Philip Martin (Neighbours)

Last updated

Philip Martin
Neighbours character
Philip Martin.jpg
Ian Rawlings as Philip Martin (1995)
Portrayed by Christopher Milne (1985)
Ian Rawlings (1992–2023)
Duration1985, 1992–1999, 2005, 2022–2023
First appearance21 June 1985 (1985-06-21)
Last appearance13 November 2023 (2023-11-13)
Classification Former; regular
Introduced by
Spin-off
appearances		 Neighbours vs Time Travel (2017)
First Philip Martin.jpg
Christopher Milne as Philip Martin (1985)
In-universe information
Other namesPhilippa Martinez (pen name)
Occupation
  • Pacific Bank manager
  • School janitor
  • Lassiter's Hotel manager
  • Newsagent
  • Barman
  • Novelist
  • Carpenter's Mechanics owner
Wife
Sons Michael Martin
Daughters Debbie Martin
Hannah Martin
Stepsons Ben Atkins
Lance Wilkinson
Stepdaughters Anne Wilkinson

Philip Gordon Martin is a fictional character from the Australian 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 later in 2017 for the web series Neighbours vs Time Travel , and in 2022 for the show's then finale. Rawlings reprised the role in 2023.

Contents

Casting

In September 1999, Jason Herbison of Inside Soap reported that the Martin family had been written out of Neighbours and that they had already filmed their final scenes. [1] On 14 April 2005, Kris Green of Digital Spy announced Rawlings would be reprising his role of Philip and joining many ex-cast members in returning to Neighbours for special episodes celebrating the show's 20th anniversary. [2]

In 2017, Rawlings reprised his role for an appearance in the five-part web series Neighbours vs Time Travel . [3]

Development

In 1995, Philip is introduced to Jen Handley (Alyce Platt) and he becomes aware that she likes him. [4] Jen faces an uphill struggle to get Philip to go out with her because he cannot believe that a beautiful and younger woman is interested in him. [4] Philip thinks Jen simply feels sorry for him because he is a widower and single father. To show her he does not need sympathy, Philip decides to "play the field" and embarks on a series of random dates. [4] Eventually Jen persuades Philip to go out with her and they begin a "passionate" relationship. [4] Philip provides some much needed stability in Jen's life and is different from the other guys that she has been out with before. [4] Jen and Philip's relationship later breaks down and Jen leaves Erinsborough. [5]

Philip meets Ruth Wilkinson (Ailsa Piper) the following year when she comes to care for Helen Daniels (Anne Haddy). [6] Initially Philip and Ruth do not get on well, but when Ruth's ex-husband Bill Hails (Ian Stanley) appears, Philip becomes a "useful ally." [6] Philip becomes nervous about asking Ruth out and he is "egged on" by Helen who plays matchmaker. [7] The Daily Record said "the makers of Neighbours can stretch out this relationship for several episodes before we have a clear idea if it's actually going anywhere." [7] Philip and Ruth share a kiss and they begin a relationship. [6] Ruth and Philip later get engaged and they marry, while Ruth waits for results of tests for breast cancer. [8] Philip's son, Michael (Troy Beckwith), returns for the wedding and Ruth arrives at the ceremony on the back of a Harley Davidson motorbike. [8] Piper said that there is an atmosphere of madness, happiness and excitement to the day. [8] After Philip has a mid-life crisis, he decides to move the family to Darwin. Ruth initially considers commuting thousands of miles, but ultimately chooses to follow her husband when she gets a top job at a Darwin hospital. [9]

Seventeen years later, Rawlings reprised his role for the show's then finale. [10] Of his short return at the end of the finale episode, Rawlings said, "it's pretty surreal. I have to say the place hasn't changed that much. It's all pretty much the same. It's all kind of as it was in Erinsborough back then." [10] Rawlings returned again in 2023, following the show's return. [11] [12]

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, Michael 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 left paralysed. Philip and Julie get together and get married. The Martins then leave Erinsborough for the countryside. Off screen, Philip and Julie have a daughter, Hannah (Rebecca Ritters), and Philip regains the use of his legs. 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, who 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 (now Julie Mullins). 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 a 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 relationship begins to deteriorate again after the death of her father and her discovery that she was the product of rape. Julie finds maintaining a loving relationship with Philip difficult and, although they later reconcile at Helen's birthday party, the marriage never fully recovers.

