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AJ Ahmed is a

fictional character In fiction, a character (or speaker, in poetry) is a person or other being in a narrative (such as a novel, play, radio or television series, music, film, or video game). The character may be entirely fictional or based on a real-life person, ...

from the

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...

...

soap opera A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored ...

EastEnders ''EastEnders'' is a Television in the United Kingdom, British soap opera created by Julia Smith (producer), Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BBC One since February 1985. Set in the fictional borough of Walford in the Ea ...

'', played by

Phaldut Sharma Phaldut "Paul" Sharma, also known as Paul Sharma, is a UK-based actor and dancer. He is best known for his roles in Gavin and Stacey as Achmed and Eastenders as AJ Ahmed . Career Television and film Sharma played Vinnay Ramdas in '' Casualty'' ...

. The character made his first on-screen appearance in episode 4458, which was first broadcast in the United Kingdom on 9 July 2012. Sharma filmed his final scenes before Christmas 2013 and the character's final episode was broadcast on 10 January 2014, being episode 4783. AJ is an extension to the established Masood family, the younger brother of established character

Masood Ahmed Masood Ahmed is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera '' EastEnders'', played by Nitin Ganatra. The character made his first appearance in episode 3452, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on 16 October 2007. Masood was introduced as ...

(

Nitin Ganatra Nitin Chandra Ganatra (born 30 June 1967) is a Kenyan-born British actor. He is known for portraying Masood Ahmed in the BBC soap opera, ''EastEnders''. Early and personal life Ganatra was born on 30 June 1967 in Kenya. Both sides of Ganatra' ...

). He is disliked by Masood's wife

Zainab Masood Zainab Khan (also Masood) is a character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Nina Wadia.

(

Nina Wadia Nina Wadia (born 18 December 1968) is a British actress and comedian. She is known for portraying Zainab Masood in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', Aunty Noor in Citizen Khan Mrs Hussein in the BBC comedy '' Still Open All Hours'', and for ...

), but brings out a previously unseen fun side to his brother. AJ is portrayed as a mechanic who is cheeky, fun-loving, irresponsible, annoying and spontaneous, though he makes decisions by flipping a coin. Other storylines include a feud with

Derek Branning Derek Branning is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Terence Beesley in 1996 and then Jamie Foreman from 2011 to 2012. Derek is the eldest child of Jim Branning (John Bardon) and Reenie Branning (Joy Graha ...

(

Jamie Foreman Jamie Foreman (born 25 May 1958) is an English actor best known for his roles as Duke in ''Layer Cake'' (2004) and Bill Sikes in Roman Polanski's ''Oliver Twist'' (2005). Career Foreman played opposite Ray Winstone and Kathy Burke in Gary Oldm ...

), divorcing his wife Aliyah Ahmed (Ann Wenn) and lending support to Masood through financial problems and his breakup with Zainab. The character has received mixed comments from critics, with Laura White from '' Inside Soap'' saying he is "the perfect tonic for a family almost constantly dogged with crisis", and Anthony D. Langford from AfterElton.com praising the character but wondering if the writers knew what to do with him.

Storylines

After his arrival in

Walford Walford is a fictional borough of east London in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. It is the primary setting for the soap. ''EastEnders'' is filmed at Borehamwood in Hertfordshire, towards the north-west of London. Much of the location work ...

, AJ's brother Masood (

) makes sure he avoids his ex-wife Zainab (

), because she dislikes him. AJ proves to be a bad influence on Masood when they damage

's (

) car with a shopping trolley and AJ is punched by Derek. AJ discovers that Masood and Zainab are divorced and later tells Masood he came to Walford because his wife

Aliyah Aliyah (, ; he, עֲלִיָּה ''ʿălīyyā'', ) is the immigration of Jews from Jewish diaspora, the diaspora to, historically, the geographical Land of Israel, which is in the modern era chiefly represented by the Israel, State of Israel ...

