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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. Matt left Brookside during the episode broadcast on 5 January 2000 and made his Hollyoaks debut on 16 February 2000. Ealey made his finale appearance as Matt during the Hollyoaks episode broadcast on 12 August 2004.

Casting
The audition process for the Musgrove family was fast paced. Auditions and call-backs were still being held one week prior to successful candidates filming their first scenes. The character details were announced on 3 November 1998. Ealey made his first appearance as Matt during the Brookside episode broadcast on 11 November 1998.

Introduction and characterisation
Matt was introduced as of the Musgrove family, an entirely new set of characters created to appear in Brookside. The Musgroves are an Irish family. They consisted of Matt, his grandfather Alec O'Brien (Al Kossy), father Joey Musgrove (Dan Mullane), mother Niamh Musgrove (Barbara Drennan), sister Kelly Musgrove (Natalie Earl) and his two brothers Luke Musgrove (Jason Kavanagh) and Ryan Musgrove (Samuel Hudson). The family were introduced during a special bloc of episodes which aired daily from 9-13 November 1998. The Musgroves move into number eight Brookside Close. Matt arrives during the week's third episode. A writer from the official Brookside website revealed that Matt arrives with "attitude in tow" and "there is instant animosity" with Mike Dixon (Paul Byatt) when Matt tries to charm his girlfriend Rachel Jordache (Tiffany Chapman). They added that Matt's sibling Luke issues "a brotherly warning for Matt not to upset the locals."

The Musgroves were created to help rejuvenate the show. Brookside creator, Phil Redmond told Daily Mirror's Jackie Burden that the four teenagers would "add much-needed youth" to the show. He intended to use the family to bring Brookside "back down to earth" with a "back to basics" approach to storylines. Redmond explained that the Musgroves provided "a lot of generations, a lot of storylines and issues."

A writer from the official Hollyoaks website described Matt as "crafty, money-orientated yet ultimately kind-hearted." Hollyoaks writers portrayed Matt's occupation as caretaker at the Hollyoaks Community College.

Early stories
Matt was featured in a special location based episode which featured Brookside's younger male characters. The plot features Matt and the characters of Tim O'Leary (Philip Olivier), Jerome Johnson (Leon Lopez), Leo Johnson (Steven Cole) and Bosko (Matthew Citrine). Together the quintet decide to travel to Stonehenge to sell runestones known as the "Stones of Shad", but it transpires the rocks are actually aggregate. The show's assistant producer, Alison Davey told a reporter from Wells Journal that Jerome tires of idea of committing the scam at Stonehenge and decides that they should sell them at the Glastonbury Festival instead. Davey added that the five men arrive in the Somerset town of Pilton near Glastonbury, where the festival is held. They arrive hungry and in search of food. The scenes, which were filmed in Pilton featured the cast in various local cafes and locations. Students from Strode College were used as extras in the episode, which also included two as potential love interests for the characters. The cast and crew stayed overnight in Wells Market Place to accommodate the location shoot.

Transition into Hollyoaks
On 3 September 1999, it was announced that the entire Musgrove family were being written out of Brookside. The show's new producer Paul Marquess decided to "axe" the characters and change their storylines dramatically. The Musgroves had been portrayed as troubled and crisis ridden. Matt's brother, Luke had been accused of raping Nikki Shadwick (Suzanne Collins) but was found innocent at trial. Writers changed the plot with Luke eventually confessing his guilt. The story annoyed the cast members involved in the storyline and they were confused by the decision to write their characters out. Marquess told Donna Carton from Daily Mirror that in their final story, "the family will find themselves facing their own worst nightmare."

It was later revealed that their final scenes would air in January 2000. Producers allowed Matt to be transferred into another British soap opera, Hollyoaks. It was the first instance of a fictional character being transferred from one British soap to another. He was also the first actor to play the same character in two soaps. An Inside Soap reporter revealed that Ealey had already filmed his first scenes at Hollyoaks and would debut in February 2000. They added that Matt would become a "handyman" at the local college. A Hollyoaks publicist told the reporter that "Chester's just a stone's throw away from Liverpool, so it makes perfect sense for Matt Musgrove to make a move like this. Viewers will get to see another side of Matt in Hollyoaks, and Kristian is delighted about the move."

