"It was a lovely surprise to be asked back to EastEnders so soon after I left."
British Asian actor Nitin Ganatra will reprise his role as Masood Ahmed in popular BBC soap EastEnders. He will also bring new family members upon his arrival!
On 3rd October 2017, the star announced his return in an official statement. He told DigitalSpy:
“It was a lovely surprise to be asked back to EastEnders so soon after I left.
“I was bowled over. When I was told Masood has still much to give to the show and is missed by the audience, it was hard to refuse.”
Instead of bringing back established characters, he will return with new members of the Ahmed family. His character, Masood Ahmed, will serve as a way to bring these new characters onto the fictional Albert Square.
However, the soap has not yet released details on this new family.
NEWS>> #EastEnders legend @GanatraNitin to reprise role as Masood Ahmed later this year!
Get the full story here: https://t.co/LG0od2q2z9 pic.twitter.com/EFZqOyKRCu
— BBC EastEnders (@bbceastenders) October 3, 2017
In addition, the soap has also not yet revealed an exact date of when the actor will make his appearence. Alluding only that it will be later in 2017. Nitin also added:
“It is with great pride that I will grow my Masood goatee once again to help create and base an extended family around him. Exciting days to come Walford with Masood back on the Square.”
Nitin Ganatra originally left the role on 17th November 2016, when his character Masood left for Pakistan. Leaving with his young son Karim, he travelled to the country to reunite with his estranged wife Zainab.
Perhaps things have soured once again between them? We’ll soon find out when Nitin Ganatra reappears on the soap.
At the time of Nitin’s departure, he had hinted he could return to EastEnders, saying:
“I’m still deeply in love with the character of Masood and find him really interesting to play.
“I’m not leaving for any bad reasons, aside from a need to go off and do other exciting projects. EastEnders have kindly left the door open for me to go back and I’d have no problems in going back.”
It seems then the time for his return has arrived sooner than fans had expected. Many will warmly welcome the news. Especially as the soap announced the departure of Harry Reid, who stars as Ben Mitchell, on 2nd October.
2007 marked Nitin’s first arrival on Albert Square. It’s only fitting then that 10 years later will also mark his return.
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