Portrayed By: Tony O’Callaghan
First Appearance Balls In The Air 7.11.91
Final Appearance #111 1.5.03
Call Sign 79
Even though Matthew Boyden was a sergeant he was still one of the lads and on the whole a popular member of the relief. He was willing to turn a blind eye to the odd broken rule and broke plenty of his own too. He was a good thief taker and was never afraid to get stuck in. He was never afraid to share his thoughts and opinions with his superior officers, which on occasion got him into trouble. On one occasion when Matt did very nearly find himself in trouble when a criminal with a grudge stole his identity then created havoc impersonating him to steal money from illegal poker games. Thankfully for Matt he was able to go undercover to catch his doppelganger. At his lowest point he was punched by George Garfeild who’d been goaded on by the rest of the relief and yet he was able to reach the height of Acting Inspector after the death of Inspector Monroe. Life at Sun Hill was never dull for Matt Boyden.
When Matt arrived at Sun Hill with his copybook already marked after an ‘indiscretion’ with a WDC from Romford. His wandering eye got him into trouble, most memorably with Sam Nixon’s 15 year old daughter: Abi. He did manage to hold down a short relationship with PC Vicky Hagen which ended with much animosity. His relationship with his own daughter, Amy, was… tumultuous to say the least. Amy, a struggling single mother with drug issues, struggled as much with her relationship with her father. Matt was shot dead by her boyfriend so she could collect his insurance money.
Matt’s popularity in the station waned over his final years but he stayed popular with the viewers. One of his most popular one-liners he called Honey Harmen ‘a bit of a bungalow’ because she had nothing upstairs!
Trivia
The death of Matthew Boyden in seen in The Bill was investigated as the first case in the spin off show M.I.T.
Quotes
“When The Met employed Reg Hollis, they deprived a village of its idiot.”
Chief Supt. Charles Brownlow: “Did the prisoner hurt himself?”
Sgt. Matt Boyden: “Unfortunately not sir.”
Official Site
IMDb https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0639974/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1
Where Can I See Tony Now?
Tony can be heard in a quite brilliant The Bill Podcast on the podcast patreon channel.