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Deepak Verma MBE (b. 11 February 1969) [1] is a British actor, writer and television/film producer of Indian Punjabi descent and Hindu heritage. His role as market-stall trader Sanjay Kapoor in long-running BBC One soap opera EastEnders brought him to the attention of UK mainstream viewers. [2]
Verma trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama. He made his television debut in the Scottish detective series Taggart in 1992. However, he is best known for his portrayal of the adulterous gambler Sanjay Kapoor in the popular BBC soap opera EastEnders (1993–1998). [2] During his time on the show, Verma's character was central to many explosive storylines, including the breakdown of his marriage to Gita (Shobu Kapoor), caused by his extramarital affair with her sister, as well as being falsely accused of her suspected murder. The couple eventually left Walford together in the midst of press scandal.
Since leaving EastEnders in 1998, Verma has set up his own film and television production company, Pukkanasha Films. [3]
His first play, Pool of Tranquility, was selected in the finals of the Royal Court Young People's Theatre's young writers' festival in 1992, where it was a finalist. That led to a BBC Radio 4 commission to write a play based on the life of India's most famous bandit, Phoolan Devi, 'Bandit Queen'. He's since penned further plays for Radio 4, the BBC World Service and a play at the King's Head, Islington, London.
Verma was chosen to represent the UK at the Talent Campus at the Berlinale 2004, Berlin Film Festival.
Deepak won an award for achievement for his contribution to the arts, presented by Keith Vaz MP at the House of Commons in 1997.
Verma continues to act on mainstream television in the UK. Other notable credits include Holby City (2001); White Teeth (2002); River City (2003); Doctors (2003) and All About Me (2003). [4]
In 2010 Verma conceived Faith Shorts, a global film competition to inspire young people to make short films about their faith. This was developed and produced by the Tony Blair Faith Foundation and is an annual event.
Verma was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2017 Birthday Honours for services to the arts. [5]
Shekhar Kulbhushan Kapur is an Indian filmmaker. Born into the Anand-Sahni family, Kapur is the recipient of several accolades, including a BAFTA Award, a National Film Award, a National Board of Review Award and three Filmfare Awards, in addition to nomination for a Golden Globe Award.
Pauline Perpetua Sheen is an English actress. She began her career with roles on various television series, before fronting her own comedy sketch show, Pauline's Quirkes, in 1976. She later starred as Vicky Smith on the BBC drama series Angels (1982–1983), and achieved fame with her portrayal of Sharon Theodopolopodous on the long-running sitcom Birds of a Feather, for which she won a British Comedy Award and was nominated on three occasions for a National Television Award. In 1997, she was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actress for her role in the BBC miniseries The Sculptress. Between 2010 and 2012, Quirke played Hazel Rhodes on the ITV soap opera Emmerdale.
Matthew Robinson is a British-Cambodian television and film executive producer, producer, director and writer. After graduating from Cambridge University. he directed many episodes of popular British television dramas and soap operas in the 1970s and 1980s. He became the first producer of the series Byker Grove (1989–1997), and was also made the executive producer of EastEnders (1998–2000).
Tamzin Maria Outhwaite is an English actress, presenter and narrator. Since playing the role of Mel Owen in the BBC soap opera EastEnders, she has starred in a number of theatre and television productions, including army series Red Cap and crime drama New Tricks.
Ben Price is an English actor, director and writer. He has played the role of Nick Tilsley in the ITV soap opera Coronation Street and has made four films as a writer/director, the first of which, I'm Sorry To Tell You, was BAFTA-shortlisted.
Gillian Wright is an English actress, known for portraying the role of Jean Slater on the BBC soap opera EastEnders since 2004, for which she has won numerous awards. She previously worked as a drama teacher and a theatre director before occupying acting roles.
Richard Cole is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Ian Reddington between 23 July 1992 and 21 July 1994.
Lindsey Coulson is an English actress, known for her portrayal of Carol Jackson on the BBC soap opera EastEnders. For this, she won the 2000 British Soap Award for Best Dramatic Performance. Other roles include Cheryl in Manchild (2002–2003), DC Rosie McManus in Murder Investigation Team (2003–2005), DCI Sarah Tanner in Bulletproof (2018–2021), and Penny Armstrong in The Bay (2019–2021). Coulson's film credits include AKA (2003) and Funny Cow (2017).
Sanjay Kapoor is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Deepak Verma from 9 February 1993 to 24 September 1998.
Gita Kapoor is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Shobu Kapoor, from 18 February 1993 to 24 September 1998.
Shobu Kapoor is an Indian British actress. She is most notable for playing the role of Gita Kapoor, the long-suffering wife of market trader Sanjay, in the BBC soap opera EastEnders from 1993 to 1998.
Jamila Massey is an Indian actress and writer. Massey has had a long career on UK television and radio. She is known for playing Auntie Satya in the long-running radio soap The Archers, Jamila Ranjha in Mind Your Language, and Sanjay Kapoor's mother Neelam in EastEnders.
Polly Becker is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Victoria Gould from 25 March 1997 until 22 September 1998.
Jamie Simon Borthwick is an English actor. He rose to prominence for his portrayal as Jay Brown in the BBC soap opera EastEnders which he has starred in since 2006. His role on EastEnders earned him a British Soap Award for "Best Dramatic Performance from a Young Actor or Actress" in 2008.
Syed Masood is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Marc Elliott, and first appeared on screen on 21 April 2009. Syed is a British Pakistani and is the eldest son of Masood Ahmed and Zainab Masood, and older brother of Tamwar, Shabnam and Kamil Masood. Syed's storylines see him fall in love with a man, Christian Clarke, and his eventual acceptance that he is gay. Syed initially marries his girlfriend Amira Shah but later comes out, and enters a relationship with Christian, despite the pressures of his family and his Muslim faith.
EastEnders: E20 is a British Internet soap opera, which began airing on 8 January 2010. A spin-off from the established BBC soap EastEnders, it is set in EastEnders' regular setting of Albert Square, a Victorian square in the fictional borough of Walford, in the East End of London. Each series follows a group of teenage characters: Zsa Zsa Carter, Leon Small, Fatboy and Mercy Olubunmi in series 1; Asher Levi and his brother Sol, Naz Mehmet, and Stevie Dickinson in series 2; and Ava Bourne, Donnie Lester and Faith Olubunmi in series 3. The show's title comes from Walford's fictional London postcode district, E20. The four characters from series 1 also appear in EastEnders, as well as Faith from series 3.
Laura Norton is an English actress, known for her role as Kerry Wyatt on the ITV soap opera Emmerdale. Norton has also appeared in numerous television series working for ITV and the BBC, and has significant theatre credits, including The Royal Shakespeare Company and the Live Theatre Company.
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