Joe Absolom

Joe Absolom (born 16 December 1978) is an English actor best known for his roles as Matthew Rose in the BBC soap opera EastEnders (1997–2000), Al Large in the ITV comedy drama Doc Martin (2004–2022) and Ray Walters in Emmerdale (2025–2026).

Early life

Absolom was born in Lewisham,^[1] London. A former pupil of Forest Hill School, he made early appearances in the legendary Sun-Pat peanut butter advertisements before making his acting debut with the 1991 film Antonia and Jane.

Career

Absolom joined the BBC soap opera EastEnders in 1997 portraying Matthew Rose. He had few storylines in his first year on the show. The storyline which gained him recognition was the murder of Saskia Duncan, which began in February 1999. His character was framed for the murder by the real culprit, Steve Owen (played by Martin Kemp). After getting revenge on Steve, his character's last appearance aired in February 2000. Absolom won Best Actor at The British Soap Awards that same year.

After leaving EastEnders, Absolom played the leading role in the 2002 British horror film Long Time Dead, and a supporting role in the ITV series Vincent. He became known for his role in Doc Martin playing Bert Large's son, Al.

Absolom guest starred in The Bill between 1992 and 2009 in different roles, and as Benny, a violent loan shark in Casualty. He appeared as a criminal in the internet crime thriller Girl Number Nine, also starring Tracy-Ann Oberman and Gareth David-Lloyd.^[2] More recently, he played the part of Ivan in the 2013 horror film 'I Spit on Your Grave 2'. He won a celebrity version of TV show Total Wipeout which aired on 18 September 2010, receiving £10,000 for charity. He played the real life murderer Christopher Halliwell in the drama A Confession in 2019. He starred in the ITV drama The Bay in 2021.

In 2025, Absolom joined the cast of Emmerdale as Ray Walters, a charismatic but dangerous man who is involved in drug-dealing and people trafficking.^[3]

Radio

Absolom is also a radio actor, and has appeared in a BBC Radio 4 Play of the day "Bringing Eddie Home" by John Peacock, based on a true story of the fight by East End couple Edna and Jack Wallace to get their son's body brought home from Aden, and the ensuing fight for the rights of British Service personnel. Absolom played the role of Eddie Wallace and the play also included other ex-EastEnders actors Bill Treacher, Edna Doré, Todd Carty and Tilly Vosburgh.^[4][5]

Filmography

Film

Television

Awards and nominations

References

1. ^ "Absolom interview; EASTENDERS JOE TALKS ABOUT LOVE, FREEDOM ...AND A CLINCH WITH BABS.". The Mirror. 9 January 2000. Archived 14 January 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 24 February 2011.
2. ^ "Girl Number 9 – Web Thriller by James Moran and Dan Turner". Archived from the original on 2 January 2013. Retrieved 2009-09-20.
3. ^ "Joe Absolom reveals Emmerdale villain Ray's truth behind Laurel connection amid "subservient" dynamic with mum Celia". Radio Times. Retrieved 2 April 2026.
4. ^ Kelly, Helen (2018-02-08). "Remember EastEnders' Matthew Rose? What is actor Joe Absolom up to now?". Express.co.uk. Archived 12 February 2018 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2019-03-19.
5. ^ S, Ian & well (2018-03-15). "Joe Absolom rules out EastEnders return". Digital Spy. Archived 21 January 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2019-03-19.
6. ^ "When is A Confession on TV? Who's in the cast? What's it about?". Radio Times. Archived 4 July 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2019-03-19.
7. ^ "Surprises Abound in the New Season of Doc Martin". Org. 2019-02-11. Archived 15 March 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2019-03-19.