Watch Guide:
😍 Personal favourite
😁 A solid watch
🙂 Has some value
😕 Safely skipped
🙈 Unavailable
This is all the personal opinion of the owner of this website, with preferences and biases.
Note that my ratings mostly focus on his scenes, not necessarily the show as a whole.
Overall quality is taken into account, but this should not be taken as judgement of the entire cast and crew.
Titles marked with a heart ♥ are basically must-watch, because of his involvement and overall quality.
(This guide only includes films and TV-episodes. It does not include radio, voice-over, or behind-the-scenes content.)
TV: The Jetty (2024)
Rating: A decent watch and some good scenes. 🙂
Involvement: Limited, but appears in all 4 episodes. Mainly last episode.
Summary: Murder mystery thriller/drama in a small town, and its connection to a cold case with ties to the lead detective (Jenna Coleman).
Matthew plays: Arj, a local who knew the detective when they were young.
Worth watching?: If you’re interested in the genre, for sure.
Warnings: Death, arson, drug use, assault/violence, sexual assault, relationship between adult man and underage girls.
TV: Domina (2021-2023) ♥
Rating: A solid watch, lots to love. 😁
Involvement: Main character, 14 out of 16 episodes.
Summary: The life of Livia Drusilla, the powerful wife of the Roman emperor Augustus.
Matthew plays: Livia’s husband, Gaius aka Caesar Augustus, intelligent and ruthless.
Worth watching?: Absolutely. Especially if you like historical dramas that lean towards political thrillers, with lots of sex and violence.
Warnings: Mature, plenty of sex scenes. Violent but not gory.
Film: Greatest Days (2023)
Rating: Solid, but brief. 🙂
Involvement: One major scene.
Summary: A feature adaptation of the 'The Band' musical, featuring the songs of Take That.
Matthew plays: Stuart, and airline worker greeting the main characters.
Worth watching?: It’s Matthew’s first musical, and he has a big number in which he both sings and dances. So yes, definitely. He does a great job.
Warnings: Song and dance.
TV: The Rising (2022) ♥
Rating: Personal favourite. 😍
Involvement: Main character, all 8 episodes.
Summary: A supernatural murder mystery, where the ghost of the victim, a strong-willed teenage girl, is trying to solve her own murder.
Matthew plays: Tom, the father of the victim, an alcoholic disaster dad who’s trying his best.
Worth watching?: Yes. It was all-around fantastically created and written, and Matthew’s character is wonderful and plays a substantial part.
Warnings: Death, some violence, but nothing too gruesome. Drug and alcohol use.
TV: Anne (2022)
Rating: Good. 🙂
Involvement: Supporting character, episodes 3 and 4.
Summary: The story of Anne Williams (Maxine Peake) fight for the truth of her son’s death in the Hillsborough disaster.
Matthew plays: Andy Burnham, a politician supportive of Anne’s cause.
Worth watching?: If you’re particularly interested. Decent show, but his part his limited.
Warnings: Grapples a lot with death, but nothing explicit or graphic.
Film: Running Naked (2020)
Rating: A great watch. 😁
Involvement: Main character.
Summary: Two lifelong friends who met as teenage leukemia patients go on an adventure together and have to deal with some big questions.
Matthew plays: Mark Doherty, successful doctor and ladies’ man, who “risks everything” to break his friend out of his shell.
Worth watching?: Absolutely, he’s a main character in a very compelling story.
Warnings: Cancer stuff, and nudity. (It’s not called ‘running naked’ for nothing.)
TV: Doctor Who (2020)
Rating: Personal (very biased) favourite. 😍
Involvement: Guest, season 12 episode 6: “Praxeus”.
Summary: Our time-travelling adventurers are here to save the earth from an alien virus.
Matthew plays: An astronaut who’s abducted and infected with an alien virus, and whose husband comes to rescue him.
Worth watching?: I’m extremely biased, but I was in tears by the end, so absolutely yes. A somewhat weak Doctor Who episode, but for Matthew fans, it’s great.
Warnings: Very mild body horror, but it’s a family show so that’s it.
