Ace Bhatti

EastEnders newcomer Ace Bhatti has revealed that he is thrilled with his role on the soap, describing the atmosphere on set as "lovely".

The actor is currently appearing in Walford as Zainab Masood's mysterious ex-husband Yusef Khan, who has taken up a job as a GP in the area.

In an interview with the Whitby Gazette, Bhatti explained that he has become friends with a number of his colleagues in recent months, including Nina Wadia (Zainab) and Nitin Ganatra (Masood Ahmed).

"What's lovely is they all watch your stuff and people will say, 'I really enjoyed that scene you did'. It's nice when you get that from other cast members," he explained.

"June Brown who plays Dot Cotton is amazing, she doesn't miss a thing. She's 83. I was filming a scene in the launderette and she took a basket of clothes out of the washing machine and shouted 'cut'.

"I thought, 'Have I missed a line?' But she said, 'You would never have coloureds in with whites' - it's that attention to detail."

He added: "It's nice to be working. I'm there until June-ish and we will see from there."

so I guess he will either hang around until say mid June and then the EE big wigs will decide weither to keep him on, wow they go thru an awful lot of GPs in Walford LOL

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Originally Posted by JustJodi

so I guess he will either hang around until say mid June and then the EE big wigs will decide weither to keep him on, wow they go thru an awful lot of GPs in Walford LOL

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Yeah but none were as good (or hot) as Al Jenkins YUM YUM

Ummmmmmmmmmm nope not as hot and fit as Al .....................

EastEnders' scheming doctor Yusef Khan has proved to be one of the most intriguing villains in soap over the past few months, keeping viewers guessing as his grip over the Masood family gradually tightens. Having succeeded in causing major problems for Zainab and Masood's marriage, the sinister GP continues his nasty ways in next week's episodes as he ensures that Masood is banned from Tamwar and Afia's wedding celebrations. However, he's soon in for a surprise of his own when Tamwar makes a shock confession at the Mehndi - coming clean about how he's already married to Afia. We recently caught up with Ace Bhatti, who plays Yusef, for an insight into his character's complexities…

Now that Yusef has managed to cut Masood off from his own family, what's his long-term game plan?
"I'm not quite sure myself! It's up to the writers, but I know what I feel and what I'm playing, and that's Yusef just wanting to smash things apart. I think the way it's been written has been very subtle and he's a great character to play. I'm realising that more and more as the episodes are being aired."

How do you think the viewers have reacted to Yusef?
"I've been tapped on the street by women a few times who've called me 'Dr Evil' and said that I'm horrible! I'm not sure whether I've met them in real life before, but I'm assuming that it's because of the TV! (Laughs) And then the other reaction I've had is people asking me, 'What's Yusef up to? What's he about?' It seems to be mainly women who ask me that. People seem to be intrigued about what exactly Yusef is doing and why he wants to split up Zainab and Masood."

Are you surprised when some fans seem to confuse you with your character?
"No, because I think the viewers invest a lot of time in the soaps and the characters. During 'rest periods' in my career, I've worked as a waiter, done labouring jobs and done driving jobs - and you come home absolutely exhausted. You want to stimulate the intellect, but all you can really manage is the soaps! People can lose themselves in soaps - you pick the character that you're really into and you join them on a journey. I can see why people want to do that."

Do you see Yusef as total villain, or is it more complex than that?
"I like to think that Yusef is flawed - but it's just that he's more flawed than other people, or he shows a lot more of his flaws. But hopefully in real life, once people spend five minutes with me, they realise that I'm not like that. I'm a pretty clumsy person and not like my character at all! I find that people eventually say, 'Oh, you're quite nice, aren't you?' And I don't know quite what to say to that!"


Is Yusef's main aim to win Zainab back?
"I don't think Yusef's intentions are clear just yet, and I don't want to give too much away. I think that's the good thing about the character - you're not quite sure what he's up to, where he's going and he's very ambiguous. What I do know is that he wants to rip the family apart and he wants to hurt people."

Is there a part of him that wants to own Zainab? Does he see her as a possession that he's lost?
"Well, I think there's definitely an element of control there - because Yusef is all about control. At the moment, the sleeping tablets that Yusef has given Zainab are affecting her behaviour and making her more compliant…"

What's your take on the relationship between Yusef and Denise?
"I think that when Yusef is with someone, he is quite genuine and he does have feelings for them, but I suppose you just don't know in this case. It's funny as when the relationship between the characters first started, Diane Parish said to me, 'You're not a nutter, are you?! Denise has had a few nutters!' At the Mehndi and in the aftermath of it, Denise finds out how close Yusef is to Zainab and she's not very happy about it. It's all because his sister-in-law has decided to spread this rumour that Yusef and Zainab have had an affair, even though nothing's actually happened physically."

Does Yusef genuinely care about his daughter Afia?
"He would die for his daughter - without question, at a moment's notice. At the moment, I think he's very happy that she's found love with Tamwar - he likes the combination between them and he likes the fact that Tamwar makes his daughter happy. He likes Tamwar, but at the same time, that wouldn't stop him from manipulating him. But through it all, he's confident that he won't lose Afia - she's the one constant thing in his life and I think she's a little bit like Yusef, but not as bad!"


