PETE’S ROVER REWARDS TO CLINCH IT FOR CARLA
AN EastEnders murder plot is helping to tackle London’s knife crime epidemic, cast members have claimed.
In harrowing scenes earlier this year, teenager Shakil, played by Shaheen Jafargholi, top right, died after he was the victim of a gang stabbing.
Bosses were keen to show the misery caused by blade attacks.
And his co-star Zack Morris, bottom right, whose character Keegan was also stabbed, said: “I’m proud of what we’ve done. If we can stop just one person from picking up a knife then we’re helping.”
Shaheen, 21, has seen first-hand how it is helping raise awareness.
He told the Daily Star Sunday: “I’ve had people come up to me and tell me they know people who have been involved in knife-related incidents. Watching the storyline has helped them.
“The hope is it will convince people not to be involved in things like this. I’ve been overwhelmed at the response the storyline received. My Twitter was crazily updating every five seconds.” Zack, 19, said: “I’ve had so many messages on social media. The response has been crazy with people saying how relevant and how well it’s been done.
“For me as an actor that’s humbling – to get recognised for doing something so current and relevant.
But, of course, it’s bittersweet because it’s bad that it’s so relevant.”
More than 70 murder investigations have been opened in London so far this year, with more than half of them involving knives.
There have been more than 1,200 reported stabbings. In April, London’s murder rate overtook New York’s for the first time in modern history.
EastEnders bosses worked with people affected by knife crime for the storyline, including former star Brooke Kinsella whose brother was killed in 2008.
Shaheen said: “You work every day on different storylines on EastEnders. But with this you can feel how much of an effect it’s had on people. That really hits home and reminds you why soaps are so important.” Shaheen was on EastEnders for two-and-ahalf years and said his final storyline was the toughest.
He said: “It is emotional, how could it not be? It’s something that is so harrowing to even think about, let alone hear other people’s experiences. “You can’t help but be a little bit affected afterwards.
“But I’m proud of what the show has done. It’s creating change and raising awareness and educating people on this horrible thing.
“With soaps a lot of people come and go. So to leave with such a poignant storyline was a blessing.” CORRIE’S knicker factory war will end when Peter Barlow bails out his ex-lover Carla Connor.
The Connors are battling with Underworld owner Alya Nazier over who owns the company.
Carla’s half-brother Aidan, who took his own life last month, left his shares to Alya in his will.
But when Aidan helped to save Carla’s life by giving her a kidney, she had signed over all her own shares to him as a thank you. As things get nastier between Carla and Alya her knight in shining armour appears in the shape of Peter, who discovered his fiancée Toyah’s baby lie on Friday night.
As the fall out continues, the couple will sell the Rovers Return – with Peter using his share of the money to buy out Alya from the factory. Whether this leads to a reunion between him and Carla