Matthew Jackson

Infobox EastEnders character 2


character_name=Matthew Jackson
actor_name=Steven Hartley
years=1988–1989
first=5 May 1988
last=25 July 1989
status=Separated
occupation=Shop Manager
mother=Lynna Jackson
wife=Carmel Roberts (1989-?)

Matthew Jackson was a fictional character in the BBC soap opera "EastEnders". He was played by Steven Hartley.

Matthew had a Jekyll and Hyde personality, which didn't show until he married Carmel. He became abusive towards his wife, prompting her nephew to take drastic action with disastrous consequences.

History

Matthew was the manager of the local music store. He was first seen on screen in May 1988 as a new love interest for the social worker, Carmel Roberts. Matthew had had an unhappy childhood. His mother had fallen pregnant at 16 and after bringing him up for 15 years, she had been forced to put him into custody. Matthew was fostered by another family and he had subsequently refused all contact with his mother and rather resented her for abandoning him.

Matthew was initially a kind, easy-going man. Everyone loved him, except Carmel's brother, Darren, who objected to his sister dating him because he was white. His racial hatred eventually led to Carmel kicking him out of her flat and Matthew later moved in instead. Darren subsequently fled Walford, leaving Carmel and Matthew to look after his two children, Junior and Aisha.

Domestic violence

Carmel was really besotted with Matthew, so when he proposed marriage in November that year, she gleefully accepted. Carmel wanted to invite Matthew's estranged mother to the wedding, but Matthew was totally opposed to the idea. His ire rose at her mere mention, but Carmel pursued it, which caused Matthew to blow his top and viciously scream at her. Carmel was left dumbstruck at the sudden outburst, but this was only a small taster of what was to come in the following months.

The two married in January 1989, but the day was ruined when Matthew saw his mother was in attendance. Carmel had got in contact with her, thinking that Matthew would be pleased to have her at the wedding. She was wrong and Matthew was furious. After shunning their reception party, he threatened to pack his things and leave. Carmel could not understand his reaction and when she attempted to stop him leaving he grabbed her by the throat, held her up against a wall and berated her for her interference. Carmel was petrified, and upon seeing her fear Matthew immediately released her and began apologising profusely for his violent outburst. Carmel was shaken, but was convinced that his apology was sincere, so she dropped the matter.

Things did not go much better for the newly weds in the following months. Matthew was finding it increasingly difficult to put up with Junior's presence in his life. The two would regularly clash and this in turn caused major animosity between him and Carmel. This eventually evoked Matthew back into violence and he punched Carmel in the face one night during an argument about Junior. Carmel was left with a heavily bruised face, but yet again a tearful Matthew managed to convince her to forgive him. Matthew's behaviour continued to alternate from contrite and caring to hot-tempered and violent, for seemingly no reason. Nevertheless, Carmel remained with him as she believed she could help him combat and contain his rage. Despite his despicable behaviour, she still deeply loved him.

It wasn't long before Junior had worked out why his aunt was constantly covered in bruises. He tried to put a stop to it by informing various people about the abuse, which didn't impress Matthew and this only made his temper worse. Matthew began to grow irrationally jealous over Carmel's friendship with Dr. David Samuels, and during a family meal one night, he began to get violent towards her in front of Junior. In a desperate bid to protect his petrified aunt, Junior ended up stabbing Matthew with a kitchen knife. Matthew spent time in hospital, but once again he managed to convince Carmel that he'd changed and she allowed him to come home when he recovered. She tried to get Matthew to seek professional help, but Matthew was appalled by the idea, and true to form, he began smashing up the house and threatening her with more violence. This was the last straw for Carmel and she wisely decided to end their relationship. She threw Matthew out and he left Walford in July 1989.