Philip and Julie's marriage continues to go from bad to worse, but they decide 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 a relationship with Jen Handley, which Hannah is ecstatic about. However, the relationship later ends. Shortly after Helen suffers a stroke and is hospitalised, Philip meets Ruth Wilkinson, 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 Helen's death in 1997, 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 in 1999 they bid farewell to Erinsborough. The family settle in Darwin near the Willis family.

A few years later, in 2005, 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. Seventeen years later, Philip returns for Toadfish Rebecchi (Ryan Moloney) and Melanie Pearson's (Lucinda Cowden) wedding.

Reception

For his portrayal of Philip, Rawlings was nominated for "Best Supporting Actor" at the 1997 Inside Soap Awards. [13] The BBC said Philip's most notable moment was "Coping with Julie's death after she fell off a roof." [14] In 2010, to celebrate Neighbours' 25th anniversary Sky, a British satellite broadcasting company, profiled twenty-five characters of which they believed were the most memorable in the series history. [15] Philip 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 into on a daily basis, Phil embodied the gloriously happy-go-lucky period of Neighbours in the mid-nineties." [15]

In July 1995, a What's on TV critic was sympathetic towards Philip's troubles. They assessed that Debbie required therapy, Michael left for the outback and Julie died suspiciously. [16] They opined that following these events, "few could blame" Philip "for going off the rails", which he did in "spectacular fashion". They concluded that "super gran Helen Daniels" would be his likely saviour. [16] Adam Beresford from HuffPost branded the character Julie's "terminally dull husband". [17] After his brief 2022 return, Stephen Patterson from Metro dubbed Philip a "Neighbours legend" and called his return a "blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment". [18]

Related Research Articles

The Robinson family are a fictional family from the Australian television soap opera Neighbours. The family were created by Reg Watson and introduced in the first episode of the serial, broadcast on 18 March 1985. The family initially consisted of Jim Robinson, his mother-in-law Helen Daniels, and his four children Paul Robinson, Julie Martin, Scott Robinson, and Lucy Robinson. The Robinsons have one of the largest and most complex family trees in the show's history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Helen Daniels</span> Fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours

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 played continuously by the same actor until her own death in 1997, making her the second longest-serving original character after her grandson Paul Robinson.

Jim Robinson (<i>Neighbours</i>) Australian soap opera character

Jim Robinson is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Alan Dale. Jim was created by Reg Watson as one of Neighbours' twelve original characters. He made his on-screen debut in the soap's first episode, which was broadcast on 18 March 1985. Jim was the patriarch of the Robinson family. Dale departed the show in 1993 after falling out with the producers over pay and his character was killed off on 29 April 1993. Dale filmed some scenes for the serial in September 2018, which aired on 25 December 2018 and 25 March 2019.

Michael Martin (<i>Neighbours</i>) Fictional character from Neighbours

Michael Martin is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Troy Beckwith. He made his first screen appearance during the episode broadcast on 8 October 1985. The character was originally played by Samuel Hammington. Beckwith took over the role in 1992 and appeared on a regular basis until 1994, but continued to make guest appearances until 1998.

Julie Martin (<i>Neighbours</i>) Fictional character

Julie Martin is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours. Originally played by Vikki Blanche, she made her first screen appearance during the show's first episode broadcast on 18 March 1985. The character departed in the same year. When she returned in 1992, Julie Mullins took over the role. Julie married Philip Martin and became his children's stepmother. Julie and Philip also had a daughter, Hannah. Julie's storylines have included struggling to befriend her stepson, her crumbling marriage and the discovery that she is a product of rape. Julie was portrayed as a busybody and gossip.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Debbie Martin</span> Fictional character from Neighbours

