'EastEnders' actor praises "darker" Masood plots

EastEnders star Nitin Ganatra has praised the show's bosses for exploring a darker side to his character Masood Ahmed in his current storylines.

Fans of the BBC soap have recently seen Masood driven to desperate measures due to his dangerous rivalry with local doctor Yusef Khan (Ace Bhatti), who has managed to cause big problems in his marriage to Zainab (Nina Wadia).

Ganatra has now revealed that he made the suggestion for more depth to Masood's character in one of his early consultations with EastEnders chief Bryan Kirkwood.

The actor explained: "I remember that when Bryan Kirkwood came in as executive producer, in one of my first meetings with him I said, 'Let's explore Masood - I don't think that he's ever really been explored in any depth'.

"Now, bringing Yusef into the equation has allowed us to look at both Masood and Zainab in a different light. People like Nina Wadia and myself like to be stimulated by what we do, so with Bryan's influence, we decided to explore a much darker Masood - but still remain true to his character.

"Masood is still essentially a good guy, but he's forced into a situation where he has to protect his family and he could overstep the mark."

In his current storyline, Masood is still the only person who believes that Yusef once tried to kill Zainab by setting her on fire. Masood's suspicions have left him isolated from his family, who now trust Yusef.

Ganatra added: "It's a real Pandora situation, where he's the only person who sees the truth but nobody believes him. I think there's a real heroic quality in Masood here - he has the potential to be one of the last great heroes. Not in a butch way, but in a dignified way - he would go as far as it takes to protect his family and do the right thing."

Next week's EastEnders episodes see tension between the Masoods come to a head at Tamwar and Afia's wedding celebrations.

> Read the full interview with EastEnders actor Nitin Ganatra
> EastEnders: Bonus chat with Nitin Ganatra