Kim Durham
Matt seems to have made a recovery from being run down by a car, but only in time to find himself with no option but to flee Ambridge again! What are you up to at the moment?
Having just finished being employed as a full time Acting Tutor at Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, I myself am enjoying the world of the freelance Actor, rather keen to tread the boards, and get in front of the camera again.
Matt Crawford is hit by a car
How did you feel when you got the call inviting 'Matt' back to Ambridge?:
I was delighted to hear from Editor Huw so early in his reign. I always felt that there was unfinished business between Matt and Lilian.
What were you told about the circumstances of Matt’s return and the potential storyline?:
The bait was that there would be quite a meaty storyline. I wasn’t told the full extent of it - possibly the writers hadn’t worked out the details themselves initially, but I’ve very much been kept in the loop as the story’s developed.
Sometimes actors in long form drama seem to get left in the dark about forward planning for their characters. Not helpful. I’ve very much appreciated the openness.
What have been your highlights to date playing Matt?:
It’s not so much any particular highlight, though there have been some great stories over the years. The real pleasure has been playing Matt over a long period.
The Americans talk about the actor being the “co-author” of their character, an idea writers usually object to and one that’s rarely really true. But in an ever rolling drama like The Archers you do get an unusual freedom to develop a character.
You are given something on the page, you put your take on it, and the next time the writers come to write for you they are hearing you. Somehow you feel you are moulding the character together.That’s been particularly true of working with the wonderful Sunny Ormonde and developing, along with writers, the oh so complicated Matt and Lilian relationship in all its various ups and downs.
Did Matt deserve to pull through?:
Honestly? Of course he did! And that’s not just because I’d love to go on playing him. I’ve always looked for the good in him and, yes, sometimes you have to dig very deep to find it.
He’s hugely flawed, some might say thoroughly bad, but somewhere way back, and I’m glad we did have the chance to explore this a little, he’s very damaged. I think the only other human being he’s ever really connected with or cared about is Lilian.
Do you know who mowed him down?!:
Half of Ambridge was in the car, wasn’t it?
You’ve played more than one character in The Archers – tell us more:
One or two episode appearances. I played a Trading Standards Officer who closed down Betty Tucker’s farm stall on the bypass. I played him Welsh as I remember. And I played a radio journalist brought in by Lynda Snell, I think.
Tell us about working with Sunny Ormonde (Lilian) & Simon Williams (Justin):
What a great triangle! Matt and Justin are chalk and cheese alpha males - chippy Sarf Londoner versus patrician. Sunny has been a mate for years, even before Pusscat and Tiger got together. And Simon is just the loveliest of men, as well as being tall, funny and handsome. I hate him.
Clearly you and Sunny go back a long way – any highlights / memorable moments as an acting duo?:
We did so many radio plays together before The Archers. Didn’t we once play Spanish revolutionaries dancing a flamenco?
And whatever happened to a proper bed in the recording studio? I seem to remember Matt and Lilian rolling about on one in The Dower House, before we owned it, and being caught a bit in flagrante by Caroline Bone.
The Archers - Matt's shock return
What is the secret of the chemistry between Matt and Lilian? And do you think Lilian should stick with Justin or run off with Matt?:
They’re both growing old disgracefully, and they’re both more attracted to the fire than the hearth. Deep down, I think they’re both selfish, except when it comes to each other, and there the love is intense, on both sides.
Should Lilian stick with Justin or run off with Matt? Everything in her head should say Justin. But she’s never really been ruled by her head, has she?
In a shocking twist, Lilian seems to have cottoned on to Matt's scheming and scamming - and now she has confronted him. Is this the end of the road for Tiger? Listen to the clip from Sunday 12th November...
Is Matt fleeing Ambridge again?
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