Matthew Boyden
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| Matthew Boyden | |
|---|---|
 Tony O'Callaghan as Sergeant Matthew Boyden |
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| First appearance | Balls In The Air (07/11/1991) |
| Last appearance | Episode # 111 (01/05/2003) |
| Cause/reason | Murdered |
| Portrayed by | Tony O'Callaghan |
| Information | |
| Occupation | Police Officer |
| Title | Sergeant |
| Call sign | 79 |
Matthew Boyden is a fictional character in the long-running ITV drama The Bill. He was portrayed by Tony O'Callaghan from 1991-2003.
[edit] Personal life and background
Boyden is an extremely disciplined, charismatic and competent officer, known for his dry London wit, who is elevated to the position of Sergeant at the age of 30; however his womanising ways prevent him from advancing any further through the ranks, although he is, for a period, promoted to Acting Inspector after The Sun Hill Fire. Boyden initially arrives at Sun Hill after an indiscretion with a WPC. Despite nearly losing his job, his extramarital affairs continue, ultimately costing him his marriage whilst his daughter Amy becomes increasingly estranged from him and he sees even less of his growing grandchild Sophie.
Boyden later develops a previously unknown homophobic streak, struggling to work comfortably alongside Sgt. Gilmore.
[edit] Boyden's downfall
Towards the end of his career at Sun Hill, Boyden is at the centre of one of the most controversial storylines in the show when he sleeps with DI Samantha Nixon's daughter, Abi, who was only 15 years old, and therefore below the age of consent. A few years earlier he had been involved in a similar incident with a girl of the same age, although he found of her true age after the event, the girl later committed suicide.
Boyden is later murdered by his own daughter. Anxious to fund her drug addiction, Amy Boyden orders her boyfriend to shoot her father so she can profit from his insurance money. Boyden later dies in a drive-by shooting incident. Former Sun Hill Sgt, Bob Cryer who served with Matt and another long serving Sgt, June Ackland for 13 years attended Matt's funeral and gave a speech at his wake. A sad day for Sun Hill.
Matt Boyden's murder was the first case in a short-lived Bill spinoff series called MIT: Murder Investigation Team
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