Philip Martin (Neighbours)
Encyclopedia
Philip Gordon Martin is a fictional character
from the Australian Network Ten
soap opera Neighbours
, played by Ian Rawlings
. Originally played by Christopher Milne
during the character's first appearance in 1985, Rawlings took over the role when the character returned to the show in 1992 and remained until 1999. He briefly returned in 2005 for several episodes.
and Debbie
. Loretta is a violent alcoholic, which puts a strain on the marriage. Philip decides he cannot take any more and decides to leave Loretta, but has a change of heart when Debbie tries to kill herself by overdosing on tablets. Julie tells Philip to stay with his family, but several months later, Philip and Loretta are involved in a car crash caused by Loretta's behavior. Loretta is killed in the crash while Philip is seriously injured and paralyzed for a while. Philip and Julie get together and get married. The Martins then leave Erinsborough for the countryside. Philip and Julie have a daughter, Hannah
(Rebecca Ritters
). Although Debbie warms to Julie, Michael hates her and blames her for Loretta's death.
The Martins return to Erinsborough for the funeral of Todd Landers
(Kristian Schmid). They get lost on the back roads, and while circling the area they soon find Helen Daniels
(Anne Haddy
), who had been she had been kidnapped by Todd's father Bob (Bruce Kilpatrick). The family intend to stay only for several weeks but settle into the area. Things are financially tight for the family. Philip takes a job Janitor at Erinsborough High, much to the embarrassment of Julie. However, their fortunes change when Julie's brother Paul
(Stefan Dennis
) offers Philip a managerial position at Lassiters. They soon move across the street to Number 32, which they rent from Helen. When Michael returns from boarding school, he causes Philip and Julie and number of problems including spiking Hannah's orange juice with vodka and poisoning Julie. Michael is arrested and placed in a detention centre. Philip, despite all this, is not prepared to write off his only son. Michael is released from the detention centre and changes his attitude and makes amends with Julie and Hannah.
Philip and Julie's marriage goes from bad to worse during 1994 and they decided to go away on a Murder Mystery weekend with several Neighbours. Things are still tense. The next day, neighbour Cheryl Stark
(Caroline Gillmer
) discovers Julie's body at the foot of the stairs. Julie lies comatose in hospital for several days and Philip keeps a bedside vigil. Julie dies and Philip is grief-stricken. He is subsequently arrested at Julie's cremation and charged with her murder. Debbie eventually reveals that she saw Julie fall from the top balcony of the hotel whilst drunk the night before her body was discovered. Philip is then exonerated and falls into a depression and begins drinking. After being arrested for drink-driving and learning that Hannah had an accident while he was drunk, Philip begins to pull himself together.
With Julie dead and Michael and Debbie gone, Philip relies on help from Helen to bring up Hannah. Philip begins dating again, he even went so far as to date Jen Handley
(Alyce Platt
) for a little while, which Hannah is ecstatic about but the relationship crumbles. Shortly after Helen suffers a stroke and is hospitalized, Philip meets Ruth Wilkinson (Ailsa Piper
), the mother of Hannah's ex-boyfriend, Lance
(Andrew Bibby
) and they clash over Helen's care. Philip and Ruth kiss on Christmas Day 1996, which is witnessed by Lance who handles it badly. Eventually, all their respective children accept the couple. Philip and Ruth's relationship goes through several tests including Philip's proposal seconds before Ruth's other son, Ben Atkins (Brett Cousins) is injured in a racing car accident and Ruth's breast cancer scare. The couple marry, but Hannah finds it hard to adjust and she goes to stay in Paris
for six months.
Philip gets a new job in Darwin
, he and Ruth are keen to pack up and move, but Hannah is reluctant at first as she feels she will be leaving behind memories of various friends and family who have died in the years previous, but she agrees to leave and they bid farewell to Erinsborough. The family settle in Darwin near the Willis family
.
A few years later, Philip and Doug Willis (Terence Donovan
) return to Erinsborough to pay their old mate Lou Carpenter
(Tom Oliver
) a visit and to watch the screening of Annalise Hartman
's (Kimberly Davies) documentary about Ramsay Street. At the Scarlet bar while conversing with former neighbour, Susan Kennedy
(Jackie Woodburne
), Philip bumps into his former brother-in-law, Paul, and immediately launches a verbal tirade at him for framing him for fraud twelve years earlier. Doug and Paul's sister, Lucy
(Melissa Bell
) quickly break up the fight. Despite this, Philip has a great time catching up with old friends then returns home to Ruth in Darwin after watching the documentary.
