Tamwar Tales - The Life of an Assistant Market Inspector

EastEnders bosses have announced that Tamwar Masood is getting his own online spinoff.

The geeky character will take centre stage in Tamwar Tales - The Life of an Assistant Market Inspector, which premieres on the official EastEnders website next month.

Tamwar's mini-series will contain four weekly short films. The first will go live on Thursday, July 25.

An EastEnders spokesperson explained: "For the first time ever, we are able to hear what Tamwar is really thinking as he endures all that life throws at him - the excuses, teasing and daily hassles from his regular stallholders.

"He averts a security incident caused by Kim, encounters his dad fly-pitching, Harlem Shakes with Fatboy and then he meets Jean, where things take an unexpected turn…"

Himesh Patel, who plays Tamwar, added: "It was really fun working on the four shorts. It was like taking a character that we know and putting him in a different genre. Viewers who are a fan of Tamwar will finally get a look inside his head."

EastEnders scriptwriter Richard Lazarus has written the series.

EastEnders fans can see much more of Tamwar Masood over the next few weeks as he takes centre stage in his own online spinoff.

Tamwar Tales - The Life of an Assistant Market Inspector is a special mini-series containing four weekly short films. The first goes live on the EastEnders website on Thursday, July 25.

Digital Spy recently caught up with Himesh Patel, who plays Tamwar, to hear about the project.

How long has Tamwar Tales been in the pipeline for?
"We actually filmed it a little while ago now. I first heard about the idea at the beginning of the year. One of the EastEnders writers, Richard Lazarus, had come up with it. I thought it sounded fantastic and I said yes straight away. They sent me over some scripts not long after that, so it all happened pretty quickly. It was a pretty fast turnover but a fantastic experience."

With so many characters in the show, how do you feel about Tamwar being chosen for this?
"I feel very lucky that they've chosen to base a web series around Tam. I think it's possibly something that they could have only done with him, as he's very suited to the genre that we've taken on for these four shorts. It's very true to his character to be featuring in something like this."

How different is it to the main show?
"Each episode runs for about five minutes and they're very internal, so you get to find out what's happening in Tamwar's head and it's all from his point of view. Because of that, we shot it very differently, which included having a camera on my head! It's got a very different feel to the main show, so it's a lot more stylised I'd say.

"Doing the filming also felt a bit more relaxed than usual, in the sense that we weren't too pushed for time. It was a totally different experience, but one that I thoroughly enjoyed."

Is the spinoff a comedy or are there also more serious moments?
"It's definitely a comedy! That's what we were going for, so hopefully the audience will be laughing. I'm sure the viewers who love Tamwar and his sense of humour will enjoy it."

Was it tricky to juggle this extra project with your normal filming?
"It actually wasn't too bad at all. I was lucky that they scheduled it during a quiet week for me! I wasn't filming for the main show that week, so I was just concentrating on Tamwar Tales which gave me plenty of time to look at the scripts and get accustomed to the new way of doing things."

We know you have a passion for writing as well as acting, and you've written for EastEnders: E20 in the past. Would you have liked to write one of the Tamwar Tales episodes yourself?
"I did actually consider maybe asking them if I could, but I knew they had such a quick turnaround and I don't always work well under pressured conditions like that! It really was Richard Lazarus's baby and he did a fantastic job with the scripts. It's all credit to him that we've been able to create something really unique."

Have you watched the episodes yet?
"I had a look at some rough cuts recently, and I know the web team have done a fantastic job. The director Matt Taylor knew exactly what we wanted from it. I'm looking forward to seeing the full episodes."

Which other characters feature in the spinoff?
"We've got four episodes, and each one is Tamwar with one other character. There's Fatboy, Masood, Kim and Jean. That was interesting, because I haven't done much with either Kim or Jean on the main show before. I'm pretty sure that this might be the first time I've actually worked so closely with Gillian Wright, so it was great to work with someone new - especially in these new conditions."

A lot of our readers don't like to see Tamwar being teased during his market job. Would you like to see him get the upper hand against Kat and Bianca?
"I would like that, yes! I think if people keep watching they might see something along those lines. However, it's been very nice to put Tamwar in such a new situation and see him interact with characters like Kat and Bianca. I've found that really fun."

Would you like Tamwar to find love again?
"I would, but not too soon. I think he needs to spend some time by himself after Afia, although he has been doing that for about a year now. There's been so much going on, so maybe it would be nice for him to have someone there. But would it be love or would it just be a crutch? That would be the question."

Has life changed much on set since Marc Elliott and Nina Wadia both left the show?
"It has. You often sit back and think, 'Oh, Nina's been gone for seven months now and Marc has been gone for ten'. But the show moves on so quickly that you don't always have the time to mourn people in that way. You have to move on and look at what you have in a positive way, but they're definitely both missed on set."

Do you keep in touch with them both?
"Absolutely. They're beyond being just actors that I worked with - they're very dear friends and those relationships have definitely been maintained."

With Masood's new relationship, would you like Tamwar to interact more with Carol and her family?
"I really would. I've not really had much to do with Lindsey Coulson yet, but I'd really like to because she's a very good friend of mine and an incredible actress. It'd be great to work with her and see what I could learn from her!"

What's coming up for Tamwar on the main show?
"I can't say too much as I don't want to give it away, but there are definitely going to be more interesting times on the market for him. He's still getting used to his job and all of the challenges that it presents for him!"