Well, well, well...

Looks like we're one step closer to the theory that some of us dreamed up on DS recently ...

I agree that his comments on Twitter are disgusting. I see he's now made his tweets protected, which I'm guessing means that only accepted followers can see.

Viewers will see him on the screen until his sacking happens.

Just reading about what he's done. Not sure what his reasons were for saying what he did and I don't care because it they were disgusting comments and he's got what he deserved. Easiest way to axe him is kill him offscreen. Simple and then his affair is revealed.

I actually think that Sharif dying off screen and then the affair reveal could be more powerful. It leaves Yasmeen with a host of unanswered questions as well as unresolvable frustration, anger and feelings of betrayal.

In many ways it's similar to when Len Fairclough was killed off back in 1983, with Rita discovering that Len had been having an affair with another woman for some time.

Absolutely disgusting behaviour. It's bad enough he's felt the need to air such racist comments without making them public on Twitter.

Being in the public eye you think they'd know better than to post such hateful remarks.

Don't Coronation Street tend to film six to eight weeks in advance? I'm guessing now the hasty re-writes will lead to the exposure of the "affair" much sooner with either Sharif being killed off by Sonia's husband OR dying at the hands of Vinny/Phelan.

Considering his career starts in the 80s under the name Omar Salimi in things like Terrance Dicks' Vanity Fair, Juliet Bravo, etc, this is him in ONe By One alongside Ben Daniels, https://youtu.be/SE324ZqW_iA?t=2743 it seems more reasonable he is 55 though he is playing roughly ten years older. He's miscast though. I do wonder are they even considering a quick recast.

But Ferreira in Eastenders - wasn't he nearly 20 years younger than Madhur Jaffrey - who played his wife.

He should have been sacked for his acting ages ago, but it's a genuine shame he's been sacked for racism as it's a disgusting trait. I wonder if he will blame it on a Twitter hack or even say it wasn't him, no blue tick and only 90 followers?
As for Corrie I hope this means the Christmas eps will be better than the yawn fest that is the Nazirs now! First Alya now Sharif - are affairs literally the only way they can be spiced up?

They could always do a re-cast with a different actor playing the part.

Just give Jimi Harkishin the role. Dev and Sharif are essentially the same character anyway ...

Wow that's the end of him

Shocking comments and a real headache of a situation for producers given he's slap bang in the middle of a high profile storyline which is reportedly central to the Chriatmas episodes.

I also wonder if the best way to deal with it is a hasty recast... Otherwise the planning and writing of the Christmas episodes, arguably the most high profile, could be jeopardised.

He could do both parts, might be a bit tricky if they had scenes together but other than that I think he could manage.

It can work ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJHoI8FpLho

They could try and get Nitin Ganatra to play the part as he is leaving EE soon.

He is only 45 really! That means he is only 2 years older than the guy who played his son. His character must be 20 years older or nearly 20 years older. Also didn't they just celebrate 45th wedding anniversary in the show!

He is 55 (playing a 65 year old).

Just recast him. It will show the racist actor he was not that important. Viewers dont really care for him, he hasnt been in the show that long so whats the problem. Move on with a new (better) actor and forget about this idiot.

Normally in situations where an actor gets sacked from a soap, even where they've been an idiot and I think it's deserved, I have a bit of sympathy for them- it's easy to make a mistake and it's a shame to lose what is the opportunity of a lifetime for most.

But this is just totally inexcusable. Disgusting comments. Like someone else said, it's bad enough to hold these views, but to post them all over Twitter?! Corrie had no choice but to wield the axe. He's not going to be a missed character, but I feel for his onscreen family who may well have to deal with a mess of a story Ferreira-style in the wake of an unexpected exit.

What a prat. Good riddance.

A bit of a blessing in disguise in a sense, since they're messing up the character. I'm not sure how far in advance they film, presumably the Christmas episodes haven't been done yet. Messy off screen exit ahoy: I suspect Yasmeen will find out about the affair without him actually appearing, then we'll hear that he's been kicked out off screen. Or maybe he just disappears and then Yasmeen finds out and realises that's why he's gone? Can't see them killing him off personally but I could be wrong.

Actually yer it must be a mistake. It says in other sources he was born in 1961 making him 55. I was gonna say 45 seemed a bit young when Said Khan who plays his granddaughter is 28. How old is the character though? If he has just had 45 years married he must at least be 63 surely.

Yes more likely is he'll leave with sonia. What would be good is if both him and Sonia are killed off in a car crash and then the family finding out he was leaving them all for Sonia.

That is basically the plot they did when Peter Adamson as Len Fairclough was killed off off-screen after tabloid revelations.

I really think that there could be much more mileage in the story now that Marc Anwar has left the show. I like the idea that he leaves Yasmeen and the rest of the family to run away with Sonia, but then an accident leaves Sharif dead and the truth slowly comes out. Perhaps he could tell the family that he is going on an extended trip to Pakistan (a standard soap ruse, frequently used by EastEnders) but he is instead moving somewhere else in the UK to be with Sonia. We'd also get a showdown between Yasmeen and Sonia at some point. Sharif dies in the accident but Sonia survives, leaving Yasmeen with hundreds of questions as to what Shariff was getting up to. We also have the added element of Alya knowing about the affair as well as Rana. Does Zeedan know? I think it could make what is a generally humdrum affair storyline into something much more powerful.