(Ann Wenn) has left him. After Masood inspires AJ with his reunion with Zainab, AJ leaves to reconcile with his own wife. He returns a few weeks later saying that he and Aliyah are divorcing. Zainab contacts Aliyah to try to get her to take AJ back, and AJ says that Aliyah had an affair. Aliyah drops off AJ's belongings and reveals that there was no affair. AJ then explains that he left Aliyah because she wants children and he does not. AJ moves in with Masood and his family. Zainab dislikes his laziness and she becomes annoyed when he brings

Roxy Mitchell Roxanne "Roxy" Mitchell (also Slater) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera, ''EastEnders'', portrayed by Rita Simons.Rita Simons Rita Joanne Simons (born 10 March 1977) is an English actress and singer from London. She is best known for playing Roxy Mitchell in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' from 2007 to 2017, when her character was killed-off, alongside her on screen ...

) back after a drunken evening. Roxy stays the night but makes it clear that it was a one-off. AJ gets a job from

Phil Mitchell Phil Mitchell is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Steve McFadden. He was introduced to the soap opera on 20 February 1990 and was followed by his brother Grant Mitchell (EastEnders), Grant (Ross Kemp), s ...

( Steve McFadden) as a mechanic to help the family with their financial problems. He selfishly takes money from the family to buy a motorbike, but then sells it to help pay the mortgage. When Zainab says she will stop interfering in people's lives, AJ uses the opportunity to annoy her. AJ and Aliyah receive their

decree nisi A decree nisi or rule nisi () is a court order that will come into force at a future date unless a particular condition is met. Unless the condition is met, the ruling becomes a decree absolute (rule absolute), and is binding. Typically, the condi ...

. When Zainab has a job interview, AJ tells the interviewer she has short-term memory loss. However, when he apologises via a Post-It note, she returns the apology. AJ supports Masood when his relationship with Zainab ends. When AJ has to look after Masood's young son

Kamil Masood The following are characters who first appeared, or returned, in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' during 2010 listed by order of first appearance. Executive producer Diederick Santer left ''EastEnders'' on 26 February 2010, handing over to Br ...

(Arian Chikhlia), he admits that he is not good with children, and was scared when Aliyah wanted one, because he feels he cannot look after himself properly, let alone a child. However, he bonds well with his nephew. AJ is offered a job as an assistant manager at a garage in

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...

. Although he initially wants to turn down the position, he eventually accepts the job offer. Shortly before he leaves Walford, AJ learns that his mother has died. Masood is angry with AJ when he explains that he cannot attend their mother's funeral. AJ then leaves for Birmingham.

Character creation and development

Casting and introduction

Sharma was recommended for the part of AJ by Nitin Ganatra (Masood) after the character was described to him, because producers wanted AJ and Masood to be funny together. The two actors had previously performed in comedy together in short film ''The Drop'', Channel 4's ''

Meet the Magoons ''Meet the Magoons'' is a six-part comedy television series in the United Kingdom aired on Channel 4 in 2005, directed by and starring Hardeep Singh Kohli. The main characters are a Punjabi family who live in Glasgow, and own an Indian restaurant ...

'' and a programme called ''To Eat with Your Fingers'', so Ganatra thought Sharma would be perfect for the role and he was the first person he thought of. Ganatra and the producers went through ideas of how a brother would affect Masood and what their relationship would be. Ganatra explained that he thought Masood only had one brother until he was told about AJ. When Sharma and Ganatra performed a scene together at Sharma's audition, the dialogue came so naturally to them that producers thought they were improvising, but, as Ganatra explained, they "know each other's style ndhave all these shortcuts. It's like having a real brother." Sharma was offered the part immediately after his interview. Sharma added in March 2013: "I've known Nitin for years and he really lobbied for me to get the role of AJ, and as soon as I finished my audition the producers offered me the part and asked if I wanted a cup of tea, to which I replied, 'Yes please, I've waited 20 years for that cup of tea', but it's been really nice to just jump onto a set with someone I've already bonded with—it's like having a pre-built family to bounce off." He had also previously worked with his co-stars Nina Wadia (

Zainab Masood Zainab Khan (also Masood) is a character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Nina Wadia.

) and

Marc Elliott Marc Gilbert F Elliott (born 19 October 1979) is an English actor from Stratford-upon-Avon, England, who is known for his role as Syed Masood in the BBC television soap opera '' EastEnders''. Personal life Elliott was born on 19 October 1979 ...