TV: Deadwater Fell (2020) ♥
Rating: Personal favourite. 😍
Involvement: Main character, all 4 episodes.
Summary: Crime drama. When a seemingly perfect, happy family is murdered by someone they knew and trusted, cracks appear on the surface of a supposedly idyllic community.
Matthew plays: Steve, a police officer and friend of the family who was murdered.
Worth watching?: God yes! Main character. Lots of emotions. Scottish accent (apparently so convincing the cast/crew didn’t know he wasn’t Scottish). And a great job by everyone involved, particularly David Tennant and Cush Jumbo.
Warnings: Mild violence, fire, child death, some sexual content (no explicit nudity), self-harm, panic attacks, manipulative/abusive relationships. None of it very explicit, but the themes are there throughout.
TV: The Bay (2019)
Rating: Lots of great scenes. 😁
Involvement: Supporting character, all 6 episodes.
Summary: Crime drama. Police in the Morecambe Bay area in Lancashire investigate missing persons and suspicious deaths.
Matthew plays: Nick, a mentally disabled dock worker who becomes a suspect in a kidnapping, and then gets kidnapped himself.
Worth watching?: Yes, he does some excellent heart-wrenching acting, though personally I mainly watched his scenes. I’m weak for angst.
Warnings: General crime drama warnings, some violence.
TV: Cleaning Up (2019)
Rating: Solid watch, very sweet. 😁
Involvement: Supporting character, all 6 episodes.
Summary: Drama. Working class loving mother with a gambling addiction gets involved in the illegal world of insider trading.
Matthew plays: Dave, the ex-husband and father of her kids, who’s trying to get custody of the children and/or get her to deal with her gambling problem.
Worth watching?: Yes, his character is very sweet, and the show’s overall good. Also a reunion with former costar Sheridan Smith.
Warnings: Deals with gambling addictions and white collar crime.
TV: Do Not Disturb (2019)
Rating: Eh. 😕
Involvement: Appears for 3 minutes in an 11 minute episode.
Summary: Drama. Anthology series that examines the private lives of guests checking into hotel rooms around the world, this episode specifically mostly being about two children.
Matthew plays: Pete, the father of the two children.
Worth watching?: Eh. Took us 5 years to get hold of this, for an unremarkable and brief watch. He has a man-bun though, which is a first.
Warnings: Mild horror and knife play.
TV: Versailles (2018)
Rating: Enjoyable enough. 😁
Involvement: Supporting character, in 9 episodes in season 3.
Summary: Historical drama set during the construction of the Palace of Versailles.
Matthew plays: Guillaume, an ex-soldier who saved Philippe during the war, recruited by King Louis to become a cobbler for him.
Worth watching?: Yeah, it’s pretty good, though it didn’t quite grab me. He’s got great hair.
Warnings: None for his parts.
TV: The Terror (2018) ♥
Rating: Great show, very beloved. 😁
Involvement: Supporting character, 9 out of 10 episodes, season 1.
Summary: Historical drama/horror. The crew of a Royal Naval expedition searching for the Arctic’s treacherous Northwest Passage discovers instead a monstrous predator.
Matthew plays: Edward Little, a loyal lieutenant. A fan favourite.
Worth watching?: If you like supernatural horror/psychological thriller, and if you can deal with his out-of-control sideburns, yes absolutely. He gets a larger part in the later episodes.
Warnings: Fair amount of gore/body horror.
TV: Lucky Man (2017)
Rating: Enjoyable, but brief. 🙂
Involvement: Guest, season 2 episode 2: “Playing With Fire”.
Summary: Police procedural. The episode focuses on an anti-gay church.
Matthew plays: A “reformed gay” husband of murder victim.
Worth watching?: Yeah. While he’s only in a few scenes, they’re good.
Warnings: Violence and blood, but not gory. Typical police procedural.
TV: The Musketeers (2016) ♥
Rating: Personal favourite, love this role. 😍
Involvement: Main villain, all 10 episodes of season 3.
Summary: Historical adventure. 17th century Paris, focusing on the lives of the soldiers/bodyguards protecting King and country.
