'Home and Away' star Steve Peacocke defends "adult" storylines

Home and Away star Steve Peacocke has defended the soap's darker moments, insisting that the show's team should continue to "push boundaries" when it comes to storylines.

Home and Away's PG rating allows the programme to explore grittier topics like drugs, domestic violence and gangs - but its hard-hitting moments have occasionally sparked complaints from Australian viewers.

However, Peacocke - who plays Summer Bay bad boy Brax - told The West Australian: "If Home and Away shows drug use it also shows what happens if you take drugs - it shows the consequences. You know, if you can educate the public then you have contributed to society a little bit, as long as it's not gratuitous, and you can learn something from it.

"I think you have got to be reasonable and consider the 7pm timeslot and the audience that will be watching at the time. Some nights there are adult themes, but we aren't living in a nanny state just yet and as long as parents are responsible, it's okay to push boundaries."

Peacocke also admitted that he caught up with previous Home and Away episodes when he first landed the role of Brax and was surprised by the soap's quality.

"I didn't realise how good the show had become," he explained. "When something is classified as a soap it has a certain stigma attached to it, but [Home and Away] is more of a drama, I think."

Brax and his brothers Heath (Dan Ewing) and Casey (Lincoln Younes) have been on screen in Home and Away since the beginning of the year.

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