Hats off to Ash Palmisciano, who has perfectly played Matty Barton’s palpable terror and intense anxiety at being a transgender man in an all-male prison in Emmerdale.
It’s been a difficult but eye-opening watch as he has navigated adjusting to live behind dangerous bars not only as an innocent man, but an innocent trans man.
Because of his predicament, Matty has been sleeping with one eye open, mostly avoiding the shower, and refusing to take his meds for fear of the ramifications of anyone finding out he is trans.
He is adamant that no one must know his true gender identity, but a huge leap of faith sees him throw that all out of the window and confide in new cellmate Les.
But is it a huge mistake?
At first, Les put the fear of God in Matty by taunting him and asserting his dominance. But since then, they seem to have found their footing. Meanwhile, Matty has found himself a different bully in the form of Robbo.
Robbo senses something is off about Matty and sets about intimidating him into revealing whatever truth he is hiding. But as Robbo turns up the heat, Les steps in.
Robbo backs down, but only temporarily, and Matty is more scared than ever as he knows Robbo isn’t letting this go, especially as Matty now seems to have a protector.
He’s already had a spotlight shone on him through preferential treatment, and this only further paints a target on his back.
Les seems to want to take Matty under his wing and starts trying to coach him into how to act in prison. This act of kindness breaks down Matty’s walls and he asks Les how he’s perceived in prison, deciding to put Les’ advice into practice.
After experiencing some success, Matty makes the huge leap of faith and tells Les the full truth. Les is taken aback and probes on why Matty chose to come to a male prison.
He has a stark warning for Matty – while he says he intends to keep his nose of out Matty’s business, others won’t and he’s at risk.
Can Les be trusted, or will he put Matty in danger by sharing the secret?
