Beyond Paradise star had a previous role that left fans 'creeped out'

In Friday's (April 11) instalment of Beyond Paradise, Matthew Gravelle took on the role of Martin Gaffney. The actor has an impressive portfolio with appearances in Holby City, Torchwood, and Belonging, but there's a particular part some fans might have overlooked. Matthew is remembered for his chilling portrayal in the first three seasons of ITV's Broadchurch as the murderer Joe Miller, who was unveiled as the killer of 11 year old Daniel Latimer.

Joe had been secretly meeting Danny for "cuddling sessions," providing him with money and a new phone. But when Danny threatened to expose Joe and questioned why he didn't target his own son, Tom, instead, Joe snapped in a fit of anger, unintentionally killing Danny. He then attempted to conceal his crime by placing Danny's body on the beach and deceiving the village.



The character of Joe, played by Matthew, left viewers appalled by his heinous deeds. At the time, one viewer expressed their disgust on X, previously known as Twitter : "God I'm rewatching the first season of Broadchurch with my aunt and mum AND JOE MILLER IS SUCH A F*****G MANBABY god damn way to be a gross murderer and act like a victim stop it." Another commented: "Joe Miller did it, the creepy bald little freak #broadchurch.

" Discussing the backlash he faced for his role, Matthew shared with the Mirror: "It's alright. It's only TV, isn't it? It's fine." Yet, the father of two acknowledged that portraying a character who was not just a murderer but also a potential paedophile did affect him mentally.

"It does when you're doing it," he explained cautiously. "You're aware that people are going to vilify you for the person that you're playing. "You never want to get it wrong, you want to be as 'true' to someone who might potentially be like that as possible.

"He's still ultimately not a good person. But you've got to be as sympathetic towards him as possible to see it from his point of view." In the third episode of Beyond Paradise, Matthew made a guest appearance.

The plot thickens as DI Humphrey Goodman, portrayed by Kris Marshall, and DS Esther Williams, played by Zahra Ahmadi, delve into a case where three customers have been poisoned after trying sweets at a chocolate shop..