Neighbours revival confirms return of fan-favourite gay character David Tanaka
Takaya Honda to reprise his role as gay character David Tanaka in Neighbours. (Channel 5)
Amazon Freevee’s revival of Australian soap opera Neighbours will see the return of history-making gay character David Tanaka (Takaya Honda).
Neighbours returned to screens in September after more than a year-long hiatus after the series unexpectedly found a new home following its cancellation.
The reboot has already seen the return of historic LGBTQ+ characters like trailblazing trans character Mackenzie (Georgie Stone) and new ones, such as lesbian couple Cara (Sara West) and Remi (Naomi Rukavina) who have moved to Erinsborough during the two-year time jump.
However, LGBTQ+ fans have also suffered some major losses, including the departure of beloved bisexual character Chloe Brennan (April Rose Pengilly) and her partner Elly (Jodi Gordon), as well as Ramsay Street’s hunky husbands David and Aaron Brennan (Matt Wilson).
Earlier this year, Neighbours confirmed that Chloe and Elly would be making a guest appearance further down the line. But in the meantime, fans can rejoice at the confirmation that David will also be making a cameo in upcoming episodes.
David and husband Aaron made Australian TV history as the first gay wedding to be aired after the country introduced marriage equality in 2017. Since then, viewers have watched them navigate married life, start a family and support their siblings through difficult times.
The plot synopsis for the episode airing on 23 November shares that “David finds himself between a rock and a hard place.”
Although the teaser confirms David’s return towards the end of November, there is no further information about when they will arrive on Ramsey Street, how long they will stick around and what problems they will face.
Things may come to a head between David and his father Paul Robinson (Stefan Dennis). The last viewers heard, David and Paul were on bad terms after Paul jilted his fiancée Terese at the altar.
David’s brother Leo (Tim Kano) is also a series regular, so we may also be in store for some brotherly troubles.
There is currently no official update on when Chloe and Elly will be reprising their roles but according to a recent post from Pengilly, it is “only a few more weeks” away, meaning that it may coincide with David’s return.
In a statement announcing their return in May, Pengilly said: “I am so happy that Chloe and Elly get to continue their love story and we can’t wait to see how Chloe’s been handling step-mum life with little Aster [Elly’s baby].
“We continue to be blown away and grateful for the support from the Chelly fandom, and hope they enjoy this next chapter.”
Neighbours airs on Amazon Freevee.
