Editing Home and Away (section)

==Rating and restrictions==
Since 1988, ''Home and Away'' has dealt with some controversial issues, despite being broadcast in a [[Television content rating system|G-rated]] time block. Since 2008, every subsequent episode has been broadcast under the PG classification and often continues to exceed the rating. [[7two]] aired the repeated early episodes under the PG rating, as do the streaming service [[7plus]]. In New Zealand, the show was originally aired on [[TV3 (New Zealand)|TV3]] in an edited 5:30 pm timeslot under the G classification. The series now airs uncut at 6:30 pm under the PG classification. In the UK, when the show aired on ITV, it was heavily edited for content that was deemed to be unsuitable for pre watershed viewing. Many episodes were edited to the point that some continuing storylines would not have made sense to UK viewers, with some episodes lasting barely 15 minutes to fit the timeslot. One episode was completely dropped, the school siege, and the 1996 season finale was very heavily edited. The closing credits were also dropped from around 1994 for timing reasons, leaving only the final scene in the closing credits, which meant that UK viewers never got to see the closing credits to the show at all. This all changed when the show moved to Channel Five in 2001, although very minor edits to some scenes remain, and the closing credits to the episodes were also reinstated. Home and Away is rated [[RTÉ programme classifications#PS: Parental supervision|PS]] (recommended for a mature audience) in Ireland and has always aired with no edits. A 2023 episode was given an [[RTÉ programme classifications#MA: Mature audience|MA]] rating (18 certificate) for mature content on RTE Player.

===Controversies===
During the show's first season in 1988, a rape storyline for the character [[Carly Morris]] ([[Sharyn Hodgson]]) outraged the public and a protest erupted, as viewers deemed it an inappropriate subject to be covering in an early evening time slot.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2507&dat=19890329&id=TjFAAAAAIBAJ&pg=6102,3104160&hl=en|title=Star defends rape scene|work=[[The Herald (Glasgow)|The Glasgow Herald]]|date=29 March 1989|access-date=12 August 2015}}</ref>

In March 2007, the commercial television industry's Annual Code Complaint Report revealed that ''Home and Away'' was the eighth most complained about show on Australian television, and the only drama series in the top ten complaint list.<ref name="Complaint"/> From 1 July 2005 to 30 June 2006, there were 23 written complaints about the show as viewers thought it was inappropriate for it to be shown in its 7:00&nbsp;pm timeslot.<ref name="Complaint"/>

In 2007, the show breached broadcasting rules when they aired a number of episodes featuring [[Martha MacKenzie]] ([[Jodi Gordon]]) involved with [[pole-dancing]] in the G classification, as the [[Australian Communications and Media Authority]] (ACMA) said that these episodes should have been rated PG as they contained sexual scenes and references.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.news.com.au/entertainment/tv/home-and-away-too-saucy-for-rating/story-e6frfmyi-1111114569324|title=Home and Away too saucy for rating|publisher=news.com.au|date=4 October 2007|access-date=22 August 2007}}{{Dead link|date=April 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

In March 2009, it was alleged that Seven had agreed to censor a then-upcoming lesbian kiss scene between [[Charlie Buckton]] ([[Esther Anderson (Australian actress)|Esther Anderson]]) and [[Joey Collins]] ([[Kate Bell (Australian actress)|Kate Bell]]), after receiving many complaints from conservative groups and mothers who did not want their children exposed to same-sex relationships in a family show.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.samesame.com.au/news/local/3815/Lesbian-Kiss-Cut-From-Home-And-Away.htm|title=Lesbian Kiss Cut From Home And Away?|last=Taylor|first=Christian|publisher=Samesame.com.au|date=29 March 2009|access-date=3 August 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924094141/http://www.samesame.com.au/news/local/3815/Lesbian-Kiss-Cut-From-Home-And-Away.htm|archive-date=24 September 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.news.com.au/news/lesbian-kiss-cut-from-home-away/story-fna7dq6e-1225699562754|title=Home & Away lesbian kiss between actresses Esther Anderson and Katie Bell cut by Seven|publisher=[[news.com.au]]|date=28 March 2009|access-date=3 August 2015|archive-date=1 July 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160701121942/http://www.news.com.au/news/lesbian-kiss-cut-from-home-away/story-fna7dq6e-1225699562754|url-status=dead}}</ref> Seven's head of creative drama, Bevan Lee, later confirmed that the censorship allegations were in fact false and that the scene would still go to air as planned.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.samesame.com.au/news/local/3827/Home-and-Away-sets-the-record-straight.htm|title=Home And Away Sets The Record Straight|last=Taylor|first=Christian|publisher=Samesame.com.au|date=31 March 2009|access-date=3 August 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924094145/http://www.samesame.com.au/news/local/3827/Home-and-Away-sets-the-record-straight.htm|archive-date=24 September 2015}}</ref>

A 2010 episode which featured Martha McKenzie engaging in a sexual scene with [[Liam Murphy (Home and Away)|Liam Murphy]] ([[Axle Whitehead]]) on a kitchen table was deemed "too raunchy" by a television watchdog in New Zealand, where, at the time, the series was aired in a G-rated timeslot.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.digitalspy.com/soaps/home-and-away/a277936/ha-too-raunchy-for-nz-television/|title='H&A' too "raunchy" for NZ television|last=Davies|first=Rebecca|date=21 September 2010|publisher=[[Digital Spy]]|access-date=2 April 2020|archive-date=2 January 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200102020904/https://www.digitalspy.com/soaps/home-and-away/a277936/ha-too-raunchy-for-nz-television/|url-status=live}}</ref>

In December 2023, fans of the serial branded a marketing campaign for a missing character as "disrespectful" and "gross".<ref name="Guertin">{{cite web|url=https://au.lifestyle.yahoo.com/home-and-away-fans-call-out-disrespectful-marketing-campaign-gross-235013237.html|title=Home and Away fans call out 'disrespectful' marketing campaign: 'Gross'|last=Guertin|first=Lachlan|date=15 December 2023|publisher=[[Yahoo! Lifestyle]]|access-date=18 December 2023}}</ref> The show's series finale featured the kidnapping of [[Eden Fowler]] (Stephanie Panozzo). Channel Seven then launched a "Bring Eden Home" campaign featuring on-air promotions, a 1800 number to hear Eden's last phone call, and the promotion of a missing person poster across social media.<ref name="Guertin"/> The campaign proved divisive among viewers, with some branding it "epic", but others pointing out that it is insensitive to people going through a similar situation in real life.<ref name="Guertin"/>