How does Yusef feel at the Mehndi when he finds out that Afia and Tamwar are already married?
"That definitely hurts, because he's so close to his daughter and there's been a betrayal of trust. But he's happy about the relationship and he's happy that she's happy. It's also quite handy for Yusef because it gives him an excuse to hang around the Masoods!"

At the moment, Masood suspects that Yusef started the fire that almost killed Zainab all those years ago. Could Yusef do something dangerous again?
"With Yusef, you never quite know. I think that he's the kind of person who, even if he did settle down with someone, you would never know what he'd do next. He's the kind of person who will just go after something if he wants it. There's a scene coming up where Yusef really takes things to extremes and it'll be a real revelation when people see that he's prepared to take things as far as he does…"

Do you think Masood is a match for Yusef?
"I think Masood is prepared to defend his family, but I don't think Masood has prepared himself for how far Yusef may go further down the line…"

Is it nice playing the bad guy?
"Well, in my career, I've played quite a few dysfunctional people! But what I've learned is that you also have to find the empathy in any character and there's reasons why people are a certain way. I think you have play your character without judging your character, if that makes sense."

Do you have any idea of why Yusef is the way he is?
"I think a lot of it comes from his history - he had a very tough childhood and now it's about proving himself. When he fell in love with Zainab, he was still in his teenage years so the whole experience left a big impression on his confidence. So I think that's where it's come from. There's so many things in the mix - there's a sense of pride, a sense of loss, a sense of jealousy and a sense that he's going to get Masood back at any cost!"


Did you watch EastEnders much before you joined the show?
"I did years ago - we never really went to the theatre or anything like that, so soaps were my initial introduction into drama. But I suppose that I just didn't realise how massive it was and now I'm fast realising how big this show is!"

You already knew Nina and Nitin before joining the show, didn't you?
"Yes, I knew Nina and I knew Nitin as well from years ago. I worked on a job with Nina years ago in India. It's great fun working with the Masood family, even when we're having really heated and intense scenes. And Nina is particularly funny!"

Is it true that you were the only person who was invited to audition for Yusef?
"Yes, it was funny as I assumed that there would be lots of other people there auditioning for the part, but I got into the room and I was totally alone! But, of course, I still had to do a good audition and read for the part. Fortunately, Bryan [Kirkwood] said it was great and I heard the next day that I'd got the role. It's a huge compliment that they consider me good enough to play Yusef."

EastEnders star Ace Bhatti has admitted that he is surprised by his status as a soap heartthrob.

The actor plays Yusef Khan in the BBC One show, who is at the centre of a love triangle with Zainab and Masood.

"It's a great *compliment, but a complete surprise," he told the Sunday Mirror. "Maybe women love the *character, but if they get to know me they find I'm not smooth, I'm not sophisticated and I don't drive flash cars. I prefer trainers and jeans to smart suits.

"I moved down to London in my early 20s to go to drama school. I funded myself which was tough at times. Over a *weekend I'd only have about a fiver to live on. I had loads of jobs - delivery driving, working in a warehouse, behind the till in a 24-hour garage. But my first job was cleaning the toilets in the drama school.

"I used to get up at six, clean the loos and then go to 12 hours of classes, It was pretty tiring. I remember *actually falling asleep in a cubicle once. I must have just laid my head down and next thing a foreign student was tapping me on the shoulder waking me up. I must have looked weird *lying there with my Marigold gloves on."

He added that it's still "a bit weird" when fans recognise him in the street.

Ace is evil and also ace!

EastEnders villain Yusef Khan will stoop to new depths in the coming weeks as his attempts to control ex-wife Zainab Masood intensify, a report has claimed.

Fans of the soap are already aware that the Yusef storyline will reach a climax at Christmas, and more rumours have emerged today over how the scheming doctor's behaviour will get worse in forthcoming episodes.

According to the Daily Star, Yusef (Ace Bhatti) will manipulate Zainab by taking her young son Kamil away from her - warning that she will not see him again unless she follows his wishes.

The newspaper also claims that Yusef will try to murder Zainab's ex-husband Masood Ahmed (Nitin Ganatra) in a dramatic showdown at Christmas. The plot reaches its conclusion as Albert Square's B&B goes up in flames, which soon leaves Yusef and Tamwar Masood (Himesh Patel) trapped inside.

An EastEnders source told the publication: "Yusef is seriously unhinged. He really is Doctor Evil and probably the worst villain we have had on the Square. There is no limit to what he is capable of.

"Zainab has been under his spell for months and it's only going to get worse. Christmas will turn into a nightmare for her."

Yusef is also expected to become increasingly violent towards Zainab in upcoming scenes, as Nina Wadia - who plays the mum-of-four - revealed in a recent interview.

Wadia said earlier this month: "I've filmed some quite horrific scenes where Yusef gets violent towards Zainab. I don't like all of that to be honest, I have to be so on the ball when filming it. But Yusef pushes everyone to the limit, and he could potentially hurt anyone."