Lou Carpenter

In-universe information
In-universe information
Occupation	Entrepreneur; Used car salesman; Radio presenter; Mayor; Owner of Lou's Place; Owner of Carpenter's Mechanics; Co-owner of Harold's Store; Co-owner of Dial-A-Kyle;
Father	Arthur Carpenter
Sisters	Brenda Riley
Wife	Kathy Carpenter (divorced); Linda Carpenter (until 1996); Trixie Tucker (2003–2004);
Sons	Guy Carpenter
Daughters	Ling Mai Chan; Lauren Carpenter
Adoptive daughters	Lolly Allen
Stepdaughters	Nina Tucker
Grandsons	Mason Turner; Bailey Turner
Granddaughters	Paige Smith; Amber Turner
Other relatives	Matilda Turner; Gabriel Smith

Lou Carpenter
Lou Carpenter
Neighbours character
Portrayed by	Tom Oliver
Duration	1988, 1992–2016
First appearance	30 March 1988
Last appearance	2 December 2016
Classification	Former; regular
Created by	Ray Kolle
Introduced by	Don Battye
Occupation	Entrepreneur; Used car salesman; Radio presenter; Mayor; Owner of Lou's Place; Owner of Carpenter's Mechanics; Co-owner of Harold's Store; Co-owner of Dial-A-Kyle;
In-universe information
Occupation	Entrepreneur; Used car salesman; Radio presenter; Mayor; Owner of Lou's Place; Owner of Carpenter's Mechanics; Co-owner of Harold's Store; Co-owner of Dial-A-Kyle;
Father	Arthur Carpenter
Sisters	Brenda Riley
Wife	Kathy Carpenter (divorced); Linda Carpenter (until 1996); Trixie Tucker (2003–2004);
Sons	Guy Carpenter
Daughters	Ling Mai Chan; Lauren Carpenter
Adoptive daughters	Lolly Allen
Stepdaughters	Nina Tucker
Grandsons	Mason Turner; Bailey Turner
Granddaughters	Paige Smith; Amber Turner
Other relatives	Matilda Turner; Gabriel Smith

Lou Carpenter is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Tom Oliver. He made his first screen appearance on 30 March 1988. Oliver appeared for a brief time, having been initially contracted for six months, before leaving and returning in January 1992 as a regular cast member. In 1996, Lou was written out of Neighbours, a move that shocked Oliver as his character had become popular with fans. Neighbours viewers created petitions calling for his return and the strength of their reaction caused the producers to reconsider their decision and reinstate Oliver. Lou became one of the longest-serving continuous characters in the serial's history, having played the role for 24 years.

From March 2009, Lou became a part-time regular character, with Oliver alternating between two-month blocks of filming and two-month breaks. In 2015, it was announced that Oliver had cut back his filming commitments even more, and would no longer be appearing as regularly as he once had. Lou made a temporary departure on 1 May 2015, but a spokesperson confirmed that Oliver would return to film guest appearances, which he did until the end of 2016.