Martin Dibble is a

fictional character In fiction, a character (or speaker, in poetry) is a person or other being in a narrative (such as a novel, play, radio or television series, music, film, or video game). The character may be entirely fictional or based on a real-life person, ...

from the Australian Channel Seven

soap opera A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored ...

Home and Away ''Home and Away'' (often abbreviated as ''H&A'') is an Australian television soap opera. It was created by Alan Bateman and commenced broadcast on the Seven Network on 17 January 1988. Bateman came up with the concept of the show during a trip ...

'', played by Craig Thomson. He made his first on-screen appearance on 17 January 1988, the show's pilot episode. The character was axed from the series in 1989 after producer Andrew Howie decided to focus on new characters. He left the show on 3 April 1990, but returned for guest stints in 2000 and 2002.

Creation and casting

In 1987, ''Home and Away'' producers asked Thomson to audition for a role, after they watched him in an advertisement for soft drinks. Thomson auditioned alongside

Adam Willits Adam Charles Willits (born 18 February 1972) is an Australians, Australian former actor, best known for being an original cast member of the television soap opera ''Home and Away'' as foster child Steven Matheson from 1988 to 1991. In 1995, Wil ...

, while Thomson secured the role of Martin, Willits went on to play

Steven Matheson Steven Matheson is a character (arts), fictional character from the Australian Seven Network, Channel Seven soap opera ''Home and Away'', played by Adam Willits. Steven was created by Alan Bateman as one of the serial's original characters and h ...

. Of his casting Thomson said they "went along to the auditions and got the parts, there's not much to tell really". ''Home and Away'' was Thomson's first television role. Kesta 1990, p.50. When Thomson won the role of Martin he was thankful because he had not achieved high grades in his studies. After he had read his first scripts for Martin, Thomson travelled to West Australia to research the role. Martin is portrayed as a "yobbo" and Thomson believed that the area was ideal to observe "yobbos" socialising. He told a writer from ''

Look-in ''Look-in'' was a children's magazine centred on ITV's television programmes in the United Kingdom, and subtitled "The Junior ''TVTimes''". It ran from 9 January 1971 to 12 March 1994. Thomson described Martin as being "completely over the top, and very different from the rest of the cast. I really like playing comedy." Thomson later said that "Martin's like every other bully, he fancies himself as a boxer and thinks he's tough. In fact, he's a coward". In 1990, Thomson said that Martin has a "heart of gold" but is let down by his brain. Hopwood 1990, p.12. Thomson told the reporter from ''Look-in'' that he was nothing like his character. Martin does not know how to have a good time because he is a "dag"; and is forever thinking up ideas which eventually fail. Martin also has the tendency to act "quite selfish" and he is "very greedy". Thomson said that he disliked his character's greediness even though he always knew that was how ''Home and Away'' intended to portray him. Martin is not "really a bad guy" either, and Thomson said that everyone needed to treat him as "a bit of a joke" and that he would never choose to spend time with Martin. Martin forms an on-screen duo with the character of

Lance Smart Lance Smart is a fictional character from the Australian Channel Seven soap opera ''Home and Away'', played by Peter Vroom. Vroom appeared from the pilot episode as one of the serial's original characters. Lance is characterised a "slow witted ...

( Peter Vroom), Thomson said that the characters are ''Home and Away's'' answer to

Laurel and Hardy Laurel and Hardy were a British-American Double act, comedy duo act during the early Classical Hollywood cinema, Classical Hollywood era of American cinema, consisting of Englishman Stan Laurel (1890–1965) and American Oliver Hardy (1892–19 ...