( Syed Masood), so felt it was "cool" and "familiar" to work with them. Sharma revealed in an interview with '' Inside Soap'' that his own mother always thought he should play Masood's brother after watching ''EastEnders'' for many years. The first scene Sharma filmed was with Ganatra on the set outside

The Queen Victoria The Queen Victoria (more often referred to as The Queen Vic or The Vic) is the Victorian public house in the BBC soap opera, ''EastEnders''. It has the fictional address of 46 Albert Square, Walford, London E20. Appearance and developmen ...

public house, and he found it "really surreal". The character and Sharma's casting were announced on 1 June 2012. The character's name stands for Amjad Jahangir. It was reported that AJ arrives in Albert Square hoping to reconnect with Masood and build bridges with his family, then AJ gets himself and Masood in trouble, so Masood wonders if AJ is running away from something. Sharma said "I think it's a really fun, colourful and lively part and I can't wait to see where it goes!" Speaking of AJ's arrival, Ganatra said that he felt "very confident, happy and excited about having a new character to play against", especially a new member of the family, "because the Masoods are always about family." AJ first appears in the episode originally broadcast in the UK on 9 July 2012, which is ''EastEnders'' 4458th episode.

Characterisation

AJ is a mechanic, who is described as a chancer who "never misses an opportunity for excitement." He is characterised as a free-spirited, fun-loving and carefree rebel, who does not always realise how his spontaneity affects other people. He is described as cheeky, irresponsible, a bad influence, a joker, a charmer and a talker. It is said that he does not plan or do what people expect of him, is fun to be around and could be running away from life. A writer for the BBC said that he lives "like there's no tomorrow", and makes decisions based on the results of a coin flip. The coin, described as "lucky", is inspired by the

Bollywood Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (fo ...

film ''

Sholay ''Sholay'' (, ) is a 1975 Indian Hindi-language action-adventure film directed by Ramesh Sippy, produced by his father G. P. Sippy, and written by Salim–Javed. The film is about two criminals, Veeru (Dharmendra) and Jai (Amitabh Bachchan) ...

'', in which two friends make decisions based on the flip of a coin, though one friend does not know that both sides of the coin are the same. Ganatra stated in an interview on '' This Morning'' that he did not think that the two sides of AJ's coin were the same. Sharma described AJ as "the clown who loves to play" and "a little bit of a hippy", saying "he's got a real wheeler-dealer,

Del Boy Derek Edward Trotter, more commonly known as Del Boy, is a fictional character from the BBC sitcom ''Only Fools and Horses'' and one of the main characters of its spinoff series, '' Rock & Chips''. He was played by David Jason in the original s ...

aspect to his character." He has twice compared AJ to a puppy dog, because he is nice but annoying, and he is fun but a nuisance. Sharma, who was brought up in Newport, said that "the charm, humour and personality" of Welsh people he knew helped him to create the character of AJ. Laura Morgan from ''

All About Soap ''All About Soap'' was a fortnightly UK magazine founded in October 1999. It was released on Tuesdays. Storylines of the shows it covers are from soap operas shown in the United Kingdom and from Australia, including '' EastEnders'', '' Cor ...

'' called AJ "mischievous", and the magazine also called him "bothersome" and "crazy". Nathan Bevan from '' Western Mail'' has called him "gregarious", an " aggro-magnet", a "trouble-magnet", "wise-cracking" and "wheeler-dealing". He has also been called "flighty", a "tearaway", "naughty" and "good-for-nothing".

Role within the Masood family

AJ is a member of the Pakistani Masood family, headed by Masood Ahmed, played by Ganatra. Masood is married to Wadia's character, Zainab Masood (though at the time of AJ's arrival they are divorced and planning to remarry), and they live with their children Syed Masood (Elliott),

Tamwar Masood Tamwar Masood is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera '' EastEnders'', played by Himesh Patel. He made his first appearance on 1 October 2007. On 12 March 2016, it was announced that Patel would be leaving the show, with Tamwar making hi ...

(

Himesh Patel Himesh Jitendra Patel (born 13 October 1990) is a British actor, musician, and singer. He is known for portraying Tamwar Masood on the BBC soap opera '' EastEnders'' from 2007 to 2016, for starring in the 2019 musical romantic comedy film '' Y ...

