Debbie Martin is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera Neighbours, played by Marnie Reece-Wilmore. She made her first appearance during the episode broadcast on 22 July 1985. Debbie was originally played by Mandy Storvik and Katrina McEwan. Reece-Wilmore was cast in the role when the character was reintroduced with her family in 1992. She had to relocate to Melbourne for filming. The character later became part of the serial's new "brat pack". Reece-Wilmore left Neighbours in late 1994, but returned in 1996 upon the promise of exciting storylines and a new look for her character. She departed on 22 October 1997, but reprised her role for the show's 20th anniversary celebration episode on 27 July 2005.

Mandy Storvik was the first actress to play Debbie in 1985, followed by Katrina McEwan. The Martin family were reintroduced to Neighbours in 1992 to add "a bit of life to the programme." Marnie Reece-Wilmore was cast in the "much sought after" role of Debbie. She was initially reluctant to attend the audition because she was out with friends and saw it as an interruption. Reece-Wilmore explained "I just wanted to get it over with and get back to the shops. When I think back on it now I realise how close I came to messing it up because of my attitude." She was told she had the part of Debbie a couple of weeks later.

When she was offered the role of Debbie, Reece-Wilmore was still attending school. She had to relocate to Melbourne from Sydney for filming, which she found "traumatic" as she felt under prepared. She had to leave her family and her school to live alone in a new city, explaining "I'm the youngest in my family, so it was a big decision. I'd never been away from home before." She said the first few months of being in Melbourne were "terrible" as she did not know anyone and had to figure out how to get to places, which was "scary" for a 17 year old.

Debbie is the oldest child of Philip (Ian Rawlings) and Loretta Martin (Lyn Semler). Josephine Monore, author of Neighbours: The First 10 Years, said Debbie was not one of the show's glamour girls, but just "an ordinary girl next door" who did well at school because she worked hard. A reporter for Weekly News called Debbie "an enthusiastic and enterprising young student". A writer for the BBC described Debbie as having spirit, gumption and determination. They added "The poor girl did have her dark moments, though. She had it in her head that she was not nearly as pretty as the girls at school, or her neighbours, and that can be a terrible curse for a teenager."

Denise Deason of TV Week called Debbie "Ramsay Street's schoolgirl with a rebel streak". Reece-Wilmore said she was not as easily led astray as Debbie, as she worries about the consequences too much and is "too nervous to be a rebel." At the start of 1994, Neighbours decided to push for "a younger, livelier look, with six regular characters under the age of 18" and Debbie became part of the show's new "brat pack", along with her brother Michael Martin (Troy Beckwith), Cody Willis (Peta Brady), Rick Alessi (Dan Falzon), and newcomers Brett Stark (Brett Blewitt) and Danni Stark (Eliza Szonert).

In 1994, Debbie developed bulimia. She was struggling with the pressures of school and her unrequited love for Andrew "Macca" Mackenzie (John Morris). She was also depressed over the state of her father's marriage. Debbie was seen bingeing on food and then deliberately making herself sick. Her friends suspected something was wrong when they discovered a food stash underneath her bed, but Debbie denied having a problem until she collapsed at a rehearsal for the debutante ball and was rushed to hospital. Mary Fletcher of Inside Soap said "Friends and family have already realised something is wrong with the normally sunny-natured Debbie. It's not only puppy fat that she seems to be losing – her weight has dropped dramatically." Reece-Wilmore told Fletcher that everyone can remember a time when they felt like they were under a personal black cloud, but it probably felt like it was raining 24 hours a day for Debbie. Helen Daniels (Anne Haddy) became especially keen for Debbie to seek professional help for her condition and she went to stay in a clinic. Helen's daughter Rosemary (Joy Chambers) then invited Debbie to spend some time with her in America. Fletcher said the whole experience was a chance for Debbie to grow closer to her family.

Reece-Wilmore revealed she came up with the idea for the bulimia storyline, saying "When I came back from my Christmas holiday, I'd lost tons of weight. Everyone commented on my new figure and I thought to myself 'If there was anything wrong with me, those sorts of comments would have made me really paranoid about my weight.'" The actress then suggested the storyline, believing it was a subject familiar with a lot of teenage girls. The Neighbours bosses were initially "wary" of tackling such a difficult and sensitive storyline and a spokesperson said "We try to tackle serious issues such as bulimia as much as possible. We may not be able to wave a magic wand and make the problems go away, but by dealing with current situations they become topics for wider discussion." Reece-Wilmore added that she could see how eating disorders were connected to teenagers' anxieties about approaching adulthood as she used to make herself sick to avoid going to school.

Reece-Wilmore departed at the end of 1994, but was lured back to the soap with the promise of "sizzling" storylines and a new look for her character. Debbie's sudden return from the United States surprises her father. She sports "a sophisticated new image", but also seems troubled by something. Debbie eventually broke down and confessed that she had had a relationship with Rosemary's personal assistant and toyboy, Joel Supple (Bruce Hughes). Joel later arrived in Erinsborough and declared his love for Debbie, before asking her to return to the United States with him. A columnist for Inside Soap deemed the storyline "racy". In April 2005, Kris Green of Digital Spy reported that Reece-Wilmore would reprise her role for the show's 20th anniversary episode.