In next week’s episodes of EastEnders, Masood (Nitin Ganatra) has a huge decision to make…

Leave his family and friends in Walford to start a new life with smitten kitten Ayesha Rana (Shivani Ghai) or stay and have to say goodbye to the chance of a relationship with her?

The dramatic choice is prompted after Ayesha realises that she’s never going to win over Masood’s son Tamwar (Himesh Patel) who blames her for the fact that his mother Zainab left Walford… Read more & comment »

Fans of EastEnders will know that Ayesha Rana (Shivani Ghai) left Walford to return to her home in Newcastle following a showdown with Zainab (Nina Wadia) during which Ayesha revealed that she’s in love with Masood…

And of course, following the revelation and a series of heart-to-hearts, Zainab left Masood and Walford for good last week, leaving the way open for Ayesha to come back, and she does!

However, her return comes just as it looks like Masood (Nitin Ganatra) could find new romance with Carol Jackson… Read more & comment »

Tonight’s visit to Walford will be the last time that we see the brilliant Nina Wadia in the role of Zainab, and as you’ll see in a spoiler clip that we have for you after the jump, her final scenes with Nitin Ganatra as Masood would elicit a tear from a glass eye…

Sobbing, Masood will tell Zainab, “I don’t want this anymore…” as she weeps in his arms, and apparently, those tears were real ones for both Nina and Nitin.

Speaking to the Daily Star recently, Nitin said of Nina’s departure from the show, “I really do miss her…

“We worked together for five years intensely and we had a really good rapport.” Read more & comment »

As we reported recently, actress Nina Wadia announced her decision to quit EastEnders and her role as Zainab Masood last month…

At the time, nobody was entirely sure how Zainab would be written out, and of course, there are only really two options for soap characters when departing, and they are in a taxi or in a coffin!

Fortunately, the former applies to Zainab, leaving us with hope that Nina may one day reprise the role, but alas – for now at any rate – she’ll make her last appearance on Friday.

And we’ll see in tonight’s episode that Zainab and Masood’s relationship is unraveling at lightning speed… Read more & comment »

As we reported earlier this week, in upcoming episodes of EastEnders, Masood is set to be tested to this manly limits when his sexy lodger Ayesha (Shivani Ghai) makes it clear to him that she’s his for the taking…

She’ll do so via the medium of making a pass at him while wearing just a towel, and as Masood is increasingly sick of his wife Zainab’s constant nagging and snobbish attempts at social climbing, it seems that he may find it hard to say no to smitten Ayesha.

While speaking to Inside Soap about the plot twist, Nitin Ganatra, who of course plays hen-pecked postie Masood, explained, “Whether you’re a man or a woman, if you’ve been in a relationship for 30 years, it does take the excitement out of things.

“So for a young lady to emerge from his bathroom and say, ‘Take me, I’m yours’ – well, of course he’s tempted.” Read more & comment »

EastEnders star Marc Elliott has revealed that his character’s new love interest will be back to reap revenge!

Fans of the award-winning soap will know how Marc’s character, Syed, has recently engaged in a dangerous fling with Albert Square newcomer, Danny Pennant (Gary Lucy). Despite being in the thick of planning his wedding to long-term partner, Christian (John Partridge) and running the family business into the ground financially, Syed still found time to sneak in a quick snog with the hot new investment banker (in full view of his dad).
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Masood’s brother AJ is headed to Walford – we’ll meet him in the episode that airs on July 9th – and it seems he’s going to make an enemy of Derek Branning within hours of setting foot on Square soil!

And of course, Derek (Jamie Foreman) isn’t a person anyone wants as an enemy, but AJ, who’s played by Paul Sharma, becomes just that when he smashes into Derek’s motor.

The drama begins when, soon after showing up at Masood’s (Nitin Ganatra) door, AJ persuades his brother to revisit the pranks and fun of their youth, and always receptive to a laugh or two, Masood obligingly gets into a supermarket trolley and has AJ whiz him around the Square in it.

But of course, it all ends in tears when not only does Masood fall out, Derek’s car meets said shopping trolley, which was going at a fair velocity… Read more & comment »

In what might be described as a #brotherfantasy news snippet – given I’ve always had a bit of a crush on EastEnders star Nitin Ganatra who plays Masood – there was good news this morning as we learned that actor Paul Sharma has been cast in the role of Mas’s brother AJ.

Paul, who’s previously starred in The Office, Life on Mars, Dalziel and Pascoe, Doctors and Gavin & Stacey in the role of Stacey’s former fiancé Achmed – who we met when Uncle Bryn took Gavin and Smithy on a stag night in his local pub – will arrive on the Square later this year.