Debbie Martin is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Marnie Reece-Wilmore. She made her first screen appearance during the episode broadcast on 22 July 1985. Debbie was played by Mandy Storvik in her first appearance, and subsequently by Katrina McEwan. Reece-Wilmore was cast in the role when the character returned in 1992. Debbie remained in the show until late 1994 and returned in 1996 and left again on 22 October 1997. In 2005, Reece-Wilmore reprised her role as Debbie for the show's 20th anniversary celebration. It was revealed that Debbie is working for Lassiter's in New York. She appeared in 401 episodes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lance Wilkinson</span> Soap opera character

Lance Wilkinson is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Andrew Bibby. He made his first on-screen appearance on 9 August 1995. Bibby was cast in the recurring role of Lance after an audition. After a year, Bibby auditioned for another character called Jon and the writers chose to turn him into Lance. Lance was a bookish, paranoid boy, with a kind heart and keen wit. Lance departed on 29 March 2001, but Bibby reprised his role in July 2005 for the show's 20th anniversary, in 2018 and also for the final episode in 2022. Bibby reprised his role in a flashback sequence the following year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anne Wilkinson</span> Fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours

Anne Wilkinson is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Brooke Satchwell. She made her first on screen appearance on 19 November 1996. Satchwell quit the role in 1999 and the character departed on 5 April 2000

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hannah Martin</span> Soap opera character

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 in 1999 and Hannah departed on 20 October 1999. In 2005, Ritters reprised her role for a brief cameo in the show's 20th anniversary episode.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rick Alessi</span> Soap opera character

Rick Alessi is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Dan Falzon. He made his first screen appearance during the episode broadcast on 8 June 1992. Rick and his family were introduced to the show following several cast departures. The character remained on-screen until 9 March 1995.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gaby Willis</span> Soap opera character

Gaby Willis is a fictional character from the Australian television soap opera Neighbours, played by Rachel Blakely. The show's casting director spotted Blakely on the cover of a magazine and asked her to audition for the role of Gaby. Blakely received the part and she was introduced to the show during a period of roller-coaster ratings. She made her first appearance during the episode broadcast on 12 August 1991. Gaby was introduced as the eldest daughter of Doug and Pam Willis. She comes to Erinsborough after taking a business course in Japan. Gaby is characterised as beautiful, intelligent and the apple of her father's eye. She also has a temper, leading Blakely to call her fiery.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ruth Wilkinson</span> Soap opera character

Ruth Wilkinson is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Ailsa Piper. She made her first appearance during the episode broadcast on 3 October 1996. Ruth was introduced as Helen Daniels' physiotherapist. She was a divorced single mother, who later established a relationship with Philip Martin, which attracted some opposition from their children. The relationship was later tested by the introduction of Ruth's long lost son, Ben Atkins and his father Geoff Burke. Philip and Ruth marry in 1998, amid a breast cancer scare for Ruth. The Martin family were written out of Neighbours and they departed together on 20 October 1999. Piper reprised her role for the show's 20th anniversary episode, which aired on 27 July 2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul McClain</span> Soap opera character

Paul McClain is a fictional character from the Australian television soap opera Neighbours, played by Jansen Spencer. Paul made his first appearance during the episode broadcast on 4 November 1997. Spencer decided to leave the role in September 2001, and Paul departed on 11 December 2001. In 2005, Spencer reprised the role for a cameo appearance in the show's 20th anniversary episode.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rosemary Daniels</span> Soap opera character

Rosemary Daniels is a fictional character from the Australian Network Ten soap opera Neighbours, played by Joy Chambers. She made her first on-screen appearance on 20 February 1986 and appeared intermittently. Rosemary is the adoptive daughter of Helen Daniels and the sister of Anne Robinson. Rosemary was the first character to discover Jim Robinson's body, following his death. Rosemary has been portrayed as a tough businesswoman who runs the Daniels Corporation. Chambers reprised the role in 2005 and returned for several episodes to help celebrate the show's 20th anniversary. Rosemary returned in 2010 for four episodes to celebrate the 25th anniversary. She made the first of her appearances on 6 July 2010 and the last on 20 August 2010. Following Chambers' death, Rosemary was killed off-screen in 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jen Handley</span> Soap opera character

