Lauren Carpenter is a fictional character

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 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 Sarah Vandenbergh

Sarah Vandenbergh

Sarah Vandenbergh is an Australian actress.Vandenbergh played the role of Lauren Carpenter in Neighbours, 1993–94, and Kerry in Hollyoaks, 1999–2000. She was also a presenter on Fully Booked in 1997 and has appeared in the guest role of Lana Hemmings in Holby City...

. She made her first on-screen appearance on 18 February 1993. Lauren is the youngest child of Kathy and 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...

 and sister to Guy. Lauren's storylines saw her arrive with her horse, Chuckha Mental, have an affair with Brad Willis, being diagnosed with Chlamydia and become a member of a religious cult. Lauren later decides to move to Queensland and she departed on 2 March 1994.

Storylines

Lauren arrives in Ramsay Street on her horse Chukka Mental much to the surprise of her father, Lou. While riding on the beach, Lauren catches the eye of Brad Willis (Scott Michaelson

Scott Michaelson

Scott Michaelson is an Australian actor and manager who is most famous for playing Brad Willis in Neighbours...

). Lauren soon learns Brad is engaged to Beth Brennan

Beth Brennan

Elizabeth "Beth" Willis is a fictional character from the Australian Network Ten soap opera Neighbours, played by Natalie Imbruglia. She made her debut on-screen during the episode airing on 6 January 1992. She married Brad Willis in 1993, and the couple left Erinsborough for Perth. Behind the...

 (Natalie Imbruglia

Natalie Imbruglia

Natalie Jane Imbruglia is an Australian singer-songwriter, model and actress. In the early 1990s, Imbruglia was known to audiences as Beth Brennan in the popular Australian soap Neighbours. Three years after leaving the programme, Imbruglia launched a singing career with the international hit,...

), who is lodging with her and Lou. There is clearly an attraction between Lauren and Brad and they give into it by having sex on the beach. Lauren feels guilty but continues to see Brad. When Brad's cousin, Cameron Hudson (Benjamin Grant Mitchell

Benjamin Grant Mitchell

Benjamin Grant Mitchell is a writer, singer and actor now living in Melbourne, Australia. He is the author of The Last Great Day, an 'autobiographical' novel released in 2011....

) asks Lauren out on a date, she accepts to ward off suspicion. Cameron then discovers Brad and Lauren's affair and leaves Erinsborough in disgust. On the day of Brad and Beth's wedding, Beth realises the truth and can see the attraction between Brad and Lauren, who is her bridesmaid and calls off the ceremony.

Lauren and Brad become a couple shortly after an STD scare. Brad develops a gambling addiction and leaves Erinsborough to work on a cruise ship as a distraction for several months. In Brad's absence, Lauren finds company in the form of Irish Jockey, Connor Cleary (Brian Mannix

Brian Mannix

Brian Mannix is an Australian rock music singer and actor.He guest-starred in several episodes of Australian soap Neighbours in 1993 as Conor Cleary, a love interest for Lauren Carpenter....

). Connor asks Lauren to come away to Hong Kong with him, but she ultimately refuses. When Brad returns, Lauren finds him in a compromising situation when he is zipping up the back of his ex-girlfriend Lucy Robinson

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...

's (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....

) dress when she visits him at home to welcome him back. Brad assures her nothing is going on between him and Lucy, but he and Lauren end things.

Lauren is crushed when she learns Brad and Beth are getting back together. Shortly after Lauren suffers a back injury while riding and is later drawn into a religious cult by new friends Jacob Collins (John K. Davies) and Ruth Avery (Caitlin McDougall). Lou and all of Lauren's friends are concerned for her but she is unwilling to listen. The leader of the cult Barrabas (Aidan Fenessy) tries to get Lauren to have sex him but she manages to escape.

Shortly after Brad and Beth marry and leave for Perth, Lauren finds herself in the company of Wayne Duncan

Wayne Duncan

Wayne Duncan is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Jonathon Sammy-Lee. He made his first on-screen appearance on 4 February 1993. Wayne became a teacher at Erinsborough High...

 (Jonathon Sammy-Lee), who previously dated Beth. They begin dating, but this fizzles out. When Lou moves his new girlfriend 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....

) and her teenage children Brett

Brett Stark

Brett Stark is a fictional character from the Australian Network Ten soap opera Neighbours, played by Brett Blewitt. He debuted in the episode airing on 30 November 1993, along with his sister, Danni Stark and remained as a regular in the show until 8 March 1996. Blewitt returned as Brett for five...

 (Brett Blewitt

Brett Blewitt

Brett Blewitt, is an Australian actor who played Brett Stark on the Australian soap opera Neighbours from 1993 to 1996...

) and Danni

Danni Stark

Danielle "Danni" Stark is a fictional character from the Australian Network Ten soap opera Neighbours, played by Eliza Szonert. She debuted on-screen during the episode airing on 30 November 1993 and remained in the show until 13 November 1996, with a brief cameo in 2005 in Annalise Hartman's...

 (Eliza Szonert

Eliza Szonert

Eliza Szonert is an Australian actress.Szonert is best known for playing Danni Stark in Australia's long-running soap opera, Neighbours, from 1993 to 1996. Szonert reprised the role in 2005 for the show's 20th anniversary....

) into the house, Lauren feels squeezed out and is relieved when her old boss offers her job back and she leaves for Queensland. Lauren later marries and gives birth to a son, Mason. In 2010 Lauren suffers a riding accident which causes Lou to visit her more often.

Reception

The BBC said Lauren most notable moment was "Falling under the spell of a religious cult." Television website Lowculture

Lowculture

lowculture.co.uk is a UK television website founded in January 2003 by Paul Lang, who currently works as the art director of Doctor Who Adventures.-Purpose:...

said Vandenbergh played a "horse-riding, STD-catching, Brad-shagging" Lauren during her time on the show.