) and

(Arian Chikhlia). Masood and AJ also have an older brother, Inzamam Ahmed (Paul Bhattacharjee). AJ is younger than Masood. AJ has been called "the black sheep" of the family and "a delinquent uncle". AJ and Masood had lost touch for three years prior to AJ's arrival, and had fallen out because of an argument between Zainab and AJ's wife Aliyah, said to be that Aliyah once made an obscene comment to her. AJ was described as "the polar opposite to his control freak sister-in-law ainab, and it was said that "sparks

ould Ould is an English surname and an Arabic name ( ar, ولد). In some Arabic dialects, particularly Hassaniya Arabic, ولد‎ (the patronymic, meaning "son of") is transliterated as Ould. Most Mauritanians have patronymic surnames. Notable p ...

fly in the Masood household as the battle lines are drawn etween them" Zainab thinks AJ is reckless and she has little time for him. Ganatra said that there is tension between AJ and Zainab, and although Zainab does not necessarily dislike AJ, she does not like that AJ gets Masood into trouble, and Zainab's hatred for Aliyah does not help. ''Inside Soap'' called Zainab AJ's archrival. AJ brings out a different side to Masood, which Ganatra said could "upset the

status quo is a Latin phrase meaning the existing state of affairs, particularly with regard to social, political, religious or military issues. In the sociological sense, the ''status quo'' refers to the current state of social structure and/or values. W ...

". He said that AJ was brought in "to stir up Masood's life, and that has exciting prospects", and they would "get up to all sorts of shenanigans." Presenter

Kate Thornton Kate Thornton (born 7 February 1973) is an English journalist and broadcaster, best known as the first presenter of ''The X Factor'' (2004–2006) and for presenting daytime shows including ''Loose Women'' (2009–2011) and '' This Morning'' (20 ...

, when interviewing Ganatra, said AJ was a "playmate" for Masood, while Wadia said that AJ brings the comedy back to Masood. ''Inside Soap'' Kate White called AJ "a world away from family man Masood", while ''

Soaplife ''Soaplife'' was a soap opera A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio d ...

'' said AJ is "not a good influence but he sure puts a smile on asood'sface and a new spring in his step." Daniel Kilkelly from

Digital Spy Digital Spy (DS) is a British-based entertainment, television and film website and brand and is the largest digital property at Hearst UK. Since its launch in 1999, Digital Spy has focused on entertainment news related to television programmes, ...

said that AJ's influence on Masood is "infectious". AJ's arrival allows people to see what Masood was like before he married Zainab, as all that was known about him to that point was his life with her. Ganatra stated: "So by opening this door, you get to see what Masood was like in his childhood and as a teenager. Masood did have a naughty streak—he was in a band with his brother, and they got up to mischief. Masood ..has been put on the straight and narrow

ince Ince may refer to: *Ince, Cheshire, a village in Cheshire, UK *Ince-in-Makerfield in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, UK *Ince (UK Parliament constituency), a former constituency covering Ince-in-Makerfield *Ince (ward), an electoral ward covering ...

But prior to that, he was a teenager like any other—getting into trouble, and that was in cahoots with his brother AJ!" Ganatra said that, as British Asians, Masood and AJ grew up going to clubs and getting into trouble with girls. Now, Masood sees AJ as somebody with "no responsibilities, no children and no stress of having to provide for a family" and as AJ suffers marital problems, is feeling lonely and has no children, Ganatra said "they want each other's lives, which is quite a nice dynamic to play." He added that "AJ would love the stability of a family life like Masood's, while Masood would love to pack his bags, get drunk and perhaps end up in a stranger's bed. I'm interested to see him bring out Masood's naughty streak—and where that could take them..." AJ is accepting of Syed's homosexuality and his relationship with

Christian Clarke Christian Clarke is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera '' EastEnders'', portrayed by John Partridge. He first appeared in the show's 3,509th episode, originally broadcast in the United Kingdom on 17 January 2008, and was introduced ...

