Martin Dibble
Encyclopedia
Martin Dibble is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera
Home and Away
, portrayed by Craig Thompson. He made his first on-screen appearance on 17 January 1988, the show's pilot episode. He left the show in early 1990, but returned for guest stints in 2000 and 2002.
, watching new arrivals in town Carly Morris
, Lynn Davenport and Sally Keating
, and seemed instantly taken with Carly. Soon afterwards, he clashed with Bobby Simpson when he and Lance revealed they had known all along who was responsible for the fire she had nearly been blamed for. As a result, he ended up getting into a fight with Steven Matheson
.
Martin saved Carly from drowning but used up the goodwill when he stopped the object of her desires Matt Wilson
from visiting her. When he then got into another clash with Bobby, during which her dress was ripped, the girls decided to get their own back on Lance and Martin by letting the handbrake off their truck. Unfortunately, it rolled into the car being driven by school principal Walter Bertram, leaving him hospitalised with minor injuries. Since it was their works car, they ended up being fired. Martin and Lance blamed the school's deputy principal, Donald Fisher
, whose brother was their employer, so got their revenge by putting jellyfish in his car. They then found out Donald had got them their jobs back and rushed to put it right, only to be caught and sentenced to clean the car out.
Martin and Lance decided to have some fun at the expense of slow-witted local Nico Pappas by convincing him to use his cow to "fertilise" Donald's lawn. They were forced to own up to stop Nico getting into trouble and Donald got them to clean the muck up with their hands. The incident contributed to Nico attacking Donald after his cow was poisoned and being temporarily institutionalised. As punishment, Alf Stewart
, who owned the local bottle shop, refused to serve them alcohol so they tried brewing their own. They accidentally got Donald's cat drunk and had to sober him up before Donald found out.
Martin joined a band that Frank Morgan and Ruth Stewart were putting together and was caught in the crossfire when the couple fell out. Pippa Fletcher
ended up taking over from Roo as their lead singer for a talent contest. Martin and Lance organised a town dance and ran afoul of the so-called "Summer Bay
Nutter", the person responsible for poisoning Nico's cow, who ended up stealing Martin's car wheels. Martin had big plans for the band but Frank disbanded it when Roo became pregnant. Martin and Lance decided to start up a western act instead and they played it for the Summer Bay High students, who liked the cheesy act. However, when they tried it on a slightly more discerning audience they were hounded off the stage.
With a reward being offered for the capture of the Nutter, Martin came up with a plan to have Lance pose as Nico to act as bait but all the attention they attracted was from Nico wanting his hat back. The Nutter turned out to be Bertram, who had never recovered from his injuries. Martin put his foot in it when Carly developed a crush on her teacher Andrew Foley, getting the wrong end of the stick and accusing Foley of being a sleaze, which resulted in him having to leave town. When he and Lance were made redundant, they ended up on the council road gang under the unpopular Sam Barlow. After Barlow clashed with Tom Fletcher
, they led the staff out on strike, resulting in Tom being made foreman instead.
Martin was forced to move out of home after coming home drunk once too often and began sharing a flat with Frank and Lance's cousin Narelle. When Lance had a big win on the lottery, Martin started costing him money, leaving the keys in his new sports car so it was stolen and vandalised and failing to pay the insurance. They fell foul of conman Gary Samuels when he tricked them into investing in a fake development and teamed up with several other locals to bring him down.
Martin decided to impress businesswoman Stacey Macklin by getting Celia Stewart
to sell her store, which was needed for a development, to her.He and Lance tried to get her to sell up by planting a cockroach in a cereal packet but it did not work and by then Stacey had chosen a different site. He and Lance later recorded a record for charity which a friend of Stacey's wanted to market but Lance, unhappy with the idea of being famous, deliberately wrecked their big chance.
Martin, and the rest of Summer Bay, was surprised when Roo asked him along as her date to the end of year dance. Although they went on a few more dates, he was disappointed when she said she only saw him as a friend. He bounced back by dating biker chick Leanne Dunn but when Celia started giving her lessons to make her more ladylike he went off her. He tried to get her to break up with him, but instead she though he wanted to get married. She then started acting like a slob to make him break it off, only for him to prefer her that way. Then her ex, Meat Axe, returned and challenged Martin to a fight .Despite taking lessons from Steven, Martin took a serious beating until Leanne stepped in and stopped the fight, then went off with Meat Axe.
