Exclusive: Neighbours boss promises long future for David and Aaron's fostering story
Neighbours spoilers follow.
Neighbours' executive producer Jason Herbison has spoken exclusively to Digital Spy about his plans for David Tanaka and Aaron Brennan's big new storyline.
This week's episodes on Channel 5 have seen David (Takaya Honda) and Aaron (Matt Wilson) reach a new milestone in their relationship, welcoming in their first foster child Emmett Donaldson.
The popular couple had originally requested a much younger child when they decided to pursue fostering. However, they have now been asked to take care of 13-year-old Emmett (Ezra Justin) for at least a week, as he was in desperate need of somebody to look after him.
Neighbours has been working on the storyline with actress and producer Deborra-lee Furness, a co-founder of Australian charity Adopt Change, who also directed some of this week's scenes. She and her husband – X-Men star Hugh Jackman – are parents to two adopted children.
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Speaking to Digital Spy about the story, Herbison explained: "I wanted to do a story that explored the challenges around adoption and the foster care system.
"I've long admired the work that Deborra-lee Furness has done in this area, so I reached out to her to see if she'd like to be involved. We met up for a coffee and talked for hours. She has so much knowledge on the subject and I realised we had the makings of an interesting and informative story.
"We agreed that it would work well for Aaron and David. The fact that they are a same-sex couple adds an extra dimension, but the themes are relevant to anyone regardless of sexuality."
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He continued: "It was very important to Deborra-lee that we tell a realistic story that doesn't sugar-coat the issues. Emmett's experiences have traumatised him and we also worked hard to tell the story from his perspective. It's a challenging process but it can also be rewarding too, so I hope viewers take that message.
"Deb and I spoke a lot about the importance of telling the story from Emmett's perspective and doing justice to kids in his situation. At this stage, it's a long story arc and we couldn't be more impressed with the performances of all the cast. Ezra, who plays Emmett, is an incredible young actor with a great future."
Herbison also hinted that David and Aaron will be able to rise to the challenges ahead.
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He said: "Aaron and David are complete opposites. Aaron is spontaneous and a touch naïve, while David is thoughtful and methodical. They often have differences of opinions, so Emmett's presence in the house does lead to some conflicts.
"Ultimately, they are a stage of their lives where they realise how important it is and get on the same page, so I think this will make them stronger.
"We love Daaron and this will be a very big storyline for them. On an ensemble show like Neighbours, every character can't be at the forefront all of the time, but we are certainly entering into a period where they are front and centre."
Herbison also drew on some of his own experiences when crafting this storyline, as he has an adopted daughter with his partner.
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He told us: "I've always wanted to be a parent so I can relate to that yearning. Fortunately, I have a beautiful daughter who I adopted with my American partner when we lived in LA, which I'm very grateful for.
"Adoption in Australia is much more difficult, which is why Aaron and David decide to explore fostering. It's a different situation to my personal one so it was a great learning experience for me too."
Neighbours airs weekdays at 1.45pm and 5.30pm on Channel 5 (UK) and 6.30pm on 10 Peach (Australia).
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