Lauren Turner (also Carpenter) is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Kate Kendall. The role was originally played by Sarah Vandenbergh, and she made her first appearance during the episode broadcast on 16 February 1993. Lauren was introduced as the "vivacious" daughter of Lou Carpenter (Tom Oliver). Vandenbergh described her as being happy, headstrong and into horses. She also thought that just by looking at the character you knew she was a girl next door type. Lauren's major storylines during her first stint in the show saw her have an affair with Brad Willis (Scott Michaelson), join a religious cult and begin a casual relationship with Wayne Duncan (Jonathon Sammy-Lee). Vandenbergh decided to leave the serial when she was told that Lauren would not feature prominently in storylines anymore. She departed on 2 March 1994.
On 4 November 2012, it was announced Lauren would be returning to Neighbours with Kendall taking over the role. She made her first appearance as Lauren on 7 February 2013. Upon her return, Lauren brought her family with her and Kendall described them as "charismatic", saying they would have some secrets and "really juicy storylines". Kendall's Lauren is portrayed as being "down to earth", "warm" and "very social". Her storylines since her return have often focused on family issues, including the arrival of her and Brad's long-lost daughter Paige Smith (Olympia Valance), the death of her husband Matt Turner (Josef Brown), and her reunion and marriage to Brad (now Kip Gamblin). The character departed on 7 April 2017, along with Brad, before making guest returns in June 2017, March and June 2018, and for the show's final episode on 28 July 2022.
Casting Vandenbergh joined the cast of Neighbours in 1993 to play the "vivacious" daughter of Lou Carpenter (Tom Oliver). It was her first major television role and she relocated from Sydney to Melbourne for filming.Monroe 1994, p.276. Vandenbergh told Sue Malins of Soaplife that her workload was gruelling and she had a crazy work schedule during her time on the show. The actress said it was tough for the younger cast members who had come straight from school, but as she was twenty, she could deal with it.
Vandenbergh decided to leave Neighbours because of a decision made by production staff that Lauren would not feature prominently in storylines. After Lauren had been used to play central stories out such as sexually transmitted diseases, they planned to give her a "quieter time" working in the coffee shop. Vandenbergh told Mary Fletcher from Woman's Own, "I didn't want that, after so much had happened, I wasn't going to hang around in the background. And you can only go so far with a job before you stop learning anything new."
In May 1996, Vandenbergh revealed to the Daily Mirror's Fiona Parker that another reason she chose to leave Neighbours was because nobody was letting her be anyone else except Lauren. She admitted that she hated the press writing about her during her time in the show, although said added that she had no regrets about appearing in Neighbours as it was a great experience for her.
Development Characterisation Vandenbergh revealed that she did not get much of a synopsis about her character's personality and had to establish herself as Lauren during the first week on air. She told a writer for SOAP magazine, "The only real brief I was given was her relationship with her mother and father and the fact that she was really headstrong and right into horses, and that's about it. To this day I still don't know what her birthday is." The actress stated that when you looked at Lauren you knew she was the girl next door and went on to describe her as "really happy". She added "I looked so Australian with my pony tail and my horsey clothes on and no make-up, so I was the ideal Lauren even before I'd read the scripts." Lauren is the daughter of Lou and Kathy Carpenter (Tina Bursill) and the sister of Guy Carpenter (Andrew Williams) and Ling Mai Chan (Khym Lam).
Lauren grew up with her mother, Kathy, following the breakdown of her parents' marriage.Monroe 1994, p.45–46. Kathy made Lauren study hard, while time with Lou was more fun. This led Lauren to grow up wanting to please her father and she started working with horses because Lou was a keen rider. Lauren arrived in Erinsborough on her horse Chucka Mental. The storyline was brought in because Oliver had a passion for them, but Vandenbergh revealed that she was unused to horses and had to have a course of intense riding lessons prior to filming. She said "The week before I started on the show I had an accident and the bruising on my leg was the size of a football! There I was having to ride a horse on screen when I could barely walk on to the set!" She called the horse that played Chucka Mental "amazing" and revealed that he had starred in The Man from Snowy River, so he understood the word "action".
Following the character's return in 2013, Lauren had become more mature and family focused. The official website says, "A natural mother, she is a warm, tactile woman, who doesn't believe her kids will ever be too old for a big hug and a mug of hot chocolate when they're feeling down." The character was also described as being happy and "down to earth". Lauren has often put her role as the Turner family matriarch first, but she has dreams of being an artist. By moving to Erinsborough, Lauren was able to reconnect with her father Lou, with whom she shares "a warm relationship". Kendall told Daniel Kilkelly of Digital Spy that Lauren would settle in and make friends easily, as she is a "very social" person. She also shared a history with some of the characters, so she was not unfamiliar with everyone. Kendall did not think she shared many similarities with her character. She called Lauren "a domestic goddess" and said that she did not do any baking in real life. She also thought Lauren was more grounded than she was. The actress added that she did have a mixed family like Lauren, so she could relate to what her character went through with Brad and Paige.