, a British satellite broadcasting company, profiled twenty-five characters of which they believed were the most memorable in the series history. Phillip is in the list and describing him they state: "Nice? Yes. Down on his luck? Of course. Cuddly Phil was an upbeat family man, but unfortunately that family included his manipulative son Michael (when he wasn't in 'juvvie', of course), shrieking harpy of a wife Julie, and not-at-all-needy Debbie and Hannah. Life got better for everyone after Julie died, even when he had to contend with new wife Ruth. With his ability to smile through whatever scrunchie-based arguments his daughters seemed to get in to on a daily basis, Phil embodied the gloriously happy-go-lucky period of Neighbours in the mid-nineties."
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
from the Australian Network Ten
Network Ten
Network Ten , is one of Australia's three major commercial television networks. Owned-and-operated stations can be found in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, while affiliates extend the network to cover most of the country...
soap opera Neighbours
Neighbours
Neighbours is an Australian television soap opera first broadcast on the Seven Network on 18 March 1985. It was created by TV executive Reg Watson, who proposed the idea of making a show that focused on realistic stories and portrayed adults and teenagers who talk openly and solve their problems...
, played by Ian Rawlings
Ian Rawlings
Ian Rawlings is an Australian actor. He had two long-running roles in Australian soap operas.-Television Work:He started out playing the role of the spiteful and scheming Wayne Hamilton in Sons and Daughters...
. Originally played by Christopher Milne
Christopher Milne
Chris Milne is an Australian actor and award winning writer who has scripted numerous episodes of Prisoner and Neighbours, as well as appearing on the shows as a performer...
during the character's first appearance in 1985, Rawlings took over the role when the character returned to the show in 1992 and remained until 1999. He briefly returned in 2005 for several episodes.
Casting
In 2005, Rawlings became one of many ex-cast members who made a return to Neighbours to appear in an episode celebrating the show's 20th anniversary.Storylines
Philip is first seen when Julie Robinson (Vikki Blanche) bumps into him when she is in a hurry to get to work on time to meet with the new bank manager. It turns out that Philip is the new bank manager. They later become involved, but are met with a problem, Philip is married to Loretta (Lyn Semmler) and they have two children, MichaelMichael Martin (Neighbours)
Michael Martin is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Troy Beckwith. He made his first on-screen appearance on 8 October 1985. The character was originally played by Samuel Hammington. Beckwith took over the role in 1992...
and Debbie
Debbie Martin
Deborah "Debbie" Martin is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Marnie Reece-Wilmore. She made her first on-screen appearance on 27 July 1985. Debbie was initially played by Mandy Storvik and later Katrina McEwan. Reece-Wilmore was cast in the role in 1992...
. Loretta is a violent alcoholic, which puts a strain on the marriage. Philip decides he cannot take any more and decides to leave Loretta, but has a change of heart when Debbie tries to kill herself by overdosing on tablets. Julie tells Philip to stay with his family, but several months later, Philip and Loretta are involved in a car crash caused by Loretta's behavior. Loretta is killed in the crash while Philip is seriously injured and paralyzed for a while. Philip and Julie get together and get married. The Martins then leave Erinsborough for the countryside. Philip and Julie have a daughter, Hannah
Hannah Martin
Hannah Martin is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Rebecca Ritters. She made her first on-screen appearance on 20 July 1992. Hannah is the only child of Philip and Julie Martin and the younger sister to Michael and Debbie. The Martin family were written out...
(Rebecca Ritters
Rebecca Ritters
Rebecca Ritters is an Australian actress, mostly known for her role as Hannah Martin in the soap opera Neighbours. She first appeared in the show in 1992 when she was eight years old and remained in the show for a further seven years...
). Although Debbie warms to Julie, Michael hates her and blames her for Loretta's death.
The Martins return to Erinsborough for the funeral of Todd Landers
Todd Landers
Not to be confused with Simpsons character Todd FlandersTodd Robert Landers is a fictional character from the Australian Network Ten soap opera Neighbours, played by Kristian Schmid. He made his first on-screen appearance on 15 February 1988. Todd died on 13 July 1992, but reappeared as a ghost the...
(Kristian Schmid). They get lost on the back roads, and while circling the area they soon find Helen Daniels
Helen Daniels
Helen Daniels is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, portrayed by Anne Haddy. Following the death of Jim Robinson in 1993, she remained the only original character left in the series until her own death in 1997, making her the second longest-serving original character...
