australian television information archive

In the Hot Seat with Martin Lynes

The medical staff of All Saints may not be exactly what you expect, but once you get to know them, they're exactly the kind of people you would want looking after you if you were ever to go through the hospital's doors.

Martin Lynes plays the role of medical registrar Luciano (Luke) Forlano in the new series. Luke is Mr Popular, he's got a gorgeous smile and a great sense of humour. Martin is really enjoying his new role and has settled in to Sydneyside life… however, he's travelled a long and interesting road to get to Sydney and All Saints success.

Martin Lynes
When a young Martin Lynes arrived in Sydney, after enduring an exhausting five-day Greyhound bus trip across the Nullarbor, he was scared of what he saw. So scared, in fact, that he and his mate got back on the bus and made their way to Burleigh Heads, Queensland. (There's a certain symmetry in his story, given that Martin describes himself as a surfie first and foremost!)

With a surfboard under one arm, and a little money to pay for beachside caravan parks, Martin embarked on an East Coast surfing-safari. After his two-year adventure, Martin decided he was ready to face Sydney once more… or so he thought.

At the time, his only acquaintance in Sydney lived in Cronulla, as luck would have it, a Sydney-side surfing Mecca. But Martin was still restless and, unsure of his future, he returned to Perth and through sheer coincidence answered an advertisement for a stand up comedian.

At the age of 24 Martin was accepted into both WAPA and NIDA, the two most prestigious dramatic arts schools in Australia. Accepting the position at NIDA was a sign that Martin was finally ready to accept Sydney as his home.

When Martin was offered the role of Luke Forlano in All Saints, he was torn between accepting the part and continuing to gig around Sydney with his band, Oswald, who had been sparking a lot of interest in the music industry.

Martin realised it was impossible to resist the opportunity to work with such a distinguished cast… including the fabulous Georgie Parker, along with Judith McGrath and Andrew McKaige.

'The energy and motivation of the All Saints cast and crew is top-level, everyone is pulling together to do the best they can. You can see that translate onto the screen.'

On his character, Luke Forlano, Martin says, "There's a lot of subtleties about Luke and I can express those more easily on TV than, say, in the theatre, I enjoy that. I like him as a character."

You'll like him too!

Seven Network Limited