Doctors Doctors' Matthew: 'Daniel gets a great shock'

A fun day out ends in disaster for Daniel in this week's Doctors when he returns home to find the bailiffs on his doorstep. Actor Matthew Chambers tells us more...

Daniel's been enjoying himself lately, after being left £50,000 in patient Cybil Lambert's will...
"It came as a complete shock but a fantastic one. Daniel's had hard luck with money for a long time, of his own doing, and suddenly he's got all this money so he looks at some flash apartments and test-drives some flash cars. He having a good time."

Daniel might be having a good time - but the one thing he wants most is to spend time with daughter Izzie, isn't it?
"Daniel is desperate to have some custody of his daughter and, in order to make inroads there, he needs to show her mum - his ex - Lisa that he has become more grown up and more capable of looking after Izzie. Lisa does agree to come over and see him, so the seeds are being sown in Daniel's mind of getting some sort of custody of Izzie."

How does Daniel manage to convince her to let him see Izzie?
"He's now got a bargaining chip in the sense that he's got this money, so he can show her some semblance of the beginnings of an adult life. He's now got an apartment, he's no longer renting a room in someone else's house, he can show that he's a man of means and capable of looking after Izzie."

Daniel does enjoy spending time with Izzie doesn’t he?
"Absolutely! Never in his wildest dreams would he have expected to fall in love with his daughter and to want to look after her. He wants to be a good father and he wants to play a prominent role in Izzie's life."

Does this enable viewers to see a different side to Daniel?
"Yes, I believe it does. But I hope what I bring to the character is that he is a capable and diligent doctor; he is a good professional. It's just perhaps his social life and morals can be questioned. He’s not a bad guy but he seems to get himself in these situations; everytime he seems to get to a good place in his life, a situation presents itself that makes him fall flat on his face."

Another such situation occurs when Daniel returns from the park with Izzie to find bailiffs on his doorstep...
"Yes, he gets a great shock. It's something he's not expecting and it rocks his world."

What does Daniel learn from this?
"Well, initially he's not learned a thing. I think it takes some time for the ramifications of what's happened to sink in. Only time will tell as to what he learns or doesn't. But certainly he's messed up again."

Where does it leave his relationship with Izzie?
"It leaves it on a knife edge. It's a question of whether what has happened will make him realise a number of things which prove to Lisa that he can be a good dad."

Is Daniel back at square one for the time being?
"He has done very well up to this point and I don't think he goes back to square one. This is a definite setback but he's ever hopeful that he can, again, play a role in Izzie's life."

Do Daniel's colleagues at The Mill stand by him after this latest setback?
"Some say: 'Oh, same old, same old' while others stand by him and believe he's trying to do the right thing. It's an even split really between those who support him and those who just despair."

Finally, what do you like about Daniel?
"He's really a fun person to play. He's a little dangerous and a naughty boy… and it's always fun to play naughty boys."