(Anne Haddy
Anne Haddy
Anne Haddy was an Australian film and television actress, best known for her role in the long-running soap opera, Neighbours.-Early and personal life:...
), who had been she had been kidnapped by Todd's father Bob (Bruce Kilpatrick). The family intend to stay only for several weeks but settle into the area. Things are financially tight for the family. Philip takes a job Janitor at Erinsborough High, much to the embarrassment of Julie. However, their fortunes change when Julie's brother Paul
Paul Robinson (Neighbours)
Paul Stewart Robinson is a fictional character from the Australian Network Ten soap opera Neighbours, a long-running serial drama about social life in the fictional Melbourne suburb of Erinsborough. He is played by Stefan Dennis. Paul debuted in the serial's first episode in 1985 and appeared on a...
(Stefan Dennis
Stefan Dennis
Stefan Dennis is an Australian actor, best known for playing the role of Paul Robinson in the soap opera, Neighbours, from its first episode in March 1985 to the present day...
) offers Philip a managerial position at Lassiters. They soon move across the street to Number 32, which they rent from Helen. When Michael returns from boarding school, he causes Philip and Julie and number of problems including spiking Hannah's orange juice with vodka and poisoning Julie. Michael is arrested and placed in a detention centre. Philip, despite all this, is not prepared to write off his only son. Michael is released from the detention centre and changes his attitude and makes amends with Julie and Hannah.
Philip and Julie's marriage goes from bad to worse during 1994 and they decided to go away on a Murder Mystery weekend with several Neighbours. Things are still tense. The next day, neighbour Cheryl Stark
Cheryl Stark
Cheryl Stark is a fictional character from the Australian Network Ten soap opera Neighbours, played by Caroline Gillmer. She debuted on-screen during the episode airing on 26 July 1993. Colette Mann took over the role for eight weeks from late 1995 to early 1996 whilst Gillmer was ill...
(Caroline Gillmer
Caroline Gillmer
Caroline Gillmer is an Australian actress, best known for her roles in various television series, such as Prisoner as Helen Smart and Neighbours as Cheryl Stark....
) discovers Julie's body at the foot of the stairs. Julie lies comatose in hospital for several days and Philip keeps a bedside vigil. Julie dies and Philip is grief-stricken. He is subsequently arrested at Julie's cremation and charged with her murder. Debbie eventually reveals that she saw Julie fall from the top balcony of the hotel whilst drunk the night before her body was discovered. Philip is then exonerated and falls into a depression and begins drinking. After being arrested for drink-driving and learning that Hannah had an accident while he was drunk, Philip begins to pull himself together.
With Julie dead and Michael and Debbie gone, Philip relies on help from Helen to bring up Hannah. Philip begins dating again, he even went so far as to date Jen Handley
Jen Handley
Jen Handley is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Alyce Platt. She made her first on-screen appearance on 14 February 1995. Jen is Luke Handley's sister...
(Alyce Platt
Alyce Platt
Alyce Platt is an Australian actress known for her roles in television soap operas, and as a television presenter.Her acting roles include Amanda Morrell in Sons and Daughters from 1983–1985, a guest role in the short-lived serial Family and Friends in 1990, and the on-going part of Jen Handley in...
) for a little while, which Hannah is ecstatic about but the relationship crumbles. Shortly after Helen suffers a stroke and is hospitalized, Philip meets Ruth Wilkinson (Ailsa Piper
Ailsa Piper
Ailsa Piper is an Australian writer, director and performer. She worked as an actress in theatre and television from the early 1980s until 2000. She made her first appearance on TV in 1984 in Man of Letters. She is most famous for playing Ruth Wilkinson in the soap opera Neighbours from 1996 until...
), the mother of Hannah's ex-boyfriend, Lance
Lance Wilkinson
Lance Charles Wilkinson is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Andrew Bibby. He made his first on-screen appearance on 3 October 1995. Bibby was cast in the recurring role of Lance after an audition. After a year, Bibby auditioned for another character called...
(Andrew Bibby
Andrew Bibby
Andrew Bibby , in Melbourne, Victoria, is an Australian actor who played Lance Wilkinson on the Australian soap opera Neighbours in 1995, 1996–2001 and in 2005...
) and they clash over Helen's care. Philip and Ruth kiss on Christmas Day 1996, which is witnessed by Lance who handles it badly. Eventually, all their respective children accept the couple. Philip and Ruth's relationship goes through several tests including Philip's proposal seconds before Ruth's other son, Ben Atkins (Brett Cousins) is injured in a racing car accident and Ruth's breast cancer scare. The couple marry, but Hannah finds it hard to adjust and she goes to stay in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
for six months.