Martin persuaded Bobby and Ailsa Stewart
to make him a partner in the Diner then asked Stacey for a job. After making a joke that he couldn't lift an anchor that turned out to be fixed to the floor, she agreed if he managed to impress a client. When Tom and Frank accidentally got one of the clients offside, Martin charmed him back and was given a job for a trial period. When a group of Japanese clients took a liking to him, Stacey and Tom were unable to sack him so gave him the grand-sounding but fairly lowly post of transport manager. He took over the office when Tom went missing but accidentally shredded an important file and was sacked.
Martin tried to set up a sausage stand business with Lance but Celia ended up buying it and employing them to work for her. He asked Lance's girlfriend Marilyn Chambers
to set him up on a date with one of her friends, who turned out to be a bookish, nerdy girl named Greta. Martin surprised himself by getting on well with her and was disappointed when she left town but not too disappointed to date both a new girl in town, Jenny, and Lance's ex Rhonda until they found out about each other.
Martin was then approached by Adam Cameron
, who asked his help in a scam to sell Lance's car for more than the asking price and pocket the difference. He got Adam the car so he could take a couple for a test drive only for them to steal it and then return it. It turned out they had used it for a robbery and Lance and Marilyn were arrested when they were seen driving it. Martin and Adam tried to get them off the hook by dressing up as the robbers (with Martin as the woman) and letting Celia overhear them talking about it but ended up having to reveal the truth to the police. Even Lance had a hard time forgiving Martin until he and Marilyn heard him on the phone to a doctor saying he did not have a lot of time left. They assumed he was dying but in fact he was joining the army and was discussing his medical. They asked Carly, who Martin had long been attracted to, to go on a date with him and kiss him to make his last weeks pleasurable. She reluctantly agreed and when Martin learned the truth he thanked Lance for arranging it before saying a fond farewell.
After an absence of ten years, Martin returned to town for Sally's abortive wedding to Kieran Fletcher, wearing a flash suit and driving a sports car. He claimed to be the area manager of the car radio company Mobitune, but in fact he was sleeping on the beach. The new high school principal Judith Ackroyd asked him to address the class as a successful ex-pupil and he annoyed Donald by telling them not to bother with school because it had never done him any good. Ailsa realised he was hiding something and he admitted he worked for Mobitune as a technician and the car was hired. By then he had offered Vinnie Patterson
the job of New South Wales
area manager, but managed to put him off by talking of the long hours and intensive training. Ailsa told him the truth would probably have impressed people just as much, since he was doing skilled work.
He returned again in 2002 for the town's sesquecentenary celebrations, after Ailsa's death, and revealed the truth to Alf and Donald.He then set about making plans with Lance to start a luxury car business. When the boat carrying several residents as part of the celebrations was shipwrecked, he helped with the search that found Sally, Sophie Simpson
and Blake Dean but had to leave town before the search was completed.
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
Home and Away
Home and Away
Home and Away is an Australian soap opera that has been produced in Sydney since July 1987 and is airing on the Seven Network since 17 January 1988. It is the second-longest-running drama and most popular soap opera on Australian television...
, portrayed by Craig Thompson. He made his first on-screen appearance on 17 January 1988, the show's pilot episode. He left the show in early 1990, but returned for guest stints in 2000 and 2002.
Storylines
Martin was first seen alongside his frequent partner in crime Lance SmartLance Smart
Lance Smart is a fictional character in the Australian soap opera Home and Away. The character, played by actor Peter Vroom from 1988 to 1990, returned to the show at least once every year since from 2000 until 2006....
, watching new arrivals in town Carly Morris
Carly Lucini
Carly Lucini is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Home and Away. The character was played by actress Sharyn Hodgson appearing in its pilot episode in 1988...
, Lynn Davenport and Sally Keating
Sally Fletcher
Sally Louise Fletcher is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Home and Away, played by Kate Ritchie...
, and seemed instantly taken with Carly. Soon afterwards, he clashed with Bobby Simpson when he and Lance revealed they had known all along who was responsible for the fire she had nearly been blamed for. As a result, he ended up getting into a fight with Steven Matheson
Steven Matheson
Steven "Stevo" Matheson is a fictional character from the Australian 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 he first appeared in the pilot episode. Willits received the role after being one of...
.
