The different approaches that have been taken in the development of electrochemical detectors incorporating carbon as the principal electrode substrate are reviewed. The multitude of forms that carbon can take provides an extremely versatile platform upon which to enhance the detector performance. The different approaches that have been taken in recent years have been critically appraised and the emergence of new composite technologies is highlighted. The role of carbon and the applications to which it has been employed are presented and compared and contrasted within the remit of electroanalytical investigations.