Philip gets a new job in Darwin
Darwin, Northern Territory
Darwin is the capital city of the Northern Territory, Australia. Situated on the Timor Sea, Darwin has a population of 127,500, making it by far the largest and most populated city in the sparsely populated Northern Territory, but the least populous of all Australia's capital cities...
, he and Ruth are keen to pack up and move, but Hannah is reluctant at first as she feels she will be leaving behind memories of various friends and family who have died in the years previous, but she agrees to leave and they bid farewell to Erinsborough. The family settle in Darwin near the Willis family
Willis family
The Willis family are a fictional family from the Australian Network Ten soap opera Neighbours. The first member of the family to appear on-screen was Brad Willis in a guest capacity on 31 October 1989. His younger sister Cody arrived on 24 November 1989. The head of the family, Doug, moved into...
.
A few years later, Philip and Doug Willis (Terence Donovan
Terence Donovan (actor)
Terence Donovan , also known as Terry Donovan, is an English-born Australian actor and the father of fellow actor and entertainer Jason Donovan...
) return to Erinsborough to pay their old mate Lou Carpenter
Lou Carpenter
Louis "Lou" Carpenter is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Tom Oliver. He made his first on-screen appearance on 30 March 1988. Lou appeared for a brief time, before leaving and later returning in January 1992 as a regular cast member. He is the longest...
(Tom Oliver
Tom Oliver
Tom Oliver is an English television, film and theatre actor best known today for playing the role of Lou Carpenter in the Australian soap opera Neighbours.-Career:...
) a visit and to watch the screening of Annalise Hartman
Annalise Hartman
Annalise Kratz is a fictional character from the Australian Network Ten soap opera Neighbours, played by Kimberley Davies. She debuted on-screen in the episode airing on 15 January 1993 and departed in 1996, and a brief return in 2005. Annalise has often been portrayed as having a conniving persona...
's (Kimberly Davies) documentary about Ramsay Street. At the Scarlet bar while conversing with former neighbour, Susan Kennedy
Susan Kennedy
Susan Kennedy , is a fictional character from the Australian Network Ten soap opera Neighbours, played by Jackie Woodburne. The character and her family were created by storyliners in an attempt to bring the show back to its roots. Susan made her first on-screen appearance on 3 October 1994 along...
(Jackie Woodburne
Jackie Woodburne
Jackie Woodburne is a Northern Irish-born Australian actress.-Personal life:Woodburne was born in Carrickfergus, County Antrim, Northern Ireland. Her father was a member of the Royal Ulster Constabulary. She has two older siblings: John and Stephen. At age three she emigrated with her family to...
), Philip bumps into his former brother-in-law, Paul, and immediately launches a verbal tirade at him for framing him for fraud twelve years earlier. Doug and Paul's sister, Lucy
Lucy Robinson
Lucy Robinson is a fictional character from the Australian Network Ten soap opera Neighbours, played by Melissa Bell. She had previously been portrayed by Kylie Flinker and Sasha Close. She was created by producer Reg Watson as one of Neighbours' original characters. Lucy was a prominent figure...
(Melissa Bell
Melissa Bell (actress)
Melissa Bell is an Australian actress and singer. She was the third actor to play Lucy Robinson in soap opera Neighbours....
) quickly break up the fight. Despite this, Philip has a great time catching up with old friends then returns home to Ruth in Darwin after watching the documentary.
Reception
In 2010, to celebrate Neighbours 25th anniversary SkyBritish Sky Broadcasting
British Sky Broadcasting Group plc is a satellite broadcasting, broadband and telephony services company headquartered in London, United Kingdom, with operations in the United Kingdom and the Ireland....
, a British satellite broadcasting company, profiled twenty-five characters of which they believed were the most memorable in the series history. Phillip is in the list and describing him they state: "Nice? Yes. Down on his luck? Of course. Cuddly Phil was an upbeat family man, but unfortunately that family included his manipulative son Michael (when he wasn't in 'juvvie', of course), shrieking harpy of a wife Julie, and not-at-all-needy Debbie and Hannah. Life got better for everyone after Julie died, even when he had to contend with new wife Ruth. With his ability to smile through whatever scrunchie-based arguments his daughters seemed to get in to on a daily basis, Phil embodied the gloriously happy-go-lucky period of Neighbours in the mid-nineties."