Matt Graham (Blue Heelers)
| Matthew Graham | |
|---|---|
| Blue Heelers character | |
| Portrayed by | Matthew Holmes |
| Duration | 20 episodes |
| First appearance |
Good Times Ep. 490, 21/9/2005 |
| Last appearance |
One Day More Ep. 510, 4/6/2006 |
| Profile | |
| Occupation | Constable |
Matthew Graham (more simply known as Matt) is a fictional character in the long running Australian television police drama Blue Heelers. He joined the cast of Blue Heelers in 2005 after the farwell of Sergeant Mark Jacobs. Not much is known about Constable Graham, but during his time at the station he develops a good friendship with his station mates: Constables Kelly O' Rourke and Joss Peroni, Senior Constables Evan Jones (later Detective), Alex Kirby (Acting Sergeant after Ep 491) and Susie Raynor (briefly Acting Sergeant in Ep 490), Detectives Amy Fox and Senior Sergeant "The Boss" Tom Croydon.
We do know that he served in the Army, notably as part of the peace-keeping force on East Timor, and his time there has left some very deep scars, and dark secrets that are forced to light in episodes; “Promises, Promises” and “Slaying the Demons”, and we see just how far Matt will go to protect those he loves. Before transferring to Mount Thomas, Matt has had some trouble at his previous postings, where it has been noted that he has a very black or white view of the world and of enforcing the law, plus some problems controlling his temper, something his colleagues struggle to deal with, and they initially find his attitude overly harsh, making it difficult for him to really make friends. Detective Amy Fox takes an immediate dislike to him, and makes it her mission to go after him when Matt is accused of murdering a suspect. Even after he is exonerated of the crime she continues to distrust him and it is a long time before she can start to see that behind the hard exterior Matt might actually be a nice guy. When he is almost shot in a drugs raid gone wrong, a moment on vulnerability allows Amy to realise that the two of them may actually have a lot in common. Matt remains a loyal member of the team at Mount Thomas to the very end, and as we say goodbye to the station we see that he has developed some strong relationships within the community as well.