( John Partridge). Sharma said that AJ would be an "unlikely saviour" for the Masood family when they find themselves in financial trouble. Although he called AJ the "family rebel", he said that the character is "doing what he can to help out with the money problems ecausewhen the going gets tough, AJ will step in to help his loved ones—and while he will probably never take the conventional route, he'll always get something sorted out in the end." He gets a job, and then helps to lift the family's spirits by organising a fireworks display, on which Sharma said, "AJ is just trying to help out his family in his own, dysfunctional way." In November 2012, Zainab makes a promise never to interfere in people's lives, so AJ decides to use the opportunity to test her. Sharma explained: "He is ready to test her promise to the limits! AJ knows exactly how to push all of Zainab's buttons, and now he's going to take full advantage of the fact that she won't let herself be the control freak she normally likes to be!" Jane Simon from the ''

Daily Mirror The ''Daily Mirror'' is a British national daily tabloid. Founded in 1903, it is owned by parent company Reach plc. From 1985 to 1987, and from 1997 to 2002, the title on its masthead was simply ''The Mirror''. It had an average daily print ...

'' said AJ is "thoroughly enjoying" testing Zainab's new policy.

Relationship with other characters

In AJ's first episode, he makes an enemy of

(

) when he and Masood crash a shopping trolley into his car. An insider said that AJ should be worried, explaining: "AJ is a bit of a talker and tries to blag his way out of the situation but that just makes things even worse. Derek is quick to rough him up a little to make him realise he's not to be messed with. The confrontation really shocks AJ but he's not going to be pushed around by some bullying bloke he's just met." The '' Daily Star'' said that "Derek is the one person AJ really shouldn't make into an enemy", while interviewer

Phillip Schofield Phillip Bryan Schofield (born 1 April 1962) is an English television presenter who works for ITV. He is currently the co-presenter of ITV's '' This Morning'' (2002–present) and ''Dancing on Ice'' (2006–2014, 2018–present) alongside Holl ...

stated: "If you knock the wing mirror off Derek's Jag you are in for trouble." On 11 September 2012, it was reported that AJ would seduce

) and they would spend the night together in Masood and Zainab's house after an evening of drinking. At the time, it was unknown if it would be a one-off or if a longer relationship would start. An insider from ''EastEnders'' told ''Inside Soap'' that Roxy and AJ are both looking for fun and they "hit it off" because she loves "a man who can make her laugh and AJ definitely ticks that box." They added that they have "great chemistry" but said that as Roxy is sidetracked by another man, "AJ will have to fight for her affections" if he wants her. An insider also told the ''Daily Star'' that the two "can't keep their hands off each other" and "Roxy is more than up for it." They added that "Zainab would go mental if she knew what they were up to under her roof and it remains to be seen whether they can get away with it. Roxy is the last person who Zainab would want AJ to hook up with. ..Even Masood could not defend his brother this time as he had been pretty disrespectful." Digital Spy also noted chemistry between AJ and Roxy, saying they "clearly enjoy each other's company". Tony Stewart from the ''Daily Mirror'' said the relationship between Roxy and AJ is "played for laughs", contrasting with Roxy's relationship with Michael Moon ( Steve John Shepherd). ''Inside Soap'' expected AJ to be paired up with

Denise Fox Denise Fox (also Wicks and Johnson) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera '' EastEnders'', played by Diane Parish. She made her first appearance on 11 May 2006 and temporarily left ''EastEnders'' in early 2008 to give birth to her ...

(

Diane Parish Diane Parish (born 1 November 1969) is an English actress, who has been portraying the character Denise Fox on the BBC One soap opera ''EastEnders'' since 2006 Born in Chelsea, London and a graduate of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Pari ...

), but actor

Ricky Norwood Richard Colin Norwood (born 15 November 1986) is a British actor who played Fatboy in the soap opera ''EastEnders'' and its online spin-off ''EastEnders: E20''. Ricky appeared on ''Celebrity Big Brother 18'' in 2016, finishing as runner-up behin ...

, who plays Fatboy, spoke about his character's rivalry with AJ over her in an interview with the magazine. He said, "There's a little bit of rivalry building up between

hem A hem in sewing is a garment finishing method, where the edge of a piece of cloth is folded and sewn to prevent unravelling of the fabric and to adjust the length of the piece in garments, such as at the end of the sleeve or the bottom of the g ...

