Matt Musgrove

Matt Musgrove is a fictional character from the British soap operas Brookside and Hollyoaks, played by Kristian Ealey. The character debuted on-screen in Brookside, during the episode broadcast on 11 November 1998. Ealey was cast into the Musgrove family during a series of fast paced auditions. The Musgroves are an Irish family that consist of several characters and move into Brookside Close. Matt is characterised as a crafty and money-orientated, but is often shown as a kind-hearted character. Matt's initial storylines feature him sharing scenes with the show's teenage characters. Writers created a comedy partnership between Matt and Bosko (Matthew Citrine) and together they create a series of money making scams. Citrine originally auditioned to play Matt and impressed producers, so they created the role of Bosko especially for him. In 1999, the Brookside's new producer Paul Marquess decided to write out the entire Murgrove family and change their storylines dramatically. Ealey was hired by Hollyoaks, which was produced by Mersey Television who also produced Brookside. This allowed Matt's character to transition into an entirely different soap opera, which was considered a first for the soap genre in the United Kingdom.

Matt left Brookside during the episode broadcast on 5 January 2000 and made his Hollyoaks debut on 16 February 2000. Matt secures employment at the Hollyoaks Community College working as a janitor. Writers developed a relationship between Matt and Chloe Bruce (Mikyla Dodd). They have a problematic romance and a wedding storyline was created for them. Writers explored Matt's involvement with local gangster, Scott Anderson (Daniel Hyde), who bullies Matt into his counterfeit money fraud. Matt is arrested on their wedding day and they do not marry. Dodd has stated that the Matt and Chloe's story ended "tragically" but believed they still loved each other. Ealey made his finale appearance as Matt during the Hollyoaks episode broadcast on 12 August 2004.