Ramsay St is ready for romance

Faithful viewers of long-running television soap Neighbours have been waiting a long time for the show’s first ongoing gay male character to fall in love.

This month, after a very single two and a half years, Chris Pappas (James Mason) finally hooks up with love interest Aidan (Bob Morley) after they head out on their first date.

Still a picture of white-bread suburbia, Neighbours has only ever dabbled with gay plotlines in the past, most of them for a few fleeting episodes.

The introduction of Pappas in 2010 marked a change as the show promised the gay male lead wouldn’t be used as a simple ploy for sensational promos.

Two years down the track, Pappas is still on screen (having battled with the process of coming out) and last month Mason was nominated for a Logie for Best New Talent.

Mason, who is straight, said the hardest part about shooting his upcoming love scene was doing it in front of a crew of 30.

“I don’t think it went through my head that a million people would be watching it, it was more the nerves that people were in the room,” Mason told the Star Observer.

“When Bob first came on the show I thought, ‘I’m going to have to try and find some chemistry with this guy to make this real’, but it just came naturally.

“We didn’t have to try to be friends, we didn’t have to try too hard to make these characters work.

“Bob and I had this tendency to make things comfortable and work with each other, so it was kind of different but we didn’t make a big deal of it.”

Mason is also an anti-bullying advocate. He joined youth mental health organisation headspace this year to speak out against bullying for the the National Day of Action Against Bullying.

Mason, who says he was targeted by bullies at school, said the role has given him a greater insight into the hardships gay people can face when coming out.

“I’d like to think I have an idea of [homophobia],” he said.

“I feel for the character and I understand what it would be like to go through a situation as much as possible without having gone through it myself.

“I can’t 100 percent say I’ve experienced it, but I’ve gotten close enough to understand the pain, the joy, all the emotions a person would go through.”

Morley said he was excited to be part of Neighbours’ first on-screen love scene between a gay male couple.

“I think the entire Neighbours team has handled the story very well,” Morley said.

“In this day and age, it really shouldn’t be such a taboo subject.

“I really respect the manner in which Neighbours have not sensationalised the story and have treated it as they would any couple, gay or straight.”

INFO: Neighbours screens weeknights from 6.30pm on Eleven.