Carl Lancaster was the brother of Marie Lancaster and uncle of Jamie Ramsden. In February 1990, Carl paid Jamie's father Eddie Ramsden a visit to put pressure on him to return Jamie to Marie. Marie had left Jamie with Eddie after giving birth due to her postnatal depression. Bitter about Marie rejecting him and the baby, Eddie now didn't want her involved in Jamie's life.
Turning up at the Ramsden household late at night and adopting a threatening manner, Carl introduced himself to Eddie and told him he'd see that Marie got what she wanted. Eddie tried to intimidate Carl by throwing him out, but was suitably panicked by the encounter and arranged with Tina Fowler for Jamie to be hidden at the Rovers Return until things quietened down.
A week later, Marie traced Jamie to the Rovers and arrived there with Carl in tow, intending to reclaim her son by force. Carl got as far as reaching for the bar flap before Bet Gilroy threatened to call the police if he took a step further. Marie forced her brother to back down and they left empty-handed. Marie eventually got Jamie back by patching things up with Eddie, making him understand what she'd been going through in her head when she had Jamie.