Jen Handley is a fictional character from the Australian television soap opera Neighbours, played by Alyce Platt. Jen was introduced at a time when Network Ten was working to relaunch the serial with the addition of new characters and sexier storylines to improve ratings. She made her first on-screen appearance on 14 February 1995. Jen is portrayed as an easy-going, fun loving medical student. Jen embarks upon a relationship with widower Philip Martin, who gives her much-needed stability in her life. Her brother, Luke Handley, was later introduced to the series. Platt believed a storyline in which Jen is asked to donate a kidney to her cousin was a turning point for the character, as it gave her her own identity beyond a supporting role. Jen's final scenes aired on 6 March 1996. Platt later returned to Neighbours as an unrelated character, Olivia Bell, in 2012, 2020 and 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wayne Duncan</span> Soap opera character

Wayne Duncan is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Jonathon Sammy-Lee. He made his first screen appearance as Wayne during the episode broadcast on 4 February 1993. Wayne becomes a chemistry teacher at Erinsborough High with an unorthodox approach. He is arrogant, intelligent and articulate – all traits that make him confident in arguments. A country man and strong believer in violence when protecting property – Wayne's attitude and gun possession polarized the way other characters viewed him. He has a destructive romance with Gaby Willis. The pair enjoy sparring throughout their relationship but eventually realise they need to separate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cody Willis</span> Fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours

Cody Willis is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, originally played by Amelia Frid. She made her first on-screen appearance on 24 November 1989. The character departed in 1991, but returned in 1993 with Peta Brady in the role. Cody was last seen on-screen on 29 March 1996, following her death.

References

  1. ↑ Herbison, Jason (21 August – 3 September 1999). "Neighbours stars axed!". Inside Soap (134): 45.
  2. ↑ Green, Kris (14 April 2005). "More Neighbours returns confirmed". Digital Spy . Hachette Filipacchi UK . Retrieved 26 May 2010.
  3. ↑ Dainty, Sophie (31 October 2017). "Neighbours brings back Philip Martin and Stingray Timmins for Halloween time-travelling series". Digital Spy . Retrieved 22 November 2017.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 "Jen makes her move!". Inside Soap (40): 12. November 1995.
  5. ↑ Malins, Sue (14 August 1996). "Don't label me another Kylie". Daily Mirror . Retrieved 2 February 2012.
  6. 1 2 3 "Character: Ruth Wilkinson". BBC. 13 April 2005. Retrieved 2 February 2012.
  7. 1 2 Miller, John (14 August 1997). "Love is never black and white". Daily Record . Retrieved 2 February 2012.
  8. 1 2 3 "And so are we!". Inside Soap (112): 18–9. 17–20 October 1998.
  9. ↑ Baker, Tina (November 1999). "The long kiss goodbye...". Soaplife (4): 40.
  10. 1 2 @neighbours (12 August 2022). "Final Scene BTS" – via Instagram.
  11. ↑ Anderton, Joe (6 November 2023). "Neighbours confirms full list of 12 returning characters for Flashback Week". Digital Spy . Retrieved 6 November 2023.
  12. ↑ Hibbs, James (6 November 2023). "Neighbours confirms major cast returns with teaser for flashback week". Radio Times . Immediate Media Company . Retrieved 4 March 2024.
  13. ↑ "The 1997 Inside Soap Awards". Inside Soap (76): 48, 49. 31 May – 13 June 1997.
  14. ↑ "Character: Philip Martin". BBC. Archived from the original on 21 May 2004. Retrieved 2 February 2012.
  15. 1 2 "Neighbours: 25 Top Characters". Sky. 2010. Archived from the original on 23 March 2010. Retrieved 26 April 2010.
  16. 1 2 "Men behaving badly". What's on TV (27): 3. 1–7 July 1995.
  17. ↑ Beresford, Adam (16 March 2020). "The Definitive Ranking Of The 35 Greatest Neighbours Characters Of All Time: #35-21". HuffPost . Retrieved 19 March 2022.
  18. ↑ Patterson, Stephen (29 July 2022). "11 easter eggs, throwbacks, questions and references you might have missed in Neighbours' huge finale". Metro . Retrieved 28 June 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.