Former EastEnders star Nitin Ganatra has addressed a possible return to Albert Square, admitting he would be up for it.
The actor was last seen as Masood Ahmed on the soap back in 2019, though said in a new interview that "you never say no" to a comeback.
"I still love the character and there is something extraordinary about that place," he told PA after being made an OBE. "People work very, very hard to entertain their audiences. It's an incredible machine that has survived coming on to 40 years nearly.
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"Would I go back? Of course, I would go back. But I'm having so much fun doing other characters. And they haven't asked me back either, so it's always polite to go where you are wanted."
Reflecting on the "groundbreaking" character of Masood, Nitin added: "I was the longest-running Asian character in its history. So that's quite a huge achievement in my eyes for an actor from a diverse background.
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"Even the staff in the Palace have been talking about it, going, 'We miss you in the show'. So it's contributed a lot in terms of an Asian character that's gone into the fabric of television culture."
The actor previously spoke about a possible return for Masood, telling Lorraine in 2019: "Masood is lovely. I love him, and I still think there's much to find in him, and I have a lot of respect for EastEnders and the way they really work hard at producing stories that keep people interested.
"So who knows, one day I'll go back... if they want me, as well."
Earlier this year, Nitin enjoyed a reunion with former on-screen wife Nina Wadia (Zainab) after bumping into each other, Nina sharing a picture of the encounter.
"In a city of 8.9 million people… it was bound to happen at some point! @GanatraNitin #fated #zainabandMasood #eastenders #memoriesaremadeofthis," she wrote.
EastEnders airs on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays at 7.30pm on BBC One and streams on BBC iPlayer.
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