'Toadie' says Neighbours needs more diversity

The actor who plays long running Neighbours favourite Toadfish Rebecchi has called for more ethnic diversity in the soap.

Ryan Moloney, 29, spoke out after the press criticised the show for not being multicultural enough.

He said: "If people have an opinion, they have an opinion for a reason - in terms of Neighbours being more multicultural, yes absolutely we could definitely go further with that - it would be fantastic to do that.

"Having said that, you've got to remember that Neighbours is a beast that deals in generalisations. We do it in broad brushstrokes. So if Australia is more white then there's going to be a more-white representation amongst the cast. Now being that Australia is far more multicultural, absolutely... make the show more multicultural."

The actor also claimed that the soap’s plots were toned down for families watching the show together.

"I actually think the writers write a bit young for our kids. I think they could be a bit older and handle a bit more.

"Neighbours is definitely pushing the clean living and innocence of children. But I think that's a great thing. These days kids are getting older a lot quicker so it's nice to have something that's trying to not do that."

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