Neighbours: More stars come forward with allegations of racism, discrimination on set

Actress Sharon Johal, who was on Neighbours for four years, shared that she was subjected to racial slurs and mockery on set. Photo / Getty Images

Several cast members of long-running Australian soap Neighbours have come forward to claim they suffered racism and mockery on set.

Now cast member Sharon Johal, who is of Indian descent, has shared a statement online detailing how she tried to "deny, bury and ultimately survive" racist slurs from her colleagues.

She also claimed that the show's production company Fremantle Media failed to take action.

Johal, who has portrayed the central character Dipi Rebecchi since April 2017, left the show last month and alleged that during her four-year run, she was repeatedly referred to as one of "you people" by another cast member.

She asked her colleague what they meant and was told "you know, Indians". She was also made aware that she was being referred to as "the black one" behind her back.

Another crew member spoke to the Guardian and said the reference was used multiple times to "entertain" on set.

"[We're] the crusty old television crew, and we've seen a bit, but...we were shocked that [the cast member] was so open and brazen with what they were saying, and we just thought...they were like holding court," the crew member said.

"And [the cast member] called [Johal] the black one, and said 'she had no skill or ability' and 'it only got the job because of...a token kind of inclusiveness'."

Indigenous actress Shareena Clanton, who first made allegations of racism on set last week, told the Guardian she saw a cast member and a crew person call Johal a "c***" on separate occasions.

"I was later told by the same cast member that the only reason [Johal] and other people of colour are hired was to fulfil the show's diversity quota and not because they were any good," Clanton said.

"They said 'you just have to have a different coloured skin that's not white and speak in a funny accent'."

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"But it is clear the system has failed," Johal said. "It's both heartbreaking and telling of our industry that a show considered diverse still struggles with protecting these people in reality, behind the scenes."

Fellow Indigenous actor Meyne Watt responded to Clanton's allegations, sharing that he too was a victim of racism while working on the Neighbours set between 2014 and 2016.

Fremantle Media then issued a statement saying that it would not tolerate behaviour that "does not align to our Anti-Discrimination, Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO), Harassment & Bullying Policy and take all complaints very seriously, investigating all allegations fairly and thoroughly".

Another former Neighbours star Sachin Joab told the Guardian that the way he and his fellow actors of colour were treated on set was discriminatory.

He was hired in 2011 and cast as Erinsborough lawyer Ajay Kapoor, but the employment conditions offered to the Indian-Australian actor were very different to those offered to his white peers.

"[The Kapoors] were shooting every single day, Monday to Friday. And other actors that were fulltimers, all of whom were Caucasian, they might show up and do a scene once a day, then have a whole day off, or several days. Yet, they'd get paid weekly wages plus annual leave and sick leave and whatever else, whereas [I] wasn't getting any of that."