. Like Martin, Lance is not popular with females and even "their closest friends" think they are unattractive. They are portrayed as a pair of "yobbos and larrikins" who work at a local oyster farm. The characters have a general dislike for the local males who enjoy surfing. They become their "great nemesis" because they manage to get "all the girls". As Martin believes he is "the most irresistible male in Summer Bay", Lance is so impressed by Martin that he believes he is actually irresistible. Oram 1989, p.100. Thomson said that the duo "stand out a lot" because of their over-the-top nature. While Vroom felt they rarely got "serious" scenes because they were mostly involved in comedic storylines. Vroom criticised the writing Martin and Lance received because he did not think it represented how young people behave. ''Home and Away's'' critics also scrutinised the writing "for a lack of realism". Vroom said "Usually Lance and Martin are drinking yobs, but they're not allowed to swear which is not so realistic." While Thomson said the serial's early evening time slot often caused dialogue to be censored. Vroom added that "Lance and Martin are definitely drinkers and if it wasn't for the timeslot they would be into marijuana too." Though he defended the characters because they had to be responsible and cater for young viewers. Oram 1989, p.101. Thomson's contract was due to expire in February 1990. Producer Andrew Howie decided not to renew either Thomson or Vrooms's contracts to focus on new characters. Howie told David Brown from ''TV Week'' that "We feel we've exhausted their characters and their stories. With the new members of the cast, we have greater potential with other characters for 1990. It's sad to lose original cast members, but it's a developing program. We think viewers will like the direction ''Home and Away'' will take." Thomson told a reporter from ''TV Life'' that he had already thought about leaving the series to launch his music career. He told ''Look-in's'' reporter that he would not return to ''Home and Away'' again. He also believed that there was nowhere left for his character to go. Thomson added "he's had his day really, throughout the whole show he's done so many things, there's not much else left for him to try." However, Thomson returned to filming in 2000 when Martin and Lance arrive to attend Sally Fletcher's (

Kate Ritchie Katherine Leigh Ritchie is an Australian actress, radio presenter and children's author, she remains best known for her long-running role as original character Sally Fletcher on the television soap opera '' Home and Away'', for which she won tw ...

) wedding. He returned again in 2002, alongside various past cast members to celebrate summer bay's fictional "150 year anniversary". When he returns Martin pretends to be a millionaire.

Storylines

Martin and Lance watch new arrivals in town

Carly Morris Carly Lucini (also Morris) is a character (arts), fictional character from the Australian soap opera ''Home and Away'', played by actress Sharyn Hodgson. She was one of the soap's original female protagonists, appearing as one of the Fletchers' f ...

(

Sharyn Hodgson Sharyn Hodgson (born 25 August 1968) is an Australian former actress, best known as an original character in TV serial ''Home and Away'' playing troubled teenager Carly Morris (later Luccini), she has subsequently returned to the role guest app ...

Lynn Davenport ''Home and Away'' is an Australian television soap opera. It was first broadcast on the Seven Network on 17 January 1988. The following is a list of characters that first appeared in that year, by order of first appearance. They were all introdu ...

(Helena Bozich) and Sally; he is instantly taken with Carly. Soon afterwards, he clashes with Bobby Simpson (

Nicolle Dickson Nicolle Dickson (born 29 January 1969) is an Australian former actress, who was best known for playing the original character of teenage tearaway Bobby Simpson in soap opera ''Home and Away'' from 1988 to 1993. She left the acting profession a ...

) when he and Lance reveal they had known all along who was responsible for the fire she had nearly been blamed for. As a result, he ends up getting into a fight with Steven. Martin saves Carly from drowning but uses up the goodwill when he stops the object of her desires Matt Wilson (Greg Benson) from visiting her. When Martin has another clash with Bobby, during which her school dress is ripped, the girls decide to get their own back on Lance and Martin by letting the handbrake off their van. The van rolls into the car being driven by school Principal Walter Bertram (Owen Weingott), leaving him hospitalised with minor injuries. Since it is their work van, they end up being fired. Martin and Lance blame the school's deputy principal,

Donald Fisher Donald George Fisher (September 3, 1928 – September 27, 2009) was an American billionaire businessman and philanthropist. He co-founded The Gap Inc. clothing stores with his wife Doris F. Fisher. Early life and education Fisher was born i ...

(

Norman Coburn Norman Coburn (born 6 March 1937) is an Australian former actor best known for his television serial and soap opera roles. He started his early career in theatre, film and television in the United Kingdom in the late 1950s. Coburn became famous ...

), whose brother is their employer, so they get their revenge by putting jellyfish in his car. They then find Donald had got them their jobs back and rush to put it right, only to be caught and sentenced to clean the car out. Martin and Lance decide to have some fun at the expense of slow-witted local Nico Pappas (

Nicholas Papademetriou Nicholas Papademetriou is an Australian actor of Greek Cypriot descent with many television, film and theatre credits. He is a graduate of Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts. He has had an extensive career in film and television sinc ...