Described by the show’s bosses as “a cheeky chancer”, AJ – who reportedly makes major decision based on the results of tossing a coin – is set to cause havoc on the Square from the get go, and he manages to drag a – willing it must be said – Masood into his antics as the brothers reacquaint themselves.

However, it soon becomes apparent to Mas that AJ’s hiding something, and/or running away from something… Read more & comment »

Ever since Zainab Masood (Nina Wadia) chose evil medic Yusef Khan (Ace Bhatti) over kind and loving Masood (Nitin Ganatra) I’ve wanted to shake her and slap her around like a red-headed step-child for her stupidity.

However, once Yusef was out of their lives, via a fiery exit to no doubt an equally fiery afterlife, Zainab and Mas began to rebuild their relationship, and today, it’s been revealed that Mas is set to take to one knee and ask her to marry him again. Wooppeee!

The proposal will be aired on June 5th as the Square celebrates the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.

However, prior to finding out that Mas wants to marry her again, when Zainab sees him going into a woman’s house, she fears he’s seeing someone else… Read more & comment »

Last night saw the 13^th annual British Soap Awards, and all the stars braved the wind and rain to take their seats for the spectacular event, held at the ITV studios in London, where UnrealityTV were on the red carpet to speak to them all before the ceremony started.

The EastEnders cast were surprisingly sparse when it came to the red carpet event, especially when compared to the huge Emmerdale crew that showed up en masse, but we managed to catch up with some of the Walford residents to clear up some old rumours and get some new gossip!

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When the Massod family first moved to Walford they lifted some of the grey skies which had set up permanent residence over Albert Square with their humorous and quirky day-to-day life, but since the reign of Doctor Evil they seem to have redecorated their personalities to match the grey surrounding them, and Nina Wadia, who plays Zainab Masood in Eastenders,  now wants the comedy injected back into her alter ego’s life.
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EastEnders star Nitin Ganatra – who of course plays Masood – has been telling Digital Spy how his character copes with learning that evil medic Yusef Khan (Ace Bhatti) has kidnapped Mas’s son Kamil…

And how Masood will try to save ex-wife Zainab (Nina Wadia) from being taken to Pakistan by Yusef.

Later on, Nitin – who’s also starred as Prince Pondicherry in the Tim Burton film Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – revealed his own rather exotic plans for Christmas…

But first, when asked how he feels about being such a pivotal character in the show’s big Christmas storylines, he said, “It’s very exciting to get a big Christmas plot!

“I think EastEnders is the most exciting show to be a part of at Christmas.

“It’s also flattering that our executive producer Bryan Kirkwood and the storyliners feel that these characters can carry Christmas episodes. I’m very, very happy…” Read more & comment »

EastEnders star Nitin Ganatra has told Inside Soap that the forthcoming scenes in which a fire decimates the B&B – and kills at least one person – are “spectacular”.

As fans of the show will know, Doctor Yusef Khan (Ace Bhatti) will die in the inferno, while Tamwar Masood (Himesh Patel) is to be left horribly disfigured by burns.

It’s also expected that Masood – who is of course Nitin’s character – and Phil Mitchell (Steve McFadden) will be injured in the fire, which is started deliberately.

Nitin said of the fire scenes, “It was really exciting to do. There’s a lot of action and it’s spectacular… Read more & comment »

It’s been reported today that wicked medic Yusef Khan (Ace Bhatti) is set to become the worst baddie soap has ever seen as he turns violent in his attempts to control Zainab Masood (Nina Wadia).

The Daily Star states that not only will Yusef beat Zainab, he’ll also kidnap her little son Kamil and use him as “a tool” to get Zainab to do whatever he wants her to.

The paper adds, “He warns her that if she doesn’t do as he says she will not see her son again.”

The horrific turns of events leads up to a dramatic climax at Christmas when Yusef reportedly tries to murder his love rival Masood (Nitin Ganatra).

It’s been speculated – mostly by me – that Yusef will set the fire that ravages the B&B, and in which Masood and Zainab’s son Tamwar will become trapped and suffer terrible burns.

As to the fate of Yusef, it’s been reported that he is expected to die in the fire, as could Pat Evans… Read more & comment »

As we reported earlier this week, Jane Beale – who’s played by Laurie Brett – is about to make a comeback to Walford, and though her first meeting with ex-husband Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt) is rather a bitter one, Jane is much happier to see Masood!

She and Mas – who’s played by Nitin Ganatra – have of course had a simmering attraction for over a year, and the pair even came close to sleeping together when they booked into a hotel…

However, when push came to shove – pun thoroughly intended – neither could go through with it, preferring instead to hold hands and share the occasional kiss.

But now Jane’s back and Masood is – kind of – single, so will their romance now fully blossom into a love affair? Dang I hope so, even though I’m also desperate for Mas to not give up on Zainab… Read more & comment »