Jags Panesar | |||||||||||||||||||||
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EastEnders character | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Portrayed by | Amar Adatia | ||||||||||||||||||||
Duration | 2019–2020 | ||||||||||||||||||||
First appearance | Episode 6001 4 October 2019 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Last appearance | Episode 6144 9 October 2020 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Classification | Former; regular | ||||||||||||||||||||
Introduced by | Jon Sen | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Jags Panesar is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders , played by Amar Adatia. Jags was introduced alongside brothers Kheerat Panesar (Jaz Deol), and Vinny Panesar (Shiv Jalota) in episode 6001, broadcast on 4 October 2019. Billed by executive producer Jon Sen to bring "charm and chaos", the trio of brothers were also marked as soap's first Punjabi Sikh family in its history. Sen was also vocal about his eagerness to introduce stories from different cultures through the brothers. Adatia expressed excitement to join the soap as he never expected to be cast on it. Jags's storylines included abducting Lola Pearce (Danielle Harold), his prior connection to Chantelle Atkins (Jessica Plummer), his romance with Habiba Ahmed (Rukku Nahar), and being framed by his mother Suki Panesar (Balvinder Sopal), resulting in his imprisonment.
After Jags tells his family about his relationship with Habiba, which Adatia considered a landmark moment for his character, Suki's fury leads her to frame Jags for attacking Martin Fowler (James Bye), despite knowing Jags's brother Vinny was responsible. Despite Adatia having prior commitments to other projects, and knowing from his casting that his time on the soap was limited, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on television meant the actor could stay on the show for longer to finish filming his character's storylines. Jags was arrested in October 2020, making his final on-screen appearance in episode 6144, broadcast on 9 October 2020. Eight months later, it was revealed that Jags had been murdered of-screen in a prison attack. Jags's exit story and eventual death were met with a mixed critical response.
Jags and his brother Kheerat (Jaz Deol) first arrive in Walford to confront Ben Mitchell (Max Bowden) after he steals Kheerat's car. They threaten him with retaliation unless the car is returned to them. When Ben fails to deliver, Jags kidnaps Lola Pearce (Danielle Harold), though he is berated by Kheerat for this and later lets her go after Ben comes to meet them and promises to repay them. A few weeks later, Jags and Kheerat, joined by their other brother Vinny (Shiv Jalota) arrive on the Square in search of their sister Ash Panesar (Gurlaine Kaur Garcha). While there, Jags reckognises Chantelle Atkins (Jessica Plummer) stood at a bus stop, and tells Kheerat that he used to have a crush on her at school, and that they once went on a date. The Panesar siblings later move to Walford and are eventually joined by their mother Suki (Balvinder Sopal). When Suki is revealed to have lied about having cancer, Jags is the first of the family to forgive her.
Jags gets close to and eventually enters a secret relationship with Habiba Ahmed (Rukku Nahar), though he fears Suki's reaction as Habiba is Muslim and Jags is Sikh, ultimately deciding against going public. In September 2020, Vinny attacks Martin Fowler (James Bye) in a botched staged robbery, and Jags helps to clear up the evidence. After challenging his family's treatment of their tenants, Jags goes public about his relationship with Habiba. Enraged, Suki hands Jags' bloody jeans into the police, telling them he attacked Martin. Jags is wrongfully arrested and reluctantly agrees to plead guilty for the crime. He is sentenced to 4 years in prison. Months later, the Panesar family learn that Jags has gotten on the wrong side of a gang in prison, and Kheerat makes an agreement with Ben to arrange protection for him. Meanwhile, Habiba gives birth to Jags' son, Tyrion, off-screen. Kheerat remains hopeful for Jags' welfare, however Ben later cancels the protection in an act of rage. Shortly afterwards, in June 2021, the Panesars learn that Jags had been beaten to death in an attacked in his cell.
On 21 August 2019, it was announced that the Panesar brothers, consisting of Jags (Amar Adatia), Kheerat (Jaz Deol), and Vinny (Shiv Jalota), would join the soap in the upcoming Autumn. [1] The brothers were teased to arrive with "score to settle" with another family and were billed by show bosses as "charming by nature but still a force to be reckoned with". [1] Jags, along with Kheerat and Vinny, were the first Sikh characters to appear on the soap. [1] Executive producer Jon Sen teased that the brothers would "bring their own unique blend of charm and chaos onto the Square". [2] He continued by promising they would arrive to "settle the score" with another family, but "fate quickly takes a hand" and results in the brothers settling in Walford. [2] Speaking on the news of his casting, Adatia was excited to join: "My younger self would never have believed I'd be on EastEnders. It's pretty amazing to be part of one of the most iconic television shows alongside some of the best actors in the business. I really am so grateful". [1] The brothers were created to be new regular characters for the soap. [3]
Upon his introduction, Jags is 27 years old and the middle child of the three brothers. [1] Jags was said to be envious of Kheerat's lifestyle as Kheerat was a successful businessman, [1] having "always" had difficulty to step out of his shadow. [2] Despite this, it was said that Jags "idolised" his older brother. [3] He was billed as being "no-nonsense", [3] a "try-hard", and often leaving his brothers and the rest of his family "unimpressed" as none of his plans would ever come to fruition, "despite his best intentions". [3] The brothers would have a "strong dynamic", including "a lot of mischief" and "just a hint of jealousy". [4] Ahead of their arrival, Sen disclosed that the brothers would "turn up" in Walford "with a mission that will become apparent". [4] Sen enthused about being "thrilled" to introduce the "vibrant" siblings, especially excited to explore their storylines. [2] He was also keen to introduce the show's first Sikh characters, explaining: "EastEnders is a show that prides itself on diversity, representing modern London and modern Britain. We were really keen at finding a way of telling stories from the Sikh community". [4] Jags and Kheerat were set appear first and be followed by Vinny. [5] Spoilers and teasers leading up to their arrival showcased that the brothers would be "gunning for" Ben Mitchell (Max Bowden), Jags and Kheerat arriving to threaten him for stealing Kheerat's car. [5] The dispute would result in Jags abducting Lola Pearce (Danielle Harold) as revenge on Ben for crossing his brother. [3] Jags and Kheerat made their first appearance in episode 6001, broadcast on 4 October 2019. [3]
