Nitin Ganatra as Masood Ahmed
'EastEnders' star Nitin Ganatra says playing his "darker" side on the soap is something he enjoys.
The soap star's beloved postman character will experience another downward spiral after discovering his girlfriend Jane Beale (Laurie Brett) has cheated on him with grieving ex-husband Ian Beale (Adam Woodyatt).
Jane breaks up with Masood over the phone and leaves Albert Square, resulting in Masood getting into a heated confrontation with Ian - who is still coming to terms with the death of his daughter, Lucy Beale.
Nitin explained: "She finished with him for her ex, as did Carol, as did Zainab ... so we're beginning to see a pattern here. Jane and Masood have had this ongoing love story - two people wanting to be together but can't."
Speaking about the scene between Ian and Masood, he added: "It took us all a bit by surprise, we read the script and we went, 'Ooh, that's a bit strong given the man's just lost his daughter.' I think the soaps stay alive if you keep the characters evolving. I had a lovely time playing a darker side of Masood, which was very well received. If characters become predictable they become stagnant and they don't evolve."
The 46-year-old actor also revealed that his legendary co-star June Brown - who plays Dot Branning - struggled to pronounce his character's name when he joined the soap.
In an interview with ITV's 'This Morning', Nitin quipped: "She went, 'Hi, I'm June Brown. So you're playing the character Masood ... how do you pronounce that?' And I said, 'Masood.' And she said, 'Oh, I'll never get that right. I'll call you Mazmood.' And that was it. She came up with the name Mazmood and it stuck."
Tagged in Adam Woodyatt Nitin Ganatra Laurie Brett