Masood Ahmed
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| EastEnders character | ||||||||||||||||
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| Masood Ahmed | ||||||||||||||||
| Portrayed by | Nitin Ganatra | |||||||||||||||
| Created by | Diederick Santer | |||||||||||||||
| Duration | 2007— | |||||||||||||||
| First appearance | 16 October 2007 | |||||||||||||||
| Profile | ||||||||||||||||
| Status | Married | |||||||||||||||
| Home | 41 Albert Square | |||||||||||||||
| Occupation | Postman | |||||||||||||||
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Masood "Mas" Ahmed is a fictional character in the popular BBC soap opera EastEnders. He is played by Nitin Ganatra. He is the husband of Zainab Masood and father of Shabnam, Tamwar and unseen as yet Syed.
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[edit] Character creation
[edit] Background
Masood Ahmed was one of several Asian characters introduced in 2007 by executive producer, Diederick Santer.[1] He was first seen in October 2007 as Walford's new postman. Masood Ahmed was the last character in the Masood family to make an appearance on-screen, joining the already established Zainab, and Shabnam (his wife and daughter) who both appeared in July 2007, and Tamwar (his son) who appeared at the start of October 2007. The Masoods were the first Muslim family to join the show since the Karims, who appeared between 1987 and 1990, and they were the first Asian family to be introduced since the unsuccessful Ferreira family in 2003. Panned by critics and viewers, the Ferreiras were dismissed as unrealistic by the Asian community in the UK, and were eventually axed in 2005.[2][3]
The introduction of more ethnic minority characters is part of producer Diederick Santer's plan to "diversify", to make EastEnders "feel more 21st century".[4] Prior to 2007, EastEnders was heavily criticised by the Commission for Racial Equality (CRE), for not representing the East End's real "ethnic make-up". It was suggested that the average proportion of visible minority faces on EastEnders was substantially lower than the actual ethnic minority population in East London boroughs, and it therefore reflected the East End in the 1960s, not the East End of the 2000s. Furthermore, it was suggested that an element of "tokenism" and stereotyping surrounded many of the minority characters in EastEnders.[5] The expansion of minority representation in EastEnders provides "more opportunities for audience identification with its characters, hence a wider appeal."[6] Trevor Phillips, CRE chair, has said: "balanced representation of ethnic minority communities in the media matters. The industry has a key part to play in this, it is a powerful tool and can go a long way towards helping to build an integrated society."[7]
[edit] Casting
Actor Nitin Ganatra, who has appeared in Bride and Prejudice and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, was cast in the role of Masood Ahmed.[8] Nitin Ganatra had never acted in a soap before his role in EastEnders. He has commented: "I have grown up with this show and it seems to have become a part of the British fabric. But friends in America, Canada and India have all seen it or heard of it so it ain't [sic] just this island that it has an impact on…The executive producer, Diederick [Santer], along with casting agent Julia, have been very open and welcoming. I am nervous but excited. I have been watching the show and it is really gripping me. The quality of actors are great, so I am really looking forward to working with them."[1]
Ganatra and Nina Wadia, who plays his on-screen wife Zainab, have previous experience of playing a married couple. Both starred alongside each other in the play D'Yer Eat With Your Fingers? Wadia has commented: "I’m absolutely thrilled as he’s a fantastic actor. It’s great fun working with Nitin as we both speak Gujarati which means we can have a bit of fun on set!…He is a good friend. Another good thing about Mrs Masood's great relationship with her husband is that he shows her softer side – with him, you will get to see her smile!" [8][1]
[edit] Storylines
Masood moved to 41 Albert Square with his family in October 2007. Both Masood and his wife Zainab are active in the postal industry—Masood being a postman, and Zainab the owner of a chain of post offices. Masood instantly got embroiled in his wife's feud with the Wicks family—he infuriated Kevin Wicks by refusing to hand him his post personally. He also bought furniture of Peggy Mitchell so Peggy could get more money to help her pay her bills. Despite his rivalry with Kevin, he helped carry his coffin along with some of Kevin's family and friends to the crematorium.
On 24 January 2008 Masood received a phone call from his sister in Karachi informing him of their father's illness (assumed to be fatal) and he promptly left the next day on the first available flight. A week later, Masood rang the family and informed them that his father's health was improving.
Masood returned to the Square on 20 May, where he discovered that his family was in serious debt. He then attempted to fix the family problems.
[edit] References
- ^ a b c "Two new characters join Eastenders Asian family", www.asiansinmedia.org. URL last accessed 2007-10-16.
- ^ "Unrealistic’ Ferreira family dismissed by Asian viewers", The Stage. URL last accessed 2007-10-16.
- ^ "Unrealistic’ EastEnder accuses BBC of discrimination", Digital Spy. URL last accessed 2007-10-16.
- ^ "The art of storytelling", The Guardian. URL last accessed on 2007-03-27.
- ^ "EastEnders hasn't got enough black and Asian actors", Sunday Mirror. URL last accessed on 2007-03-27.
- ^ "EastEnders", www.museum.tv. URL last accessed on 2007-03-27.
- ^ "Coronation Street and EastEnders battle it out for coveted CRE Race In the Media Award", cre.gov.uk. URL last accessed on 2007-03-27.
- ^ a b "Two new Masoods", BBC. URL last accessed 2007-10-16.