He made his final Brookside appearance during the episode broadcast on 5 January 2000. He made his first appearance in Hollyoaks during the episode broadcast on 16 February 2000.

In 2001, Ealey played Matt in the Hollyoaks spin-off series titled, Hollyoaks: Indecent Behaviour.

Relationship with Chloe Bruce
Writers created a relationship between Matt and the college student, Chloe Bruce (Mikyla Dodd). Their relationship is initially portrayed as problematic because of Matt behaving in a lazy and unreliable manner. Dodd told All About Soap reporter Joanne Tebbutt that Chloe believes she can trust Matt again, despite his past behaviour. She explained that "Chloe was concerned about Matt's lack of drive and ambition. Recently however, he has turned over a new leaf, and Chloe realises she really loves him and trusts him." Writers developed the relationship into a wedding storyline. Matt tries to change his behaviour but soon gets involved in criminal activities operated by local gangster, Scott Anderson (Daniel Hyde). Matt helps Scott circulate counterfeit money around the village and even uses fake bank notes to fraudulently purchase a wedding cake from Tony Hutchinson (Nick Pickard).

Scott arranges for Matt to be physically attacked when he tries to exit the monetary scheme. Dodd reasoned that Matt involvement with Scott came from his desire to better provide for Chloe financially. She told Tebbutt that Matt tries to confess but "he's scared" that honesty will end their relationship. Chloe is worried to find Matt with bruised eyes but he pretends he has been mugged at random. She begins to suspect that Matt is involved in fraud when Tony informs her the wedding cake money is fake. Writers planned Chloe and Matt's wedding to play out over two episodes. In the first, Chloe is approached by police, who arrive to arrest Matt his role in the counterfeit money operation. Chloe convinces the detective to allow them to marry, before they arrest him. The second episode features Chloe attending the church, intending to marry Matt. The outcome was kept embargoed from advance storyline spoilers to surprise viewers. Dodd concluded that "Matt says his vows, and Chloe makes her mind up once and for all." Dodd later revealed that the wedding plot was one of her favourite storylines to work on because "it was a dramatic cliffhanger". The pair do not marry and break-up. Of Matt and Chloe's relationship, Dodd later told Matthew Evans, author of Phil Redmond's Hollyoaks: The Official Companion, that the duo "split up so tragically" but "ultimately they love each other".

Departure
Prior to his departure, Ealey appeared as Matt in the late night spin-off episodes titled, Hollyoaks: After Hours. He made his final appearance as Matt during the Hollyoaks episode broadcast on 12 August 2004.

Reception
Of the Musgrove's Brookside introduction, Daily Mirror's Burden stated "three hunky lads and a pretty girl look ready to set Brookside hearts fluttering when a new Irish family moves into the Close." Bairbre Power from The Herald criticised the authenticity of the Musgrove's Irish accents. She was confused because each family member had a different accent and branded it "one of the biggest mysteries of the soaps". Power noted that while Niamh, Joey and Luke had different Irish regional accents, but Matt and Kelly "sound pure Scouse". She added that viewers were "puzzled" by siblings close in age sounding totally different. Kathy Griffiths from the Lincolnshire Echo disliked the Musgrove family and believed the Brookside "we all know and love" changed with their arrival. Griffiths disliked Matt's scheming because it not "remotely realistic". She scathed "just when you think those Musgroves have done enough to make you despise them, they come up with something new. Matt Musgrove's bogus Disciples of Shad druid-style gimmick has to be the worst thing that awful family have done yet - and that really is saying something."

Tebbutt from All About Soap branded Matt the show's "naughty lad" and a "Liverpudlian layabout" character. Tina Miles from Liverpool Echo branded Matt a "cool, happy-go-lucky scouser". Charlotte Whistlecroft from Digital Spy said Ealey was best known for playing "cheeky scouser" Matt. A writer from Greatest Hits Radio believed Ealey "gained notoriety for being the first actor to play the same character in two soaps." Closer's Kayleigh Dray believed the "character was famed for his rocky relationship with radio DJ Chloe Bruce, leaving Hollyoaks permanently when she split with him for good." Writers from What's on TV described Matt as a "happy-go-lucky" type of character.