Neighbours follows Home and Away with another lesbian kiss

Australian soap Neighbours is to screen its second lesbian kiss following a similar story in rival programme Home and Away.

In an episode to be shown later this month on Australian television, Donna Freedman (Margot Robbie) and new character Sunny Lee (Hany Lee Choi) will share an “impulse kiss” after a love letter scandal.

In 2004, the show attracted the criticism of conservative groups after showing a kiss between schoolgirls Lana Crawford (Bridget Neval) and Sky Mangel (Stephanie McIntosh).

Last month, Neighbours script editor Peter McTighe promised the show would air a controversial storyline this year.

Speaking to fan website Perfectblend.net, he said: “We have controversy-central coming up on air in 2009. It’s a huge story, and is likely to stir up quite a bit of debate.

Earlier this year, Home and Away featured a girl-on-girl kiss between policewoman Charlie Buckton, played by actor Esther Anderson, falling in love with Joey Collins, played by Kate Bell, who works on a trawler.

Conservative groups complained that the show used “oversexualised” plot lines.