More 'EastEnders' chat from Himesh Patel

I recently interviewed EastEnders actor Himesh Patel to hear about his romance storyline and the surprising impact that it's about to have on his screen family.

As mentioned in the main chat, the father of Tamwar's girlfriend Afia is one of the last people who Zainab and Masood want to see - although we've been asked not to reveal his identity to give fans a surprise.

To read the first part of our interview with Himesh, click here. Alternatively, read on for more of his thoughts on this plotline, Chryed, Tamwar's future and more!

Would you say this storyline also mirrors Syed and Christian's storyline in some ways, as Masood and Zainab ban Tamwar from seeing Afia?
"Yeah it does, and it's a shame really that they haven't learned from the Syed situation. They're obviously completely different issues, but there is a similarity there. From this, you hope that Tamwar will gain an even greater understanding of what his brother went through in having to conceal his relationship."

Do you think this storyline could tie in with Syed and Christian's one, or perhaps have an impact on it in the long-run?
"It could have. It could almost be a reconciliatory storyline, because a lot of people could realise a lot of things. In Tamwar's storyline, perhaps if he's brave enough to make a sacrifice for love, Zainab won't hold it against him. That could be a surprise for the audience - if at some point she doesn't react in the way that they expect her to. It'll be interesting to see if that's what happens!"

You started having more scenes with Marc Elliott back in the summer, but they've been less frequent recently. Will there be any more Tamwar and Syed material ahead?
"There will! I've just had a few weeks off filming, but the last scenes I filmed - which will be shown in a few weeks' time - were with Marc in Syed and Christian's flat. I'm hoping we get a few more scenes. We might even get a few more scenes if Tamwar decides to carry on the relationship behind his parents' backs, or if he does something else behind his parents' backs. He might need Syed's advice, because Syed has been in that boat and it's a similar situation. I think that'd be great, because I love working with Marc and I'm hoping it's something that I get to do more of."

Do you think that the Queen Vic fire showed that the Masoods will always pull together in a desperate situation?
"Yeah, it's almost part of their culture to be that connected - it's that family bond that you can't really break. Zainab went back in for Syed because it's a motherly instinct that she just can't let go of, no matter what he's done in her eyes. It was lovely to see that, actually. But it was also lovely that it didn't go too far and they didn't make that the point where Zainab forgives Syed for everything. It was just a subtle touch - she went back in there for him and then she tended to him when they were sitting on the pavement outside. It was just a little touch, but it meant a lot and it was hopefully a sign that in the future, something is possible for them."

Is there anyone at EastEnders who you haven't really worked with but would like more scenes with?
"I've never had any dialogue with Jake Wood - I've never done a scene with him, and he's one of the actors who I respect a lot on the show because he's just fantastic and clearly very dedicated to what he does, so it'd be fantastic to maybe get some scenes with Jake at some point. But it's all about what makes sense. I can't just go up and ask them to write a scene for me that doesn't make any sense whatsoever, so you leave it in the hands of the writers and you trust them to write what makes sense."

We've heard that you're a keen writer in your spare time - can you tell us a bit more about that?
"Yes, I've had a wild imagination since I was young, and that's why I'm in this situation that I'm in today - living in someone else's shoes! For the last few years, I've enjoyed writing my own stuff since studying creative writing at school, and as I've grown up, I've realised how much I enjoy escaping into a world that I've created myself. So I've kept that up as a hobby. I keep a notebook of ideas and sometimes ideas form in your head that you just have to write down, or you'll forget them. I've got a few things on the go and hopefully one day it'll materialise into something. I'm good friends with Charlie G. Hawkins, who plays Darren, and we've recently talked about doing something together at some point. Perhaps we'll end up writing and directing a film - we'll see what happens."

Do you ever find yourself dreaming up storylines for Tamwar, or do you keep that separate?
"I have a few ideas, but then I tend to step back and think, 'Does that make sense?' I think sometimes you can think up a story, but it's because you're comfortable doing that, but when you're an actor, one of the things that you have to do is take yourself out of your comfort zone. For me, the whole point of acting is to put yourself in someone else's shoes, so for me to think of things that I'm comfortable doing as Himesh would perhaps make me less of a character on screen. So perhaps I need to do things like the stand-up comedy - when I did that, it was terrifying for me because I thought I couldn't do it, but it's something that Tamwar would do. And the impressions as well - it's something that I would never dream of doing at this age, though I did do it when I was younger and that helped me to do it as Tamwar. I think that you've got to do things that you're not particularly comfortable with sometimes and that's what you get the most respect for. So I leave it to the writers to come up with the ideas - you can sometimes get a sense of fear, but then you've got to utilise that fear and use it in your performance."

We recently saw Kat and Tamwar have some screen time together - did you enjoy working with Jessie Wallace?
"Yeah, it was great. It was fantastic because I'd had a few weeks off, and then when I came back, Kat and Alfie were quite established in the scripts and I'd walked into this new chapter of EastEnders. I wondered whether I'd get some scenes with them and then within a week, I had two scripts - one in which I had a scene with Shane, and one in which I had a scene with Jessie! They're both really lovely and it's great to work with them because they're two of the most memorable characters on EastEnders and they're from a time when I used to watch the show and wasn't in it! So to be working with them was fantastic and great fun."

Would you like Tamwar to have more scenes with Darren and Jodie?
"I enjoy working with Charlie and we had a couple of scenes the other day in an episode and we've had a lot of compliments about it. I think it's because the friendship we have in real life reflects in the friendship that Tamwar and Darren have. It'll be interesting to see if we get a few more scenes and if Jodie becomes part of that."

Finally, what has working with Bryan Kirkwood been like?
"It's been great. I've got a lot of respect for him - he's made some difficult decisions because he's had to deal with a lot since he came here, like Barbara and Lacey leaving and the whole Queen Vic fire. Having spoken to him in depth, I know that he's got some great ideas for the Masood family and for the show in general, so I'm just looking forward to whatever we've got next. Bryan seems like a really lovely guy - he asked for suggestions when I last spoke to him and I made a couple of suggestions that he took on board, so I think it's very important for an actor to be able to have that sort of relationship with their executive producer and the writers. I'm really looking forward to seeing whatever he does next!"

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