Corrie to introduce its first Muslim family

[alan45]

Coronation Street will introduce the soap's first-ever Muslim family later this year.

Show bosses have decided to build up a family around newcomer Khalid Nazir, played by Jimi Mistry.

We can confirm that actor Marc Anwar has already been cast as Khalid's father Sharif. Khalid's mother, son and daughter will also be brought in.

Khalid, known as Kal to his friends, made his first appearance on the ITV soap last month when Dev Alahan hired him as a personal trainer.

Kal will become more prominent on screen over the next few months as he will go into business with Dev and decide to move in nearby.

http://i1.cdnds.net/13/48/618x436/soaps-coronation-street-dev-alahan-khalid.jpg
© ITV
Dev and Kal

Coronation Street's producer Stuart Blackburn explained: "We're starting to build Kal's family up. We've cast his dad and I'm loving him on paper already. Kal and Dev are also going to open a gym at the Victoria Court complex.

"We've established that Kal, his son and his daughter live with Kal's mum and dad. We're going to see his mum, dad and his children - we're probably going to bring them onto the street and they'll be the first Muslim family that Corrie has ever had."

On Kal's dad Sharif, he added: "Sharif retired some time ago. He isn't rich, but he'd made enough money. We imagine that there were some health problems and his wife said, 'Now you're no longer going to go to work 12 hours a day!'"

The launch of the gym will also mean that a new regular set is being introduced to the show and will be unveiled later in the year

[swmc66]

That will be interesting. As an Asian Muslim myself It would be nice to have a Muslim family represented showing three generations. I have never seen soaps represent Asian families properly so will be interested in how corrie handle it.

[Perdita]

Coronation Street boss on Kal aftermath: 'The Nazirs have a bright future'
Coronation Street's Nazir family may have been left devastated by the soap's fire tragedy, but it seems they still have a strong future in Weatherfield.
Show producer Stuart Blackburn has pledged his commitment to the on-screen clan following the departure of Kal (Jimi Mistry), who was killed off in dramatic scenes in Thursday night's episode.
Kal's tragic final moments saw Victoria Court explode while he was still trying to escape from the burning building, having helped to rescue local youngster Amy Barlow from Carla Connor's flat.
While the Nazirs have a tough time ahead as they struggle to adjust to life without Kal, Blackburn has insisted that they will be staying in the show.
"We're planning ahead right through until autumn and we've got some great stuff coming up for them - I really, really enjoy the Nazirs," he explained.
"Just from that last scene after Kal died, you can see how good Qasim who plays Zeedan is, so watch out for him. We've got massive stuff for Alya coming up too, which of course the grandparents Sharif and Yasmeen will be involved in."
He continued: "I think in a way, my favourite episode of the fire week is the Friday one. That's when all of the dust has settled and we see the silence and the grief. The Nazirs come into their own in that one.
"They've got a bright future - although they're not going to be very happy for a while!"
Thursday's episode ended with a grief-stricken Zeedan angrily blaming Kal's partner Leanne Tilsley (Jane Danson) for his demise, as she had made the decision to rush into the burning building to save Amy.
Despite Zeedan's outburst, the tension won't last for long as he ultimately starts to see Leanne in a new light.
Blackburn added: "Zeedan blaming Leanne was a moment in time where he was lashing out. They're actually going to get really close. Zeedan has wised up a little bit. He knows how much Leanne meant to Kal. There's trouble ahead for Leanne, and Zeedan's going to be there trying to help and support her. It's what his dad would have wanted."
Meanwhile, asked whether Tracy's role in how the fire started will ever be exposed, Blackburn replied: "Eventually - but it's utterly unproveable!"