Eastenders General News Thread

[Siobhan]

EASTENDERS actress Nina Wadia says being able to annoy her on-screen hubby helps them put in a realistic performance in the soap.
Nina who plays bossy Zainab Masood, says she is used to winding up her old pal Nitin Ganatra (Masood Ahmed), which makes argument scenes easier to film.

She says: "Nitin and myself are very comfortable as friends. We have a natural ability to annoy the hell out of each other - I think that translates well."

Just one thing that is unrealistic about the Masoods, they never speak in Indian to one another... I know lots of indian people and they mostly speak english (even to each other) but occasionally Indian words come out or if they speak in private while in company.. I would like to see more of that, even if just for realistic sake

[Perdita]

But then they would have to show sub-titles, because I don't speak Indian

[Siobhan]

But then they would have to show sub-titles, because I don't speak Indian

not necessarily.. they dont' have to speak indian all the time.. just a word or two

[matt1378]

I agree and I think it would work as well, and they don't need subtitles, we would probably be able to guess the meaning

[Perdita]

EastEnders star Nitin Ganatra has admitted that he fears he is turning into his soap character Masood Ahmed.

The actor made his debut as Zainab Masood's (Nina Wadia) henpecked husband on the BBC One show in 2007 - and has recently noticed startling similarities between his real life and screen plots.

"Occasionally you start forgetting which one's real and which one's not," Ganatra told Virgin Media.

"I like to think I'm not really like Masood in terms of my wife and I have a fairly equal relationship, where I'm not henpecked and stuff like that," he continued.

"But I don't know whether I come home and I'm doing the same sort of thing really. You go to work and you snog a woman at work who's your on screen wife and then you come home and you think: 'What did I just do today?'

"It's the longest job I've ever had, and it's the longest character I've ever played and I think what's hard about it is there's so many different writers who have their own take on the character and you're the one who seems to be becoming the character as well. So it is odd."

Ganatra and Wadia were named best on screen partnership at the British Soap Awards last month.

Does anybody watch Mumbai Calling on Saturday nights? He is henpecked in that show too

[Perdita]

TELLY actress Gillian Taylforth has finally dumped her thug boyfriend after 23 years, the News of the World can reveal.

Last night the former EastEnders star's family were celebrating the end of her stormy relationship with the man they call "a monster."


A source close to her relatives confirmed: "It's the end of the road for Gillian and Geoff and her family are delighted.


"They've been praying for years that she would wake up and get shot of Geoff. This is the best thing that could have happened to Gillian. He's has been nothing but bad news for her."


The millionaire businessman has moved out of their home in Broxbourne, Herts.


Stitches

The couple are are now going through the courts to sort out custody and access issues over their children Jessica, 17, and ten-year-old Harrison.


Gillian, 53 - who played Kathy Beale in the BBC soap for 15 years - is just one of many victims of Knights' thuggery.


He beat her up in front of their terrified son after going out to a restaurant to celebrate their 20th anniversary three years ago.


Knights punched Gillian so hard in the face that she was sent flying over a sofa and smashed her skull on a table, needing three stitches.


He was arrested and spent 18 hours in a police cell but was released with just a caution after Gillian, who has also appeared in The Bill and Footballers' Wives, refused to press charges.


Her sister Kim, two other sisters and her brother thought Gillian would ditch Knights then. Kim, a former policewoman and now also an actress, said of Knights: "He is a monster.


"It's not only physical but mental abuse. He tells Gillian how awful she is, that nobody loves her and she'll never find another man.


"Gillian's a strong girl. She'd have to be after all she's been through and she will give as good as she gets in an argument.


"But when you're told that month after month, year after year, you start to believe it.


"I know because I've worked with victims in these situations."


That was just one of a string of violent incidents involving Knights since the couple first started seeing each other in 1986.


Just six months after the anniversary attack, Knights was arrested in Barbados after attacking a receptionist at their hotel.


He lost the plot after Cyanda Phillips said his son was too young to use the computer room at the plush Tamarind Cove Hotel.


Knights was said to have hurled a phone at 25-year-old Cyanda after beating her around the head with a rolled-up T-shirt.


He was convicted of assault and ordered to pay an undisclosed fine.


After that incident in April 2007, Gillian's family said they could hardly believe she was still with him. In 1994 Knights threw a cop down stairs after a bust-up and was convicted of assault. In 1995 the couple's chauffeur was allegedly hit by Knights as he helped Gillian move out of the couple's home.


In 2001 it took TEN police officers to restrain him after he smashed up the family home following another argument at a restaurant.


And in January this year he was arrested again, accused of assaulting daughter Jessica's ex-boyfriend Darren Welsh.


He had apparently sought revenge on the 18-year-old after the lad had an altercation with Jessica at a cinema. Both Knights and Welsh were arrested and later released on police bail.


In 2005 Gillian kicked him out after he had an affair with ex- barmaid Jane Keates, but soon forgave him and took him back.


Collapsed

And it was with Knights in 1992 that Gillian suffered her worst public humiliation, when The Sun revealed she had been caught by police performing a sex act on him in their Range Rover on an A1 slip road after a boozy trip to Ascot races.


She sued for libel claiming Knights had suffered a sudden bout of pancreatitis and she was merely massaging his stomach.


During a 12-day hearing at the Royal Courts of Justice, Gillian denied she was an exhibitionist. But the jury was shown a video from 1988 showing her drunk at a party at the Anna Scher Theatre School.


In it, she posed suggestively with a large sausage and a wine bottle.


When the jury found against her she collapsed and had to be carried out of court on a stretcher.


Last night our source said: "Gillian's family hope this is the start of a new chapter for her. They're amazed it's taken her this long to see sense."



THANK goodness Gillian Taylforth has finally managed to find the strength to dump this violent thug once and for all.


Those of us who have never been in an abusive relationship find it difficult to understand why this attractive and talented woman stuck with him for so long.


But when someone who professes to love you regularly beats and undermines you it destroys your self-esteem.


Eventually, you lose all confidence in yourself and start to believe you deserve no better.


A lot of women locked into violent relationships keep it going because they believe their partner when he promises it will never happen again.


The reality is, if a man has been violent once he will almost certainly be violent again unless he acknowledges he has a problem and seeks help for it.


Gillian has made a brave decision. Letting go of Knights and being alone after 20 years must feel scary, but she won't regret it.


She has regained control of her life and boosted her confidence.


Hopefully she will now meet a partner who will treat her with the respect she deserves.


If you want help to get out of an abusive relationship, call the Refuge helpline on 0808 2000 247.

From NOTW

[megan999]

I have deleted this post because I saw it was posted somewhere else on this forum - sorry!

[GwennieS]

I thought the Masoods were from Pakistan?

[Perdita]

EASTENDERS star John Altman wants to swap the small screen for the West End - to star in hit musical Chicago.

John, 57 - "Nasty" Nick Cotton in the BBC1 soap - has played flashy lawyer Billy Flynn in a regional tour of the show.

He now wants to take over from Jerry Springer, who currently plays Billy in London.

John said: "It's always been my ambition to play Billy in the West End."

The role seems to be an EastEnders favourite.

Michael Greco, who played Beppe di Marco, has played him too.


The Sun

[Perdita]

Alan Carr has suggested that he could appear as a new character in BBC soap EastEnders.

The 32-year-old comedian has admitted that his "dream role" would be to play recently-departed Nick Cotton's (John Altman) camp sibling.

Speaking to the Daily Star, Carr said: "I'd love to be in EastEnders. I could play Nasty Nick's ever-so-slightly camper brother."

His new show Alan Carr: Chatty Man begins on Sunday at 10pm on Channel 4.