TV legend almost unrecognisable in return to acting

Former EastEnders star Joe Absolom looks almost unrecognisable in his latest role, 25 years after leaving Walford. The actor played Matthew Rose on the BBC soap from 1997 to 2000 and was involved in one of the biggest storylines of the 90s. It saw Matthew framed for the murder of Saskia Duncan (Deborah Sheridan-Taylor), who had actually been killed by club owner Steve Owen (Martin Kemp). After Joe’s final appearance in EastEnders, Joe went on to land roles in The Bill, New Tricks, Doc Martin, Death in Paradise and A Confession.

To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video. Up Next. And now Joe has returned to screens in the latest episodes of Silent Witness. Fans of the hit BBC drama saw him pop up as a murderous guest character called Kelvin this week. He was joined in the episodes by former Emmerdale actress Amy Nuttall, who appeared as Kelvin’s ex-wife Peggy.

Amy is best known to Emmerdale fans for playing Chloe Atkinson from 2000 to 2005. Joe previously opened up to Metro about joining EastEnders at the tender age of 18. In an exclusive interview, he said: ‘I was 18 and just about to start my A-levels when they offered me the job. I thought I could either stay at college trying to learn French and politics or I could go to EastEnders. Speaking about becoming a heart-throb, Joe added: ‘I was 18 or 19 and quite naïve and nothing fazes you at that age. I got the train to work every day. I couldn’t go anywhere without someone saying something, but that was a buzz. I waved back and thought it was fun.

‘I remember I drank a lot of vodka and Red Bull and went to see a lot of bands but I didn’t go mad – I lived at home the whole time I was in EastEnders and just spent my time with my mates from school and had a laugh.’. Silent Witness is available to stream on BBC iPlayer. If you’ve got a soap or TV story, video or pictures get in touch by emailing us soaps@metro.co.uk – we’d love to hear from you.

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