Ever since it was announced that Masood Ahmed – aka actor Nitin Ganatra – was heading back to Walford, with new members of his family, we’ve been desperate to find out who.
Now we can reveal that the former postie will be bringing his auntie and uncle to Albert Square with him. Blimey, they have no idea what they’re in for.
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Masood left the square last year to visit his ex-wife, Zainab, in Pakistan – but now he’s coming back and he’s bringing fresh faces, Mariam and Arshad with him.
The pair are played by The Kumars At No 42 star Indira Joshi and former Casualty actor Madhav Sharma and will be renting No 41 from their nephew.
Quite how that will go down with the house’s current resident, Carmel Kazemi and her son Shakil, is yet to be seen, but knowing Carmel, she won’t take it lightly.
Mariam, who is described as being ‘no nonsense, yet gentle’ soon finds herself won over by the warmth and community spirit in the square.
Indira said of her new role: “”I’m over the moon to be joining EastEnders and to be part of the Ahmed family – I’m really looking forward to working with Madhav and Nitin as well as the rest of the cast.”
Madhay, who plays ‘jovial and mischievous’ Arshad added: “It’s really great to be joining EastEnders and I’m excited to be part of the Ahmed family.
“The first continuing drama I starred in was on the BBC so this is like coming home for me. I’m really looking forward to playing Arshad.”
Enders new boss, John Yorke, said of his new recruits: “We’ve always known that Masood came from a big family, and the time has now come to reveal a few more of them, of which Mariam and Arshad are just the first.
“Nitin has been invaluable to the show since he and the Masoods first rolled up in Albert Square. We’re really excited to bring in the next generation of the family for some incredibly challenging, fun and exciting stories ahead.”
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Masood and his tribe will be on screen next year.