Matt Hartley grew up in the Peak District and studied drama at the University of Hull. His first play Sixty Five Miles won a Bruntwood Award in the inaugural Bruntwood Competition and was produced by Paines Plough/Hull Truck in 2012.
Other work for theatre includes: Eyam (Shakespeare's Globe, 2018); Here I Belong (Pentabus Theatre tour, 2016); Deposit(Hampstead Theatre Downstairs, 2015); Microcosm (Soho Theatre, 2014); Horizon (National Theatre Connections, 2014); The Bee(Edinburgh Festival, 2008); Punch (Hampstead/Heat and Light Company); and Epic, Trolls and Life for Beginners (all at Theatre503, London).
He has written for TV's Hollyoaks and his radio plays include The Pursuit and Final Call.