Fatboy can tell that AJ likes Denise. But at party AJ puts a

ong Ong or ONG may refer to: Arts and media * Ong's Hat, a collaborative work of fiction * “Ong Ong”, a song by Blur from the album The Magic Whip Places * Ong, Nebraska, US, city * Ong's Hat, New Jersey, US, ghost town * Ong River, Odisha, ...

on for Denise, and it's just totally wrong. ..Fatboy takes over and ..it gets a big response." ''Inside Soap'' said that AJ does not know what makes Denise tick, while Sharma said "Denise isn't a big fan of AJ at the moment!" In 2013, ''Inside Soap'' said they expected to see AJ paired with

Bianca Jackson Bianca Jackson (also Butcher) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' played by Patsy Palmer. The character was introduced by executive producer Leonard Lewis and appeared initially from 1993 to 1999, when Palmer opted ...

(

Patsy Palmer Julie Anne Merkell (''née'' Harris; born 26 May 1972), known professionally as Patsy Palmer, is an English actress and DJ, known for her roles as Natasha in the children's drama series ''Grange Hill'' (1985–1987), and Bianca Jackson in the ...

), saying, "He's been trying his luck for some time, and surely there's only so long Bianca can fend off AJ. If nothing else, he'd be lots of fun around her kids, as AJ isn't the most mature fella in Albert Square." Vicky Prior from the ''

Metro Metro, short for metropolitan, may refer to: Geography * Metro (city), a city in Indonesia * A metropolitan area, the populated region including and surrounding an urban center Public transport * Rapid transit, a passenger railway in an urba ...

'' also hoped to see AJ find romance with Bianca.

Departure

On 24 September 2013, it was announced that AJ, along with three other characters—

Kirsty Branning The following are characters who first appeared in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' during 2012 listed by order of first appearance. New characters were introduced by Bryan Kirkwood, executive producer. He stepped down from the role in April. ...

(

Kierston Wareing Kierston Wareing (born 7 January 1976) is a British actress. Her first film role was the lead in Ken Loach's '' It's a Free World...'', followed by a supporting role in Andrea Arnold's ''Fish Tank'' – which won the BAFTA award for ‘Best Bri ...

Poppy Meadow Poppy Meadow is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Rachel Bright. She was introduced by executive producer Bryan Kirkwood on 11 January 2011 as the best friend of established character Jodie Gold ( Kylie Ba ...

(

Rachel Bright Rachel Bright is an English actress, known for portraying the role of Poppy Meadow in the BBC soap opera '' EastEnders''. Career Bright was introduced as Poppy Meadow on the BBC soap opera '' EastEnders'' in two episodes on 11 and 13 January 2 ...

) and

Carl White Carl White is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera '' EastEnders'', played by Daniel Coonan. He first appears in the 4660th episode, originally broadcast in the United Kingdom on 20 June 2013. Carl is the ex-boyfriend of Kirsty Brann ...

(

Daniel Coonan Daniel Coonan is a British actor. Early life Coonan was brought up in Haringey, in north London, moving to Plymouth, Devon in his teens, where he took up acting lessons. He trained at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. Career Afte ...

)—had been axed from the series by the new executive producer

Dominic Treadwell-Collins Dominic Treadwell-Collins (born 26 August 1977) is a British television producer, known for his work on the soap operas ''Family Affairs'' and ''EastEnders'', creating the ''EastEnders'' spin-off series '' Kat & Alfie: Redwater'' and Executive P ...

. It was reported that Treadwell-Collins was "determined to get ''EastEnders'' back to its best" and a spokesperson confirmed the departures. Reports said that it was hoped the move would increase ratings, and a show source added that " readwell-Collinsdidn't feel the characters who are leaving fit with the direction he is taking the show so he quickly decided to write them out. He has only been in a month but he is already making big changes. He knows what he wants for ''EastEnders'' and is putting plans in place quickly." Sharma filmed his final scenes before Christmas 2013 and the character's final appearance was on 10 January 2014.

Reception

Kay Ribeiro from ''

Heat In thermodynamics, heat is defined as the form of energy crossing the boundary of a thermodynamic system by virtue of a temperature difference across the boundary. A thermodynamic system does not ''contain'' heat. Nevertheless, the term is al ...

