Joe Absolom  Joseph Absolom (born 16 December 1978) is an English actor best known for playing Matthew Rose in the popular BBC soap opera "EastEnders" and Al Large in "Doc Martin". Absolom was born in Lewisham, London. A former pupil of Forest Hill School, he made early appearances in the Sun-Pat peanut butter advertisements before making his acting debut with the 1991 film "Antonia and Jane" which was followed by roles in several television series such as "The Bill", "Dangerfield" and "Silent Witness". Absolom joined the BBC soap opera "EastEnders" in 1997 and had few storylines in his first year on the show. The storyline which gained him recognition was the Saskia Duncan murder storyline which began in February 1999. His character Matthew Rose was framed for the murder by the real culprit Steve Owen (played by Martin Kemp) Matthew's last appearance was aired in February 2000, and he won the Best Actor Award at The British Soap Awards that same year. Since leaving "EastEnders", Absolom played the leading role in the 2002 British horror film "Long Time Dead" and has played supporting roles in ITV television series such as "Vincent". He is perhaps best known for his principal role in "Doc Martin" playing Bert Large's son Al. The part, since the series began, has won him critical acclaim. 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. 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 murderer Christopher Halliwell in the ITV drama "A Confession" in 2019. 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.