Another idea successfully pitched by the creative team was Matt having learning difficulties. With that they had to consider how it would contrast with Hilary's character. She was clever and writers did not make his difficulties too severe, but wanted them to be significant enough for Hilary to not be accepting of him. The learning difficulties Matt faced were portrayed as dyslexia. When the story aired on-screen it featured him struggling with his school work and needing special assistance to help his studies. His stories also had to fit the show's "moral code" they had developed for the broadcast time slot. The writers knew Matt would be a biker and questioned whether it would be appropriate for him to wear leathers. They also debated how he would discover Hilary was his mother and how his relationship with his adoptive parents would be.