EastEnders star is worlds away from Walford as they join Midsomer Murders in first look pics
AN EastEnders legend is world’s away from her Walford character as she stars in Midsomer Murders.
Actress Nina Wadia played the role of Zainab Masood on the BBC One soap and was adored by fans for her polarising character.
Zainab was the matriarch of the Masood family and was involved in some huge storylines over the years.
Fans last saw her in Albert Square in 2013, when her character fled to Pakistan and married her cousin Haroon – much to the sadness of her ex-husband Masood Ahmed.
But now Nina has been cast in the brand new series of Midsomer Murders.
The 55-year-old will play Medora Salt, who is a local pub owner and married to Randall Salt.
It’s understood Nina will play a minor role in the series, which starts on Sunday April 14th on ITV1.
A synopsis for the first episode reads: “The village of Blacktrees-on-Marsh not only sits in the very heart of Midsomer, but extraordinarily enough, it was once also listed on secret Cold War documents that detailed the places in England that Russia would target in the event of nuclear war.
“While the listing is more than likely a myth or a joke that someone cracked in The Huntsman’s Horn, there are still some who are convinced of its truth… even plagued by it.”
Nina previously revealed she would be open to an explosive return to EastEnders if she was asked.
When previously asked about a return to the soap, she said: “Yes, absolutely. If I’m ever asked back, I would go back.”
Nina also said it was her decision to initially leave Walford back in 2013 – despite bosses wanting her to stay.
She said: “They didn’t want me to leave, they loved the character and everything was going well.
“I had just got to a point as an actor where I’m just not one of those actors. I’m an actor who needs to be challenged and pushed a bit more, I missed the creativity of coming up with a new character, so it was a tough decision.”