'' said, "We like new boy AJ. Not only is he a laugh ..but he's providing light relief during asoodand ainabs split, which is making us sad." Laura Morgan from ''All About Soap'' hoped that AJ would become a permanent character after his initial appearances. In October 2012, Allison Jones from ''Inside Soap'' said, "AJ has proved the perfect tonic for a family almost constantly dogged with crisis ndhis tenacious ability to wind up Zainab never fails to entertain! AJ may have only been in Walford for a few months, but it already feels as if we've known him for ages." She also called Sharma and Ganatra, "a killer on-screen pairing". Nathan Bevan from Welsh newspaper '' Western Mail'' praised Sharma's role in ''EastEnders'', naming him as one of "50 things you should look forward to in Wales" in 2013, saying, "Anyone who injects a little sunshine into the 'Chekhov with a covered market' drudgery of ''EastEnders'' should be automatically given an Outstanding Contribution to Broadcasting Award in our book. So well done Newport's very own Phaldut Sharma who, since arriving in Walford as Masood Ahmed's gregarious but aggro-magnet brother AJ, has helped break up the unrelenting, bicker-filled misery of Albert Square." Bevan later said that Sharma has "shaken up the residents of Walford as the wise-cracking, wheeler-dealing AJ Ahmed", adding, "He's the gregarious, trouble-magnet who's brought some much needed sunshine to the sombre, squabble-filled soapiness of Albert Square." Anthony D. Langford from AfterElton.com said AJ was a "find" but thought the writers might not be sure what to do with the character. Vicky Prior from the ''Metro'' said AJ "has lit up the square with his gently laddish behaviour." After AJ and Derek fight in August 2012, Emma Roberts from MSN Entertainment said it was one of the best fights of 2012, scoring it 5 out of 5 and saying, "This is how soap fights should always be done! It was like Walford turned into the wild west." A writer from MSN TV said that AJ's drunken kiss with Roxy was one of ''EastEnders'' 20 worst storylines of 2012, asked if it was serious and said that it was only made a "little bit believable" because they were both drunk. In the episode broadcast on 2 November 2012, AJ helps his family stand up to

Danny Pennant The following are characters who first appeared in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' during 2012 listed by order of first appearance. New characters were introduced by Bryan Kirkwood, executive producer. He stepped down from the role in April. ...

(

Gary Lucy Gary Edward Lucy (born 27 November 1981) is an English actor, television personality and model who is best known for playing Will Fletcher in the ITV police drama ''The Bill'', Luke Morgan in ''Hollyoaks'', Kyle Pascoe in '' Footballer's Wives ...

). Claire Crick from ''All About Soap'' called AJ the "highlight" of the episode, saying, "we never thought we'd say this, but he's really quite funny! We loved how he rallied the family together to stand up to Danny". AJ, who undertakes self-defence classes in a storyline, was used as an example by a spokesperson for the show when ''EastEnders'' and other British soap operas were criticised in a study of 830 scenes over two weeks, made by Liverpool John Moores University

Business School A business school is a university-level institution that confers degrees in business administration or management. A business school may also be referred to as school of management, management school, school of business administration, o ...

, who said that exercise was only shown or mentioned on four occasions. Sharma received two award nominations for his role of AJ: a

British Soap Award The British Soap Awards (BSAs) are an annual awards ceremony in the United Kingdom which honours the best moments in British soap operas. The ceremony is televised on ITV and has been presented by Phillip Schofield since 2006. The trophies give ...

for Sexiest Male, and an Inside Soap Award for Funniest Male, both in 2013. He was not shortlisted for either award. After his departure was announced, James Lowe from ''All About Soap'' opined that he, and the other three characters cut from the show at the same time, were "the right people to go". Yahoo! TV UK said they were "a little bit disappointed" about AJ's departure, because he "has been good value."

References

External links

*
AJ Ahmed
on

IMDb IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ahmed, AJ Ahmed family Male characters in television Television characters introduced in 2012 Fictional mechanics Fictional Pakistani diaspora

Storylines

Character creation and development

Casting and introduction

Characterisation

Role within the Masood family

Relationship with other characters

Departure

Reception

See also

References

External links