EastEnders fans will remember the Masood family who arrived in Albert Square back in 2007, made up of postman Masood, his wife Zainab, and their two children Shabnam and Tamwar.
Actress Zahra Ahmadi, who hails from Plymouth, played the original Shabnam Masood who arrived in EastEnders as a university graduate who was unsure of what career path to follow.
She originally planned to go travelling but was forced to stay in Walford after finding out that her parents Masood (Nitin Ganatra) and Zainab (Nina Wadia) were facing financial difficulties.
Shabnam also faced a major identity crisis as she struggled to find a balance between her family’s traditional Muslim heritage and British culture.
Zahra Ahmad played the original Shabnam Masood in EastEnders from 2007 to 2008
(Image: BBC)
In 2008, Shabnam left for Pakistan in a bid to find herself and when her character returned in 2014, she was played by actress Rakhee Thakrar until 2016.
However, this was far from the end for Zahra who went on to star in a string of TV shows including the likes of Doctors, Doctor Who, Black Mirror, Death in Paradise, Marcella and ITV’s The Bay as Shazia Riaz.
Zahra’s most recent appearance has been in BBC’s drama series Beyond Paradise where she plays the role of DS Esther Williams and stars alongside Kris Marshall, Dylan Llewellyn and Felicity Montagu.
In the Death in Paradise spin-odd series, Zahra looks unrecognisable from her days on EastEnders, over 15 years ago.
In 2008, Shabnam left for Pakistan in a bid to find herself and her role was taken over by Rakhee Thakrar
(Image: BBC)
Over 15 years later, Zahra looks unrecognisable as DS Esther Williams in Beyond Paradise
(Image: BBC)
Now, the TV star boasts a block fringe with her brunette locks typically pulled back in either a bun or French style plait.
During an appearance on Sunday Brunch last year, Zahra described Beyond Paradise and explained: “I feel like there’s a real comic tone in places to the show because most of us kind of have a background in comedy acting.
“So yeah, that’s quite strong throughout and we had such fun filming.”
She went on to talk about taking part in both Death in Paradise and Beyond Paradise, admitting: “I was a bit nervous about it, to be honest.
“When I got recalled [for Beyond Paradise] and was doing more and more auditions, I was like, ‘Please nobody bring it up.’
The actress stars alongside Kris Marshall in the Death in Paradise spin-off series
(Image: BBC)
Zahra has led a successful career in TV following her EastEnders stint
(Image: Karwai Tang/WireImage)
“And someone said, ‘You were in Death in Paradise, right?’ and I was like, ‘Yeah…’
“Because I thought, ‘How can I do it if I’ve died?’ but it’s a different universe!”
Zahra also admitted that she had “a hard time in Guadeloupe”, the place where Death in Paradise is filmed in France.
“I don’t like bugs, so I had a lot of bug incidents in Guadalupe…”, she explained.
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