A daughter caught between a mix of Eastern and Western values; a mother on the prowl, preoccupied with reputation; a bunch of stiff upper lipped relatives; tales of forced marriage and torture. This is the Masood family, the latest Asian experiment to be performed on hit BBC soap Eastenders.

Eastenders has long had a reputation of flirting with the reputation of British Asians, casting many unsuccessful or low key characters/families. The Ferreira’s, the 2003 attempt to depict an Asian family, crashed and burned with vengeance; they were criticized as being unrealistic, and failed to show the dynamics of British Asians.

So the latest offering, the Masood family; believable or unbelievable?

True that the Masoods have spent less time in the local watering hole than any other Asian Eastender - but taking all things into consideration, they seem to be representing nothing more than a token Asian family. The producers in the past have been criticized by the Commission of Racial Equality for not depicting the ethnic mix that is true of the East End - thus the Masoods may simply be a pawn in the game to meet broadcasting standards.

This family is heavily based on the past experience with other Asian families in Eastenders. Having realized that they have brought Asian characters into the Square in the past, and simultaneously removed their cultural identities, the producers have now attempted to mould the characters in the cultural bubble?

The representation of the Masood family adds fire to these assumptions. Zaynab Masood has fierce traditional misgivings about many issues, including the subject of her daughter’s marriage and education. Though there is no exaggerated showdown portrayed when she catches Shabnam practicing on a pole dancing circuit, it doesn’t make Zaynab any less of a stereotype. She is hardy, extremely defensive of her families’ reputation, and in certain ways, controlled by dominant male relatives. She has high expectations of her family, especially her daughter, and is highly critical of Western practices. The bubble of cultural stereotypes extends further when Zainab recounts her tale of being tortured by her family for having an unacceptable love interest.

So are these stereotypes not potentially damaging? Viewers watching the hit soap are in danger of falling into the trap of assuming that forced marriage is a norm in Asian families, and that parents are forcefully imposing on their offspring. The current plentiful coverage of arranged marriage in the media does not help the situation. Every now and again a horror story appears which demonizes the age old practice of an ‘arranged marriage’. Within this current climate, producers should be careful in the stereotypes they depict, for fear of whipping up hatred in people’s minds.

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