Lance Smart is a fictional character from the Australian Channel Seven soap opera Home and Away, played by Peter Vroom. Vroom appeared from the pilot episode as one of the serial's original characters. Lance is characterised a "slow witted" larrikin and those around him see him as a "joke". Lance forms an on-screen partnership with Martin Dibble (Craig Thomson) and their characters were subsequently used as the serial's comedy characters. Both Vroom and Thomson said that their characters did not provide a realistic representation of young people as the production team often censored their dialogue. Lance also has an over-protective mother Colleen Smart (Lyn Collingwood) with whom he had to contend with. His main romantic relationship is with Marilyn Chambers (Emily Symons) and the pair became engaged. Their romance was short-lived as Lance decided against marrying her. Lance and Martin were named as the "thickest characters ever to grace soapland" in the Daily Record.
Vroom was axed from the series alongside Thomson after producer Andrew Howie wanted to focus on new characters. Vroom finished filming in March 1990 and departed during the episode aired on 11 April. Vroom later returned to the soap in 2000 on a guest contract. He subsequently made short returns during the five years that followed and his final appearance aired on 1 December 2006.
Character development
Characterisation and relationships
Peter Vroom secured the role of Lance after he completed a course at the Australian Theatre for Young People, making it his first television role. Lance is characterised as having little intelligence and is "slow witted". Vroom told Inside Soap that "Lance was a caricature, he was never very successful at anything, and people generally thought he was a joke. That was his role, to provide a few laughs." Lance forms an on-screen duo as the "partner in crime" of Martin Dibble (Craig Thomson). Thomson said that the characters are Home and Away's answer to Laurel and Hardy. Like Martin, Lance is unpopular with females and even "their closest friends" see them as not being "heart-throbs". They are portrayed as a pair of "yobbos and larrikins" who work at a local oyster farm. Lance and Martin share common enemies, their biggest feud is with Donald Fisher (Norman Coburn) who throws them out of cadet corps. They also have a general dislike for the local "surfie" males, who later become their "great nemesis" due to them receiving all the attention from the local females. Lance holds an opinion that Martin is "irresistible" to the opposite sex and is impressed by his persona.
Thomson has stated that the duo "stand out a lot" because of their over-the-top nature. While Vroom felt they rarely got "serious" scenes because they were mostly involved in comedic storylines. Vroom criticised the writing Martin and Lance received because he did not think it represented how young people behave. Home and Away's critics also scrutinised the writing "for a lack of realism". Thomson said the serial's early evening time slot often caused dialogue to be censored. The actor stated that "Lance and Martin are definitely drinkers and if it wasn't for the timeslot they would be into marijuana too." Though he defended the characters because they had to be responsible and cater for young viewers. Vroom told a writer from Look-in that Lance always appeared "abnormally tall" on-screen because no other cast members were over six foot in height like himself. He also said that he was the "worst out of the whole cast" for laughing during filming.
Lance is the "beloved" son of Colleen Smart (Lyn Collingwood), she "dotes on" Lance and often intimidates him into doing things she wants. Lance also had a relationship with Marilyn Chambers (Emily Symons) which does not work out. Colleen is so protective of Lance that twenty years later she still does not "like or trust" Marilyn for breaking "her Lancey's' heart". Lance and Marilyn got engaged and even went wedding dress shopping. Their engagement followed a series of arguments but Lance plans a surprise meal and proposes. Symons explained to David Brown from TV Week "that's what she's always wanted, then she goes full swing. She buys a wedding dress and starts to refurbish Lance's home!" Symons later recalled "I've got a old photo of me [Marilyn] in a wedding dress, but he dumped Marilyn before they got to the altar, so the wedding never happened."