Martin saved Carly from drowning but used up the goodwill when he stopped the object of her desires Matt Wilson
Matt Wilson (Home and Away)
Matthew "Matt" Wilson is a fictional character in the Australian soap opera Home and Away, portrayed by Greg Benson. He appeared in the pilot with one line of dialogue, credited as "Surfer", but the decision was taken to make him a recurring character, with him eventually being added to the show's...
from visiting her. When he then got into another clash with Bobby, during which her dress was ripped, the girls decided to get their own back on Lance and Martin by letting the handbrake off their truck. Unfortunately, it rolled into the car being driven by school principal Walter Bertram, leaving him hospitalised with minor injuries. Since it was their works car, they ended up being fired. Martin and Lance blamed the school's deputy principal, Donald Fisher
Donald Fisher (Home and Away)
Donald Fisher is a fictional character in the Australian television soap opera Home and Away played by actor Norman Coburn as a regular character, from the soap's inception in 1988 to 2003. Coburn has since returned for brief appearances in 2004, 2005 and 2007...
, whose brother was their employer, so got their revenge by putting jellyfish in his car. They then found out Donald had got them their jobs back and rushed to put it right, only to be caught and sentenced to clean the car out.
Martin and Lance decided to have some fun at the expense of slow-witted local Nico Pappas by convincing him to use his cow to "fertilise" Donald's lawn. They were forced to own up to stop Nico getting into trouble and Donald got them to clean the muck up with their hands. The incident contributed to Nico attacking Donald after his cow was poisoned and being temporarily institutionalised. As punishment, Alf Stewart
Alf Stewart
Alfred Douglas "Alf" Stewart is a fictional character from the Australian Channel Seven soap opera Home and Away, played by Ray Meagher. The character debuted on-screen during the serial's pilot episode on 17 January 1988...
, who owned the local bottle shop, refused to serve them alcohol so they tried brewing their own. They accidentally got Donald's cat drunk and had to sober him up before Donald found out.
Martin joined a band that Frank Morgan and Ruth Stewart were putting together and was caught in the crossfire when the couple fell out. Pippa Fletcher
Pippa Ross
Phillipa "Pippa" Routledge OAM is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Home and Away. Actress Vanessa Downing originated the role from 1988 to 1990, then Debra Lawrance took over from 1990 to 1998. The character has made guest returns in 2000, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and...
ended up taking over from Roo as their lead singer for a talent contest. Martin and Lance organised a town dance and ran afoul of the so-called "Summer Bay
Summer Bay
Summer Bay is the fictional town featured in the Australian soap opera, Home and Away. Palm Beach, north of Sydney, is used for the show's exterior scenes in order to depict the Bay. Lane Cove River Tourist Park at Macquarie Park is the current location for filming of scenes involving the Summer...
Nutter", the person responsible for poisoning Nico's cow, who ended up stealing Martin's car wheels. Martin had big plans for the band but Frank disbanded it when Roo became pregnant. Martin and Lance decided to start up a western act instead and they played it for the Summer Bay High students, who liked the cheesy act. However, when they tried it on a slightly more discerning audience they were hounded off the stage.
With a reward being offered for the capture of the Nutter, Martin came up with a plan to have Lance pose as Nico to act as bait but all the attention they attracted was from Nico wanting his hat back. The Nutter turned out to be Bertram, who had never recovered from his injuries. Martin put his foot in it when Carly developed a crush on her teacher Andrew Foley, getting the wrong end of the stick and accusing Foley of being a sleaze, which resulted in him having to leave town. When he and Lance were made redundant, they ended up on the council road gang under the unpopular Sam Barlow. After Barlow clashed with Tom Fletcher
Tom Fletcher (Home and Away)
Thomas Edward "Tom" Fletcher is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Home and Away, played by actor Roger Oakley from 1988 to 1990 and in 2008, when Tom returned as a ghost in Sally Fletcher's near-death experience following her second stabbing.-Storylines:Tom originally lived in...
, they led the staff out on strike, resulting in Tom being made foreman instead.
Martin was forced to move out of home after coming home drunk once too often and began sharing a flat with Frank and Lance's cousin Narelle. When Lance had a big win on the lottery, Martin started costing him money, leaving the keys in his new sports car so it was stolen and vandalised and failing to pay the insurance. They fell foul of conman Gary Samuels when he tricked them into investing in a fake development and teamed up with several other locals to bring him down.
Martin decided to impress businesswoman Stacey Macklin by getting Celia Stewart
Celia Stewart
Celia Stewart is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Home and Away. She was played by Fiona Spence. The character was a regular on the show from 1988 to 1990...
to sell her store, which was needed for a development, to her.He and Lance tried to get her to sell up by planting a cockroach in a cereal packet but it did not work and by then Stacey had chosen a different site. He and Lance later recorded a record for charity which a friend of Stacey's wanted to market but Lance, unhappy with the idea of being famous, deliberately wrecked their big chance.
