Joe Absolom, who gained fame as Matthew Rose on EastEnders, now looks almost unrecognizable in his new role 25 years after leaving the show. The 46-year-old is currently starring as Braden Moore in ITV’s intense new drama Code of Silence.
Joe first became widely known when his character Matthew Rose was wrongfully jailed in a dramatic storyline on the BBC soap, which he played from 1997 to 2000. This storyline remains one of the most unforgettable moments in 1990s soap opera history.
One key moment from that era was in February 1999, when Steve Owen (played by Martin Kemp) murdered his girlfriend Saskia Duncan (Deborah Sheridan-Taylor) by striking her over the head with an ashtray.
Months after Saskia’s body was discovered, Matthew was framed for her murder, while the real culprit, club owner Steve Owen, escaped justice, according to Plymouth Live.
This gripping storyline drew widespread attention, with media campaigns across the country calling for Matthew’s release after he was convicted of manslaughter. Since then, the character has not returned to Albert Square.
Joe Absolom, originally from Southeast London, left EastEnders in 2000 and has since built a successful acting career. His roles include the British horror movie Long Time Dead and a supporting part in the ITV drama Vincent.
Joe Absolom felt most at ease playing Al, the son of Bert Large, in the ITV comedy-drama Doc Martin. He portrayed the plumber-turned-restaurateur for 18 years. When his eldest daughter, Lyla, was five, Joe decided to leave his hometown of London.
In an interview with The Mirror, Joe recalled a moment with Lyla while filming in Cornwall. He remembered sitting on the beach with her during a day off when she asked where the tide had gone. Joe came up with a playful, imaginative answer.
However, the next day when they returned to London, they were met with tragic news—a teenager had been murdered outside their local supermarket.
Joe’s decision to relocate his family to Cornwall was confirmed after a traumatic event in 2013, when a teenage burglary gang targeted their South London home. At the time, Joe was working on location in Romania, while his wife was at home with their two eldest children.
In 2014, the family fully embraced life in Cornwall, settling near Port Isaac—the same picturesque area where Doc Martin is filmed. Reflecting on their new home, Joe proudly shared that his children’s lives are now rooted in Cornwall, noting that his daughter Daisy was even born there and joking that she “has clotted cream in her blood.”
Currently, Joe Absolom stars as Braden Moore in the ITV drama Code of Silence, which also features Rose Ayling-Ellis as Alison, a deaf waitress with remarkable lip-reading skills who becomes involved in a complicated police investigation.
The official synopsis of Code of Silence reveals that Alison, who has spent years working in a police canteen and secretly listening in on conversations, experiences a major change when her extraordinary lip-reading ability catches the attention of DS Ashleigh Francis (Charlotte Ritchie) and DI James Marsh (Andrew Buchan).
Alison’s life grows even more complicated after she forms an unexpected and dangerous connection with Liam Barlow (Kieron Moore), a newly recruited gang member.
Tasked with a secret mission, Alison must monitor a dangerous gang planning a high-stakes robbery, plunging her into a world filled with crime, deception, and heightened risks.