Matthew plays: Lucien Grimaud, a lower-class ruthless villain. He gets a lot of badass stuff to do, trying to gain money and power, kill the Musketeers, and commit regicide.
Worth watching?: Definitely. It’s amazing to watch him be evil. And sword-fight.
Warnings: So much violence and stabbing. Not gory though.
TV: Black Work (2015)
Rating: Solid. 😁
Involvement: Main character, all 3 episodes.
Summary: Crime drama/thriller. A policewoman (Sheridan Smith) sets out to discover who murdered her husband, an undercover officer.
Matthew plays: DC Jack Clark. Ends up in a romantic relationship with said policewoman.
Worth watching?: Definitely. Recently enjoying renewed interest as it was added to Netflix, reaching #2 in UK Netflix chart.
Warnings: Death, mild violence. Tame for a crime drama.
Film: Sweat (2015)
Rating: Great aesthetics. 😁
Involvement: Co-star, in most scenes.
Summary: Drama short film. Non-linear exploration of an intense romantic relationship, co-starring Bonnie Wright.
Matthew plays: Jamie, the jealous boyfriend.
Worth watching?: Yeah, it’s only 20 minutes, but it’s a neat little film with pretty shots.
Warnings: Very unhealthy relationship dynamics.
TV: The Mill (2013-2014)
Rating: Great underrated show. 😁
Involvement: Main character, all 10 episodes.
Summary: Historical drama based on real stories. Focused on the hard labour of cotton mill workers and the abuse they endure, during the industrial revolution.
Matthew plays: Daniel Bate, a progressive young engineer with a troubled past. A sweetie.
Worth watching?: Absolutely, another show I enjoyed as a whole. Awesome ladies.
Warnings: Child labour, violence against women, attempted rape, involuntary sex work, corporal punishment, child death, (off-screen) amputation injury. Not graphic, but still heavy.
TV: Jamaica Inn (2014) ♥
Rating: Wonderful historical romance. 😁
Involvement: Main character, all 3 episodes.
Summary: Historical drama, romance. A young woman moves in with her aunt and uncle and soon discovers unsavory happenings in her new home (aka smuggling and murder). 1800s west country England.
Matthew plays: Jem Merlyn, a petty thief and vagabond. Scoundrel with a good heart.
Worth watching?: Yes, good period drama romance with him as the love interest.
Warnings: Death and blood, attempted sexual assault, nothing too intense.
TV: Poirot (2013)
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TV: Our Girl (2013)
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TV: Misfits (2010-2012) ♥
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Film: Spike Island (2012)
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Film: The Knot (2012)
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TV: Room at the Top (2012) ♥
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TV: Silk (2012)
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TV: The Syndicate (2012) ♥
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TV: Silent Witness (2011)
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Film: Toast (2010)
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TV: Single-Handed (2010)
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TV: Garrow’s Law (2010)
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TV: Law and Order: UK (2010)
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Film: The Arbor (2010)
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TV: Lark Rise to Candleford (2009-2010)
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TV: Five Days (2010)
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TV: Return to Cranford (2009)
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Film: Messengers 2: The Scarecrow (2009)
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Film: Looking For Eric (2009)
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TV: Inspector George Gently (2009)
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Film: Vivaldi, the Red Priest (2009)
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TV: Unforgiven (2009)
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Film: The Shooting of Thomas Hurndall (2009)
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Film: Little Ashes (2009)
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TV: Honest (2008)
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TV: The Royal (2007)
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TV: True Dare Kiss (2007)
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Film: Control (2007)
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Series: Holby City (2007)
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Film: The Mark of Cain (2007)
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TV: Doctors (2006)
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TV: See No Evil: The Moors Murders (2006) ♥
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TV: Shameless (2006)
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Film: Love + Hate (2005)
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TV: Outlaws (2004)
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Film: D-Day: The Ultimate Conflict (2004)
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TV: Sweet Medicine (2003)
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Film: Birthday Girl (2002)
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Film: An Angel For May (2002)
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TV: Emmerdale Farm (2001)
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TV: Coronation Street (2000)
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