THAT CHRIS MATTHEWS MOMENT
I was reminded of this because England are currently playing a cricket test match vs Australia at the Gabba in Brisbane. Bear with me – the point of this isn’t just about cricket! It was November 1988. I was on a three-month tour of Eastern Australia via Hawaii. My wife and I were out of work actors and had decided to go on the trip of a lifetime while Cindy was pregnant with our first child (now 36 and with 2 of her own). I’ve always been and still am a big sports fan. And we spent two days at the Australia v West Indies cricket test match at the Gabba in Brisbane. At the time the West Indies were the powerhouse of world cricket. In this pre-helmet age, they always had a bowling attack of four terrifyingly hostile fast bowlers projecting missiles at unprotected heads and as a test team they were in a league of their own. We were there on the final day of the match when the outcome was a foregone conclusion. Test cricket in Australia was at a low ebb.
The ground was sparsely populated, a few pockets of spectators seeing out the last rites of the match as Australia faced their inevitable defeat. Only a few runs ahead, they were down to their last few batsmen.
One of whom was the little-known Chris Matthews. Matthews had played very few test matches and this game was viewed by the press as his final chance to make the grade. Sadly, it had not gone well. He had taken no wickets in the match and while he’d contributed 32 runs batting down the order in the second innings, the runs were meaningless in the context of the match.
When he was out and started his slow trudge from the middle back to the outfield and pavilion, there was an eerie, applause-free silence among the pitifully few spectators in the ground.
That is, until, he was a few yards from the stands, a resounding, lone Australian voice rang out, ‘SAY GOODBYE TO TEST CRICKET, MATTHEWS.’
And indeed, that was it. Chris Matthews’ final appearance as a test cricketer.
This moment has stayed with me as a uniquely cruel and sad moment in a life of sporting spectatorship. I’ve never forgotten this moment and I sometimes wonder if Chris Matthews himself has ever forgotten it or whether it haunts him to this day. Because there can be no doubt he heard it loud and clear.
There was something uniquely Australian about this taunt. So bluntly, impactfully honest. An attempt at humour that spoke a truth that was wincingly close to the bone.
I wonder now how he feels about his sporting career – whether it’s pride in being selected for his country, the possession of the much coveted baggy green cap or whether he feels a sense of frustration, a feeling that ultimately he was found out in the test arena, that he didn’t have the mental fortitude to back up his physical abilities. I hope that, unlike me, his abiding memory isn’t of that lone anonymous voice skewering the finality of his last defeated walk back to the pavilion.
And what do I take away from this? As a professional sportsman, an entertainer and, yes, as a writer, your work requires courage. It requires you to put your head above the proverbial parapet and risk getting shot at.
You go into it knowing that the armchair critics (and script editors!) will judge. And you know that even if some people like what you’ve done, there will always be some who don’t. This certain knowledge makes any of these roles tough, it’s the cause of the ‘gips’ in cricket and golf; and of getting blocked as a writer. That devil on your shoulder undermining your self-confidence is a product of your anticipation of the wider, faceless public or professional response you know you will have to face – and go on facing every time you go out to bat or write a new script. It’s that inner fear that you may be subjected to your very own Chris Matthews moment.
All of these activities require a small dose of vanity and a much bigger dose of bravery.
So hats off to all you writers who have the courage and tenacity to not only write a script but also put it out there in the world where the reaction to it is – always – uncertain.
FORTHCOMING COURSES
CREATIVITY FOR SCRIPTWRITERS – London Saturday January 31st 2026
Course guest – playwright, novelist, screenwriter and political activist ANDERS LUSTGARTEN. A day of creative exercises to supercharge your creativity and add to your bank of inspiring ideas.
https://script-consultant.co.uk/creativity-for-scriptwriters/
ONE DAY INTRODUCTION TO SCREENWRITING – London Saturday February 14th 2026
Guest speakers – script editor KATE LEYS and writer NATHANIEL PRICE. Both a celebration of and an introduction to the craft of screenwriting.
https://script-consultant.co.uk/one-day-introduction-to-screenwriting/
A message from Isabella Combes from the NEW WRITERS COLLECTIVE –
We’ve recently opened the New Writers Collective supported by All3Media. This is an opportunity for uncredited, unrepped aspiring TV writers. Now in its fourth year, we are delighted to offer the 10 selected writers an extended programme including:
- A free pass and accommodation for the 2026 Edinburgh TV Festival
- Free access to TV Foundation events for a year
- A free pass to the 2027 Edinburgh TV Festival
- Free priority access to our screenwriting event First Draft in March 2026
- Industry guidance from executives at All3Media and from across the Group
- Access to a supportive community of peers and an alumni network of new writers
There are more details on eligibility and how to enter on-site New Writers Collective – The TV Festival
The deadline for all entries is 23:59 on Thursday 08 January 2026.
Finally this fortnight, my book, SCREENWRITING, THE CRAFT AND THE CAREER has been picked out as part of the Nick Hern Books Christmas promotion ‘Gifts to Inspire Creativity.’ (alongside the excellent MAKING YOUR SOLO SHOW by 4screenwriting alumni Lisa Carroll and Milly Thomas).
https://www.nickhernbooks.co.uk/gifts-inspire-creativity
The next newsletter, the final one of 2025, will be sent out on Friday December 19th
Best wishes
Phil
PHILIP SHELLEY
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/philip-shelley-93519316
Friday December 5th 2025