Martin, and the rest of Summer Bay, was surprised when Roo asked him along as her date to the end of year dance. Although they went on a few more dates, he was disappointed when she said she only saw him as a friend. He bounced back by dating biker chick Leanne Dunn but when Celia started giving her lessons to make her more ladylike he went off her. He tried to get her to break up with him, but instead she though he wanted to get married. She then started acting like a slob to make him break it off, only for him to prefer her that way. Then her ex, Meat Axe, returned and challenged Martin to a fight .Despite taking lessons from Steven, Martin took a serious beating until Leanne stepped in and stopped the fight, then went off with Meat Axe.
Martin persuaded Bobby and Ailsa Stewart
Ailsa Stewart
Ailsa Stewart is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Home and Away. She was married to Alf Stewart and had a son Duncan. She was played by actress Judy Nunn for 13 and a half years...
to make him a partner in the Diner then asked Stacey for a job. After making a joke that he couldn't lift an anchor that turned out to be fixed to the floor, she agreed if he managed to impress a client. When Tom and Frank accidentally got one of the clients offside, Martin charmed him back and was given a job for a trial period. When a group of Japanese clients took a liking to him, Stacey and Tom were unable to sack him so gave him the grand-sounding but fairly lowly post of transport manager. He took over the office when Tom went missing but accidentally shredded an important file and was sacked.
Martin tried to set up a sausage stand business with Lance but Celia ended up buying it and employing them to work for her. He asked Lance's girlfriend Marilyn Chambers
Marilyn Chambers (Home and Away)
Marilyn Chambers is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Home and Away, played by Emily Symons. She made her first on-screen appearance on 12 May 1989. Symons departed in 1992, but she returned in 1995 and stayed for four years. She made a brief return in 2001...
to set him up on a date with one of her friends, who turned out to be a bookish, nerdy girl named Greta. Martin surprised himself by getting on well with her and was disappointed when she left town but not too disappointed to date both a new girl in town, Jenny, and Lance's ex Rhonda until they found out about each other.
Martin was then approached by Adam Cameron
Adam Cameron
Adam Cameron is a fictional character from Australian soap opera Home and Away, played by actor Mat Stevenson. Adam first appeared during the episode airing on 23 June 1989 and departed on 2 March 1994. He returned in July 1999 for a two month guest stint....
, who asked his help in a scam to sell Lance's car for more than the asking price and pocket the difference. He got Adam the car so he could take a couple for a test drive only for them to steal it and then return it. It turned out they had used it for a robbery and Lance and Marilyn were arrested when they were seen driving it. Martin and Adam tried to get them off the hook by dressing up as the robbers (with Martin as the woman) and letting Celia overhear them talking about it but ended up having to reveal the truth to the police. Even Lance had a hard time forgiving Martin until he and Marilyn heard him on the phone to a doctor saying he did not have a lot of time left. They assumed he was dying but in fact he was joining the army and was discussing his medical. They asked Carly, who Martin had long been attracted to, to go on a date with him and kiss him to make his last weeks pleasurable. She reluctantly agreed and when Martin learned the truth he thanked Lance for arranging it before saying a fond farewell.
After an absence of ten years, Martin returned to town for Sally's abortive wedding to Kieran Fletcher, wearing a flash suit and driving a sports car. He claimed to be the area manager of the car radio company Mobitune, but in fact he was sleeping on the beach. The new high school principal Judith Ackroyd asked him to address the class as a successful ex-pupil and he annoyed Donald by telling them not to bother with school because it had never done him any good. Ailsa realised he was hiding something and he admitted he worked for Mobitune as a technician and the car was hired. By then he had offered Vinnie Patterson
Vinnie Patterson
Vincent 'Vinnie' Patterson is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Home and Away. He made his first on-screen appearence on 14 July 1997 and departed on 1 March 2002...
the job of New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
area manager, but managed to put him off by talking of the long hours and intensive training. Ailsa told him the truth would probably have impressed people just as much, since he was doing skilled work.
He returned again in 2002 for the town's sesquecentenary celebrations, after Ailsa's death, and revealed the truth to Alf and Donald.He then set about making plans with Lance to start a luxury car business. When the boat carrying several residents as part of the celebrations was shipwrecked, he helped with the search that found Sally, Sophie Simpson
Sophie Simpson
Sophie Simpson is a fictional character from the Australian Channel Seven soap opera Home and Away, played by Rebekah Elmaloglou. She debuted on-screen during the episode airing on 22 January 1990 and appeared as a regular until 1993...
and Blake Dean but had to leave town before the search was completed.