) by convincing him to use his cow to "fertilise" Donald's lawn. They are forced to own up to stop Nico getting into trouble and Donald orders them to clean the muck up with their hands. The incident contributes to Nico attacking Donald after his cow was poisoned and being temporarily institutionalised. As punishment, Alf Stewart (

Ray Meagher Raymond Francis Meagher (born 4 July 1944) is an Australian actor, who has appeared in Australian film and television since the mid-1970s. He is notable as the longest continuing performer in an Australian television role, portraying Alf Stewa ...

), who owns the local bottle shop, refuses to serve them alcohol so they try brewing their own. They accidentally get Donald's cat drunk and has to sober him up before Donald finds out. Martin then joins a band that

Frank Morgan Francis Phillip Wuppermann (June 1, 1890 – September 18, 1949), known professionally as Frank Morgan, was an American character actor. He was best known for his appearances in films starting in the silent era in 1916, and then numerous soun ...

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Alex Papps Alex Papps (born 11 February 1969) is an Australian actor, television host, writer and singer. Early life Papps, who is of Greek descent, was born in 1969, his parents where both amateur theatre directors. He attended Belgrave Kindergarten Up ...

) and Ruth Stewart (

Justine Clarke Justine Clarke (born 16 November 1971) is an Australian actress, singer, musician, author and television host. She has been acting since the age of seven and has appeared in some of Australia's best-known TV shows. She is best known as a presen ...

) put together as the bassist and is caught in the crossfire when the couple fall out.

Pippa Fletcher Philippa "Pippa" Ross (also Fletcher) is a fictional character from the Australian television soap opera '' Home and Away''. Actress Vanessa Downing originated the role and made her debut during the pilot episode broadcast on 17 January 1988. Dow ...

(

Vanessa Downing Vanessa Downing (born 5 May 1958) is an Australian actress and singer, voice artist and lawyer Downing was appearing with singing group ''The Madrigals'', an acapella group who were performing at the Sydney Opera House, when she was given ...

) takes over from Roo as their lead singer for a talent contest. Martin and Lance organise a town dance and run afoul of the so-called "

Summer Bay Summer Bay is the fictional coastal town featured in the Australian soap opera, '' Home and Away''. Palm Beach, the most Northern beach of Sydney, is used for the show's exterior scenes in order to depict the Bay. Between 2010 and 2014, the ...

Nutter", the person responsible for poisoning Nico's cow, who steals Martin's car wheels. Martin has big plans for the band but Frank disbands it when Roo became pregnant. Martin and Lance decided to start up a western act instead and play it for the Summer Bay High students, who like the cheesy act but give up on idea after they fail with a different audience Martin begins sharing a flat with Frank and Lance's cousin Narelle (Amanda Newman-Phillips). When Lance has a big win on the lottery, Martin begins costing him money, leaving the keys in his new sports car so it is stolen and vandalised and fails to pay the insurance. The pair fall foul of conman

Gary Samuels '' Home and Away'' is an Australian television soap opera. It was first broadcast on the Seven Network on 17 January 1988. The following is a list of characters that first appeared in that year, by order of first appearance. They were all introd ...

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Darius Perkins Darius Anton Perkins (28 October 1964 – 2 January 2019) was an Australian actor. He was the original actor in the role of teenager Scott Robinson in the soap opera '' Neighbours'' in 1985 before the role was taken over by Jason Donovan the fol ...

) when he tricks them into investing in a fake nightclub development and teams up with several other locals to bring him down. Martin's next scheme is to impress businesswoman

Stacey Macklin ''Home and Away'' is an Australian television soap opera. It was first broadcast on the Seven Network on 17 January 1988. The following is a list of characters that first appeared in that year, by order of first appearance. They were all introdu ...

(

Sandie Lillingston Sandra Lillingston is an Australian actress active between 1984 and 1997. Career Lillingston appeared as a presenter in a short 1983 documentary ''One Last Chance'' on the probation system in South Australia. Her first acting role was as the ...

