Doctor Matthews was on duty at the time that many residents were admitted to hospital following the coach crash on the way back from the Lake District in November 1969. He attended to each one was they were brought into Casualty and directed them to the wards. Minnie Caldwell was unconsconcious and Ena Sharples fretted over her, disbelieving the nurses that her friend would recover. Doctor Matthews realised that the only way to stop Ena from making a nuisance of herself was to discuss Minnie's condition with her personally and so he summoned her to the Casualty department. Ena found the Doctor treating a Small Boy by bandaging his right hand. Taking Ena aside, the Doctor insisted that, despite Minnie suffering severe shock and loss of blood, and needing to stay in hospital for some time, they had no real worries about her.
As the Small Boy was led out of the department by a nurse, Ena stopped him to ask what he'd been doing to injure his hand. The Doctor interrupted that he had been "trying to use a firework as a tommy gun" and explained that the Boy wasn't the first child to have started Bonfire Night celebrations early and he'd already treated a seven-year-old girl with a burnt face that morning. Ena was shocked when the Doctor told her that there had been 2500 similar cases throughout the country the previous year. The Doctor told Ena that if she was planning to let off any fireworks tonight to celebrate Minnie's recovery, she mustn't hold them in her hand.
- Credited as "Doctor", the character was named in his second appearance.