Relationship with Brad Willis Lauren caught the eye of Brad Wills (Scott Michaelson) while she was riding her horse along the beach and Josephine Monroe, author of Neighbours: The First 10 Years, commented that there was an "instant attraction" between them.Monroe 1996, p.34. While writing for Inside Soap, Monroe said the chemistry between Brad and Lauren was set to blow his romance with Beth Brennan (Natalie Imbruglia) apart. Vandenbergh revealed that Lauren would become really good friends with Beth, saying "They're really compatible and they just click, so when Lauren realises what's going on between her and Brad it gets really tricky." Vandenbergh thought that the storyline would become "a very interesting love triangle." After having sex on the beach, Brad and Lauren began an affair in secret. Monroe stated that Lauren could not even tell her father as he had become fond of Beth, while they were lodging together. When Lauren missed her period, she became worried that she was pregnant with Brad's child. She hid her fear, but Lou discovered her secret when he spotted a pregnancy test in the cupboard. Lauren confessed the truth to Lou, who was "shocked", but stood by his daughter. The pregnancy test was negative, but Lou persuaded Lauren to go to the doctor and she was informed that she had chlamydia, which can bring on the signs of pregnancy.Monroe 1996, p.110.
Despite his affair with Lauren, Brad still intended to go through with his wedding to Beth. On the day of the ceremony, Beth finally learnt what had been happening between her finance and her best friend. Imbruglia explained "They walk down the aisle together, but Beth is a bit unsure because that morning she sees Lauren and Brad together. And then she notices that Brad is just constantly looking at Lauren, and she just says 'Wait a minute, I don't think I can go through with this." After Beth jilted Brad, he and Lauren continued their relationship openly and Brad became "besotted" with her. However, Lauren's horse became jealous of Brad and he began gambling. Brad eventually took a break the relationship when he got a job on a cruise ship. While he was away, Lauren met and began dating Connor Cleary (Brian Mannix). When Brad returned, Lauren called things off with Connor. Monroe wrote that it soon became clear that the chemistry between Lauren and Brad was just "an inconclusive experiment" and they eventually broke up. Brad got back together with Beth, who never forgave Lauren for what she did.
Cult In October 1993, Lauren befriended Jacob Collins (John K. Davies) and Ruth Avery (Caitlin McDougall) a pair of "fanatics" and members of the Children of Barabbas, a religious sect. As Lauren became closer to Jacob and Ruth, she was lured into joined the cult. Jim Schembri from The Age commented "She promptly turned into a religious nut and caused trouble in the coffee shop, from where she was promptly sacked". Lauren's friends turned against her and her father became "distraught" as Lauren became more and more influenced by the cult.Monroe 1996, p.35. He grew concerned that she was being brainwashed and worried that he would lose her for good. When Lauren went on a retreat with Jacob and Ruth, Barrabas (Aidan Fennessy), the leader of the Children of Barabbas asked her to have sex with him. This brought Lauren to her senses and she had to ask Lou to rescue her. Shortly after the scenes aired in Australia, the British soap opera Brookside featured a similar plot involving a cult. They were accused of copying storylines, though the serial's executive producer, Mal Young, insisted that it was coincidental because they were both trying to reflect the society of that time.
Wayne Duncan Lauren began a casual romance with neighbour, Wayne Duncan (Jonathon Sammy-Lee) in early 1994. The relationship came about almost by accident and was initially helped along by Wayne's "matchmaking" brother, Troy (Damian Walshe-Howling). When Lauren got drunk at a dinner party, Wayne offered to walk her home and she grabbed him on the doorstep and kissed him in front of their friends. Sammy-Lee revealed "Then, when she invites him in for coffee, she spills milk on her blouse and takes it off. Wayne does the gentlemanly thing by covering her up with his jacket and putting her to bed. But Lauren reads more into it." The following day, Lauren woke up and was unable to remember what happened, so she assumed she had had sex with Wayne. The truth was eventually explained to Lauren and the incident made sure that her romance with Wayne got off to "a shaky start". Fletcher commented that friendship turned to lust for both characters during the storyline.
Reintroduction During an October 2012 interview with a What's on TV writer, Oliver hinted that Lauren would be coming back to Neighbours, but without Vandenbergh in the role. On 4 November 2012, it was confirmed that the character would be returning and actress Kate Kendall had taken over the part. Kendall was asked to audition for the role, following a previous guest appearance on the show. Of her casting, Kendall stated "It's exciting to be joining Australia's longest running drama and to be working with such an array of experienced actors. To be playing a character such as Lauren Turner, who is deeply embedded in the storyline and who of course is Lou Carpenter's daughter, is such a wonderful opportunity." Lauren made her return during the episode broadcast on 7 February 2013. Lauren returned to Erinsborough along with her husband, Matt Turner (Josef Brown), and their three children; Mason (Taylor Glockner), Amber (Jenna Rosenow) and Bailey (Calen Mackenzie). Kendall revealed that a few original facts about Lauren would remain, like her love for horses, but she wanted to "create something fresh" that she could fit into.