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EastEnders welcomes back a familiar face – well, sort of – as Ash Panesar returns to Walford, surprising brother Vinny (Shiv Jalota) and mum Suki Panesar-Unwin (Balvinder Sopal).
The character, a former mainstay of the Square, was last seen in 2023 when she left for a new job in Canada.
But after three years away, Ash is back on our screens, with Vinny left reeling when he gets a call from the police station to say that his mum’s been arrested, only for him to discover that it was actually Ash, who needs his assistance.
The timing of his sister’s return couldn’t have come at a worse time given that he just welcomed son Ethan home with Penny Branning (Kitty Castledine), who gave birth last week.
Shortly after Ash is back on the Square, it’s not long before she and Suki are at each other’s throats as old wounds are reopened.
If you’re struggling to remember who Ash is and when we last saw her then fear not as we’ve got everything you need to know.
Who is Ash Panesar in EastEnders and who plays her?
Ash is the daughter of Suki and Nish Panesar (Navin Chowdhry) and sister to Vinny, Kheerat (Jaz Deol) and Jags (Amar Adatia).
She is played by Sakira Vel, who is taking over from Gurlaine Kaur Garcha, who played the role between 2019 and 2023.
Ash rocked up in Walford seven years ago, shortly after the arrival of siblings, Kheerat, Vinny and Jags. The character was initially introduced as Iqra Ahmed’s (Priya Davdra) girlfriend, with her connection to the already established Panesar clan coming later.
And it didn’t take long for viewers to realise that she was estranged from domineering mum Suki, with the two having a difficult relationship.
Ash worked as a doctor at the Panesar House Surgery and her storylines included a relationship with Peter Beale (Dayle Hudson) – who also had a brief one night stand with Suki – getting to know dad Nish, who had been in prison most of her life.
She left the Square in 2023 for a new job in Canada. Nish ordered Suki to forbid Ash from going but, desperate to get her daughter away from controlling and abusive Nish, she instead did whatever it took to ensure she left – even if it meant damaging their relationship further.
The scene in question brought to an end Gurlaine’s time on the soap. Gurlaine addressed her exit in a social media post at the time, writing: ‘hopefully it’s not goodbye forever’.
Ash has had limited contact with her family since.
She got engaged and married last year, with Vinny invited to the celebrations. Mum Suki, however, was left out and thus fans can expect things to be tense between the two upon her return.
Discussing taking over the role of Ash, star Sakira Vel said: ‘When I got the call offering me the role, I don’t think I could truly believe it until I finally made it onto the Square!
‘EastEnders is an absolute television icon, and the show was essentially the backdrop to my childhood.
‘Taking on the role of Ash is a real honour and I cannot wait for the audience to see what we have in store as she dives straight into the Panesar family chaos”.
Executive Producer Ben Wadey said: ‘We’re delighted to welcome Ash back to Walford and to have Sakira Vel join the EastEnders cast.
‘With unresolved tensions still simmering between Ash and her family, her unexpected return is set to create new challenges for the Panesar family’.
EastEnders airs Mondays to Thursdays at 7:30pm on BBC One or stream from 6am on BBC iPlayer.
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