As he winds down he reflects on how his life has changed since he joined Emmerdale just under two years ago – far more than he bargained for.

"When I first started, I sat down with John Middleton, who plays Ashley. He said 'When does your character first appear? Are you prepared for your life to change?' I always remember him saying that.

"It changes your life and your friends and families' lives. You can't go out without people wanting your picture on their camera phone. In the supermarket you constantly get people asking if you're, 'that bloke off Emmerdale'.

"You're on a soap and you're getting between six and eight million people watching a night. But you forget how many people watch it. I went to Las Vegas on holiday and had people coming up for autographs."

The former Brighouse High School student joined the soap as Eric Pollard's estranged son David in 2006 fresh from the West End, where he had carved out a career in musicals – something that served him well when he appeared in Soapstar Superstar last year.

"At the start it was very difficult to get into," he admits. "I'd come from a theatre background and all of a sudden I was in one of the three biggest shows on TV. But I was so lucky to be alongside Chris Chittel (who plays Pollard).

"I really enjoy working with him and I think he enjoys working with me," the 27-year-old said.

"The writers have really got to grips with the relationship between them. They're both as daft as each other. They're both only interested in money!"

The pair have now seemingly resolved their early differences, but things are getting nasty again now Pollard is being blackmailed over photos of him with Rosalind, and he soon points the finger at David.

Since joining the soap Matthew, who grew up in Norwood Green, has become one of Emmerdale's biggest pin-ups – even posing naked in Cosmopolitan last year to mark the serial's 35th anniversary.

Matthew's first love was not acting but gymnastics. "I started when I was five or six and at 14 I was offered a place in the British team. But at 16, I injured my lower back and had to quit," he says.

"It was gutting to be at such a high level and be training for the Olympics and for something like that to happen. But I wouldn't be here now talking to you if it hadn't."

He then turned to dancing and moved down to London, where he lived for five years.

As for his future in acting, Matthew reveals he has just signed up for Emmerdale until December.

"I'm there until at least then," he says. "I'm just going to suck it and see, as long as the writers are still enjoying writing about my character!"

Since arriving in the Dales, David has dated a string of women and most recently split up with Nicola because in true Emmerdale fashion, she's intent on killing her husband Donald.

In real life Matthew has been in a relationship with dancer Joanne for almost six years after they met on stage in London.

But does Joanne mind all the on-screen kissing?

"She's fine with it," Matthew insists. "But she had to watch through her fingers for the first couple of times! She watched Emmerdale way before I started in it, and now she's starting to see me as one of the characters and not just her boyfriend."