praised by viewers over gay sex scene featuring ex-Corrie star

The Australian soap aired the intimate scene last night (March 13)

By Fabio Crispim

A gay sex scene in Neighbours has been praised by viewers. 

The Australian soap aired the intimate scene last night (March 13), which featured David Tanaka (Takaya Honda) and the newly out Rafael Humphreys (Coronation Street’s Ryan Thomas), who is exploring his sexuality. 

“You haven’t done this much, have you?” David asked Rafael. “That makes two of us, I only came out last year. I know what it’s like to feel overwhelmed.”

The pair moved into the bedroom where David tried to take off Rafael’s clothes. However, Rafael was frightened of showing his scars and asked David to stop. 

But when David responded positively to the scars on his back, Rafael finally let David see him naked.

Viewers were impressed with the scene and applauded Neighbours for being inclusive. Some viewers described the scene as “beautiful” and others claimed they became “emotional” while watching the moment.  

Meanwhile, Takaya, who plays David, opened up about the gay scene to Digital Spy.

He said: “As a doctor, David handled the situation really well and the scene opened him up so much – when he sees and feels the scars for the first time.

“That scene was particularly nice and actually the final scene is very different to what was originally written. When we were filming, the director on the day made it clear that he was happy for us to interpret and work together to make the scene as powerful as possible.” 

He added: “I think the scene is a true exposé for both characters. David is so happy because he feels that Rafael has finally opened up to him.” 

Neighbours continues weekdays at 1.45pm and 5.30pm on Channel 5.