ITV deny Georgia May Foote axed for refusing Islamic storyline

Do you remember in the 70s and early 80s when the Sunday tabloids had a field day after a footballer was exposed as a love cheat or an actor left a soap?

They'd get the footballer, or actor, or whoever, into the paper, plaster their face all over the pages alongside their words, each one coming out as bitter as you'd expect, especially when it was a soap actor and they'd been sacked.

Well, it's happened again. Today. And no, it's not 1972 but this story in The Sun on Sunday makes it feel like it is.

Marc Anwar, who was sacked from Corrie as Sharif Nazir, after making racist remarks back in 2016, has turned up in a double page spread in The Sun on Sunday today. He criticises most everyone in the cast he worked with saying the following:

• Georgia May Foote left the show after she refused to allow her character Katy Armstrong to turn to Islam.  And what does Georgia have to say to that today publicly on twitter?  Well, she says this:

Again. Fake shit stories. As an actress i would have jumped at the chance to play such a diverse storyline. This was not the reason behind me leaving the show i loved and cherished for 5 years.

— Georgia May Foote (@georgiafoote) 29 April 2018

The soap itself also denied the reports today , with a Coronation Street spokesperson telling Digital Spy: "Georgia never refused to do any storyline during her time in the show."

I reckon, based on ITV and Georgia's response to the story, and Marc's reason for leaving the show himself, that the rest of the story in The Sun on Sunday can be taken with a huge pinch of salt too.  But let's have a look at what he does say, because by 'eck, it's funny.

He has a pop at Sair Khan, who plays Alya Nazir and complains about the way that Muslims are depicted in the show. He complains about Antony Cotton being unfriendly.  He even says that Shelley King, who plays Yasmeen Nazir took food home from the canteen. Well, I never!

Well, it goes on, as petty and bitter as it can be. What a shame, but also, what a tabloid throwback to the days of anything goes gossip, eh?

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Marc Anwar sacked from Coronation Street

Actor Marc Anwar, who plays Sharif Nazir, was fired yesterday by ITV. It's in all the media, but using the Radio Times as a source, he allegedly posted racist comments on Twitter.

"ITV said in a statement: “We are deeply shocked by the entirely unacceptable, racially offensive comments made on Twitter by Marc Anwar. We have talked to Marc and, as a consequence of his comments, he will not be returning to Coronation Street with immediate effect.”

ITV has decided that scenes already filmed will be shown but after that, Sharif will be minimised on screen until the character's exit. The current plot deals with the discovery of Sharif's seven year affair with family friend, Sonia, and it's believe that once his family finds out, the emphasis will be on his wife and grandchildren which will make it easier for the powers that be to work around the situation.

Rather than post here what the offending comments were, if you want to know, click through the link above. 

Updated: Marc Anwar has posted an apology and you can see the video on the Manchester Evening News website, here.


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Kal's muslim family to join Coronation Street

Coronation Street's new personal trainer Khalid will be getting a family on the show when his dad, mam, son and daughter move in.

Kal will become more prominent on screen over the next few months as he will go into business with Dev to open a gym at the Victoria Court complex.

Coronation Street's produer Stuart Blackburn says: "We've established that Kal, his son and his daughter live with Kal's mum and dad. We're going to see his mum, dad and his children - we're probably going to bring them onto the street and they'll be the first Muslim family that Corrie has ever had."

On Kal's dad Sharif, he added: "Sharif retired some time ago. He isn't rich, but he'd made enough money. We imagine that there were some health problems and his wife said, 'Now you're no longer going to go to work 12 hours a day!'"

Kal's dad will be played by actor Marc Anwar.  The rest of Kal's family have yet to be cast.

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