) by getting Celia Stewart (

Fiona Spence Fiona Spence is an English Australian stage and television actress and drama teacher. She is known for her television roles including ''Prisoner'' (1979–81) as Gestapo like prison officer Vera Bennett and ''Home and Away'' as the unlucky in lo ...

) to sell her store, which is needed for a development, to her. He and Lance try to get her to sell up by planting a cockroach in a cereal packet but it fails and Stacey chooses a different site. He and Lance later record a record for charity which a friend of Stacey's, Nina Olivera (Raquel Suartzman), markets as a novelty record. Nina offers to make them stars but Lance, unhappy with having Nina ordering them about, deliberately wrecks their big chance by revealing they have been miming to all their records. They are further humiliated when Nina reveals to the press that she had deliberately chosen two no-hopers to prove that a good promoter could make anyone a success. Following rejection from Roo, Martin bounces back by dating Leanne Dunn (

Kylie Foster Kylie may refer to: *Kylie (name), a female given name **Kylie Minogue (born 1968), Australian singer, often known simply as Kylie **Kylie Jenner (born 1997), television personality and cosmetics company executive Music * ''Kylie'' (album), 1988 ...

) but when Celia begins giving her lessons to make her more ladylike, he loses interest. Martin tries to get her to break up with him, but instead she thinks he wants to get married. Unimpressed by his behaviour, Leanne starts dressing up in revealing clothes to make him break it off, only for him to prefer her that way. Leanne's ex, Meat Axe (Joseph Dicker), returns and challenges Martin to a fight. Despite taking Karate lessons from Steven, Martin takes a serious beating until Leanne steps in and stops the fight. She then leaves with Meat Axe. Stacey agrees to hire Martin if he manages to impress a client. Tom and Frank accidentally get Peter Bedford (Bevan Wilson), one of the clients offside; Martin charms him back and is given a job for a trial period. When a group of Japanese clients take a liking to Martin, Stacey and Tom are unable to fire him so they give him the grand-sounding but fairly lowly post of transport manager. Martin takes over the office when Tom went missing but accidentally shreds an important file and is sacked. Martin asks Lance's girlfriend

Marilyn Chambers Marilyn Ann Taylor (née Briggs; April 22, 1952 – April 12, 2009), known professionally as Marilyn Chambers, was an American pornographic actress, exotic dancer, model, actress, singer and vice-presidential candidate. She was known fo ...

(

Emily Symons Emily Symons (born 10 August 1969) is an Australian-born actress, active on both Australian and British television. She is known for playing Anne Costello in the short-lived soap opera '' Richmond Hill'' in 1988 and when that series ended, from ...

) to set him up on a date with one of her friends, who turns out to be a bookish, nerdy girl named

Greta Greta may refer to: *Greta (given name), including a list of people and characters with the name Places * Greta Bridge, village in County Durham, England * Greta, New South Wales, town in Australia ** Greta railway station ** Greta Army Camp, form ...

(Jodie Gilles). Martin surprises himself by getting on well with her and is disappointed when Greta leaves. He then turns his attention to new girl in town, Jenny (

Michelle Pettigrove Michelle Pettigrove is an Australian actress, well known for her role as alternate medicine nursing sister Kate Bryant in the long-running rural soap opera ''A Country Practice''. She had appeared in the series in a guest role previously, and ...

). Lance and Marilyn, thinking Martin is still depressed, ask Lance's ex Rhonda (Genevive McCunn; Anna Plateris) to cheer him up and the two girls turn up at the same time. After a botched scheme, Lance has a hard time forgiving Martin until he and Marilyn overhear him on the phone to a doctor saying he does not have a lot of time left. They assume he is dying but in fact he is joining the army and was discussing his medical. They ask Carly, who Martin has long been attracted to, to go on a date with him and kiss him to make his remaining time in Summer Bay pleasurable. She reluctantly agrees and is annoyed when she discovers the truth. Martin thanks Lance for arranging it before saying a fond farewell. Lance later joins Martin in the army. In 2000, Martin returns to town for Sally's abortive wedding to Kieran Fletcher (

Spencer McLaren Spencer McLaren (born 28 February 1973, Sydney) is an Australian theatre actor and television actor. The 1999 NIDA graduate is most well known for his starring role on the Australian television drama, ''The Secret Life of Us'', as Richie Blake; ...

