EastEnders fans were excited to spot an “excellent” soap star in a rival British soap and said it’s “great” to see them again after 25 years.
It comes as Joe Absolom, who played the role of Matthew Rose on EastEnders from the late 90s, recently joined Emmerdale as the newest villain, Ray, and viewers "hope he stays".
He arrived in the Yorkshire Dales-set village recently, set to cause trouble as an old contact of Mackenzie (Lawrence Robb).
Previously announcing the character of Ray, Emmerdale bosses shared what to expect about his early storylines, as they explained: "Ray arrives at the farm claiming to be selling farm machinery but it's not long before his true drug dealing ways become clear.
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"Despite Ray's calm and collected exterior, it's clear a menacing streak hides just below the surface."
Producer Laura Shaw continued: “Charming, charismatic and effortlessly likeable, Ray is an extremely complex character who very quickly shows his dark and villainous side to some of our most loved villagers, leaving them in no doubt as to what he's capable of."
EastEnders fans spot Joe Absolom (Matthew Rose) on Emmerdale as ‘bad boy’ Ray
After releasing Joe is now starring in the ITV soap, EastEnders fans, who have been highly praising Joe on Reddit, have said it’s brought back “great old EastEnders memories”.
Someone on the subreddit r/eastenders wrote: “Look who is starring in Emmerdale!
“Joe Absolom (who played Matthew Rose) from 1997-2000 on EastEnders.
“He is now playing bad boy Ray in Emmerdale.”
@jools_x The new ‘bad guy’ arrives into Emmerdale #newstoryline #drugawareness #joeabsolom #ray #emmerdaleclips #favesoap #badguys #soaplife #emmerdalefarm #thedales #itvx #fyp ♬ bad guy - Billie Eilish
Referring to a picture of Joe on set, they added: “The one on the left is Robert Sugden (who I just found out) are working together to nick cannabis on the farm.”
This fan replied: “Loved seeing him show up in emmerdale - will never forget him as matthew in the 90s.”
Another commented: “Matthew Rose from EastEnders great to see him again but this time he is in Emmerdale but I don't think he will come back to EastEnders, but I wish..”
One person responded: “Awesome to see that actor again! Brings back great old Eastenders memories.”
Meanwhile, another praised: “Matthew Rose is such an excellent actor.”
Your soap fix just got easier! Watch full Corrie and Emmerdale episodes on YouTube now!
— Emmerdale (@emmerdale) July 3, 2025
Watch here: https://t.co/8qZonGMrQn#Corrie #Emmerdale pic.twitter.com/qWFUP26mRQ
Someone else said: “Joe also played a serial killer, and he was quite scary! He definitely has quite a range.
“I hope he stays in Emmerdale for a while.”
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But aside from Emmerdale and EastEnders, many will know that Joe has quite a line-up of acting credits behind his name, including The Bay, as the famous Al Large in Doc Martin, and most recently Code of Silence.
This viewer joined in on Reddit: “He has changed so much. I saw him in one of the recent series of The Bay and kept thinking, ‘I know him, who is he’ but had to wait for the credits to place him.”
Do you remember Emmerdale newcomer Joe Absolom as Matthew Rose in EastEnders from back in the day? Let us know in the comments.
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