Matthew Rose (East Enders) - Creation and Development

Creation and Development

Absolom was asked to attend an audition for EastEnders by the producers at the time in 1997, despite there being no set part available at the time. He commented, "I got a telephone call out of the blue asking me whether I would like to go in and see them. They didn't have a role for me but were looking for Looking for new faces and were keen for me to come on board." According to Absolom the producers were looking for someone who was "new, raw, unaffected". Absolom was initially uncertain about taking the role: "I really had to think long and hard about it. Once you take on something like this, it really does change your life. After I'd auditioned, they told me to go away and think things through. My parents said it was only me who could decide and my younger sister was no help. She tried to put me off. She said "don't do it Joe, 'cos we'll have all the fans parked outside our house." However he accepted the role and made his first appearance on-screen in August 1997 as the son of already established character Michael Rose (Russell Floyd).

Matthew's most prominent storyline spans a year and begins on the Valentine's day episode in February 1999. After developing a friendship with club owner Steve Owen (Martin Kemp), Matthew is present to witness Steve accidentally killing his ex-girlfriend Saskia Duncan (Deborah Sheridan-Taylor) by hitting her on the head with a marbel ashtray following her jealous attack on him. Saskia's death was first screened in a lengthened 45-minute episode on a Sunday evening, deviating from EastEnders' typical broadcasting weekday slots. Executive producer Matthew Robinson has alleged that Saskia's death scene had to be reshot because it was deemed too violent: "When we played back the film, it was fantastic - too fantastic. It looked so real that I knew we couldn't broadcast it. EastEnders goes out before the nine o'clock watershed, children watch it - and we can't show outright scenes of graphic violence. We had to do the whole thing again. It took almost two hours and the three actors were emotionally and physically exhausted. In the end we got what we wanted." After the killing, Steve fears that police will not believe it was an accident, convinces Matthew to help him cover-up the death and they bundle Saskia's body into a bin liner and bury it in a wood. Robinson said, "This is an exciting plot and it'll keep us occupied for much of the next year."

The storyline advances throughout 1999 with a police investigation, the discovery of Saskia's body and Steve framing Matthew. In episodes that first aired in October 1999, a court trial is screened, with both Matthew and Steve on trial for manslaughter. Throughout the court scenes different verdicts are insinuated as evidence swings to and fro against the two accused. The eventual verdict ends in a miscarriage of justice; Steve is exhonerated and Matthew is found guilty of manslaughter and imprisoned. A spokeswoman for EastEnders said at the time: "We are expecting a huge public reaction over the storyline. Joe has already been sent T-shirts by two viewers that say 'Free Matt'."

Absolom announced he was quitting the role in October 1999. Absolom stated that he had enjoyed his time on the soap but believed it was the right time to move on, suggesting that the storyline airing at the time, his wrongful imprisonment for murder, would have been difficult to advance. He commented, "I think people are getting quite bored of it. I've cried so many times on telly, that people just go, `he's crying again', it's not like anything new now." Absolom remained on-screen until February 2000. Executive producer of EastEnders, Matthew Robinson, said of the actor, "Joe Absolom has made a huge contribution to EastEnders, culminating in the huge success of the recent trial and verdict storylines" and he added that the door would be left open for a future return. Absolom commented in 2000, "I've been told the door is always open for me, so you never know. Also, I hope to still see some of the cast, so I like to think it won't be my last visit."

Matthew's final episode is a showdown of revenge against his enemy Steve Owen, the real culprit of the murder Matthew was framed for. Absolom described the episode as tough and intense. Two versions of the episode were filmed after the BBC decided that the initial version was too violent. In the broadcast version, Matthew holds Steve hostage at gunpoint and terrorises him with mind games, threatening to kill him and forcing Steve to beg for his life. Finally, Matthew empties a petrol can and pulls out a lighter, but in a final twist he reveals that the can is only filled with water." After humiliating Steve, Matthew departs. Of his leaving storyline, Absolom said, "I wanted it to be a totally blow-your-mind storyline. This is why I knew it was the right time to move on. I really felt I couldn't top recent scenes and wanted to go out on a high and be remembered for work that I'm proud of."