), wearing a flash suit and driving a sports car. He claims to be the area manager of the car radio company Mobitune, but in fact he sleeps on the beach after telling everyone he is staying at the Sands Resort. Judith Ackroyd (

Anna Hruby Anna Hruby (born 1960) is an Australian actress and voice over artist band TV commercial advertiser, who has appeared in many Australian television series and theatre productions. She is the daughter of actress, entertainer and television pers ...

) asks him to address a class as a successful ex-pupil and he annoys Donald by telling them not to bother with school because it had never done him any good. Ailsa realises Martin is hiding something and he admits he works for Mobitune as a technician and the car is hired. Martin offers

Vinnie Patterson Vincent "Vinnie" Patterson is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera ''Home and Away'', played by Ryan Kwanten. He made his first on screen appearance on 14 July 1997 and departed on 1 March 2002. Development In 1999, Vinnie was d ...

(

Ryan Kwanten Ryan Christian Kwanten (born 28 November 1976) is an Australian actor and producer. He played Vinnie Patterson from 1997 to 2002 in the Australian soap opera ''Home and Away''. After his stint ended, he joined the American teen drama series '' ...

) the job of

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area manager, but manages to put him off by talking of the long hours and intensive training. Ailsa tells him the truth will impress people just as much, since he is doing skilled work. Martin returns for the town's sesquicentenary celebrations, after Ailsa's death, and reveals the truth about Mobitune to Alf and Donald. He then sets about making plans with Lance to start a luxury car business. When the boat carrying several residents as part of the celebrations is shipwrecked, he helps with the search that finds Sally,

Sophie Simpson Sophie Dean (also Simpson) is a character (arts), fictional character from the Australian Seven Network, Channel Seven soap opera ''Home and Away'', played by Rebekah Elmaloglou. She debuted on-screen during the episode airing on 23 January 1990 ...

(

Rebekah Elmaloglou Rebekah Sophie Elmaloglou (born 23 January 1974) is an Australian actress, known for her roles as teenage tearaway Sophie Simpson on ''Home and Away'' and Terese Willis on ''Neighbours''. She also made guest appearances in ''E Street (television ...

) and Blake Dean (

Les Hill Les Hill (born 1 August 1973) is an Australian actor who has appeared in many Australian television productions including '' Rescue: Special Ops,'' ''Home and Away'' and ''Underbelly.'' Early life Hill was born in the Royal Hospital for Women ...

) but has to leave town before the search is completed.

Reception

Ahead of the pilot's airing, Lucy Clark of ''

The Sun-Herald ''The Sun-Herald'' is an Australian newspaper published in tabloid or compact format on Sundays in Sydney by Nine Publishing. It is the Sunday counterpart of ''The Sydney Morning Herald''. In the 6 months to September 2005, ''The Sun-Herald' ...

'' described Martin and Lance as "Two surfie blokes who are thick as two short planks". Martin and Lance were branded the "thickest characters ever to grace soapland" by a columnist from the '' Daily Record''. Robyn Harvey from ''

The Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily compact newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and owned by Nine. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper ...

'' opined that Martin was just "a big dag". A columnist from ''

Inside Soap ''Inside Soap'' is a weekly magazine published in the United Kingdom, released every Tuesday. It covers current and future storylines in soap operas in the United Kingdom, including '' Coronation Street'', ''Doctors'', ''EastEnders'', ''Emmerdal ...

'' said that when Martin spent time with

(

) they were "a match made in dodgy business hell". Another writer from the publication branded Martin "the bay's original wheeler dealer". A writer from ''TV Guide'' believed that Martin was an unlucky-in-love character. They profiled him stating "oh, the path of true love! It's never smooth at the best of times and, in the experience of the small and imperfectly formed Martin Dibble, all too likely to run smack into the side of a mountain." They described Martin and Greta's romance as a "fairy-tale" because she is the "ugly duckling" who was transformed by Martin's attention. They also sympathised with him when she abruptly left, adding "now even a Dibble doesn't deserve that."

References

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dibble, Martin Home and Away characters Fictional Australian Army personnel Television characters introduced in 1988 Male characters in television