In March 2020, after a heartfelt conversation with Habiba Ahmed (Rukku Nahar), the characters shared an unexpected kiss and slept together. [6] It was announced that the show would explore a romance between the pair as Habiba would "begin to see Jags in a new light" after he confides in her about his relationship with his cold mother Suki (Balvinder Sopal) and about an old friend of his being at death's door. [7] Following the inaugural night, Jags and Habiba began to date in secret. [8] Adatia explained that the relationship enlightened Jags to his mother's ruthlessness, describing Habiba and Suki as the "angel and the devil" on Jags's shoulders. [9] He continued by confirming that the romance provided opportunities for Jags to change for the better, explaining "having someone else giving him that positive influence opens his eyes and he starts realising that he could have a better life". [9] "Trouble" was teased for the couple in early September 2020, as while Jags wanted to tell his mother about his new romance, Habiba prefers to continue hiding it, especially from her sister Iqra (Priya Davdra). [8] When Iqra walks in on them, Habiba would "hurt" Jags by making up an excuse to "hide the truth". [8] When Jags eventually tells his family about the relationship, Adatia called it a "huge" moment and a "big step" for Jags because "he's never really had his own mind". [9]
In September 2020, Adatia confirmed that Jags would be leaving the show in a "dark" [10] and "dramatic" storyline the upcoming October as he would be "caught up in the scheming of his ruthless mum". [9] The announcement marked Jags as the first member of the Panesar family to exit the serial. [11] Details surrounding Jags's exit plot were later confirmed to involve a recent incident where Vinny attacked Martin Fowler (James Bye) and Suki's fury surrounding Jags and Habiba's relationship. [12] Jags would be asked to help the family cover up the attack, struggling with the morality of doing so, leading to his mother betraying him. [9] His sister Ash (Gurlaine Kaur Garcha) was teased to be left "horrified" by Suki's action. [12] Adatia confirmed that Jags would exit as a direct result of going against Suki, as, like his father learned, "anyone that goes against her doesn't tend to fare so well". [9] The actor also teased that Jags's exit story would only prove "just how far Suki will go to get her way". [9] Adatia disclosed that as he had prior commitments to other projects, he was always aware that both his and Jags's time on the soap would be limited. [9] [10] When the COVID-19 pandemic hit and storylines were delayed, the actor decided to stay on EastEnders for slightly longer to ensure that the show "wrapped up Jags's storyline properly". [9] Reflecting on his time on the soap, Adatia called it an "amazing journey". [9]
Jags's exit storyline kicked off in the week beginning on the 5 October 2020, and showed Suki falsely reporting Jags, not Vinny, as Martin's attacker due to her disapproval of his relationship with Habiba. [13] Sopal explained that Suki's motives for turning Jags in were born from anger, as his relationship with Habiba was "another thing that just tipped her over the edge". [14] She continued by explaining that Jags's rebellion caused Suki to see him as the "weakest" member of the family, therefore he needed to be "taught a lesson". [14] Sopal clarified that Suki's discovery of Jags's girlfriend made her panic that Jags would "not care about his family duties as much" as Suki believes "romance softens people", and opined that her character would have the same reaction if any of her other children were demonstrating similar behaviour. [14] Jags made his final on-screen appearance in episode 6144, broadcast on 9 October 2020. [15] Despite Habiba's best attempts to prove Jags's innocence, it was later revealed that Jags had been sentenced to four years in prison. [16] On 24 June 2021, it was revealed that Jags had been killed in an off-screen prison attack after he got on the wrong side of a prison gang. [17] As she was the one who falsely incriminated him, Suki was set to be "broken" by the death and his oncoming funeral. [18]
When it was revealed that Jags had a past connection to Chantelle Atkins (Jessica Plummer), Stephen Patterson of the Metro speculated Jags being involved in Chantelle's escape from her abusive husband Gray Atkins (Toby-Alexander Smith) and looked forward to seeing how their connection would be explored in upcoming episodes. [19] Patterson later deemed the first kiss between Jags and Habiba a "shock passion". [6] His colleague, Calli Kitson, called Habiba's excuse to protect the secrecy of the relationship "cruel". [20] Claire Crick of What's On TV expressed sympathy for Jags after Suki falsely reported him as Martin's attacker. [21] Will Twigger of the Daily Mirror reported that viewers noticed a plot hole in the storyline, as when Suki turned in Vinny's bloody jeans, claiming them to be Jags's, the police should have noticed that they were too small to belong to Jags as the brothers were noticeably different sizes. [22] Twigger's colleague Kyle O'Sullivan commented that the decision to write in Jags's off-screen death was "controversial" and added that fans had hoped he would return to the role. [23] Laura Denby of Radio Times described Jags as a "kind soul" and deemed his death "brutal" and "harrowing". [24]
Stacey Slater is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, portrayed by Lacey Turner. She first appears in episode 2826, originally broadcast on 1 November 2004. The character is introduced as a feisty and troublesome teenager and extension to the already established Slater family. She was created by scriptwriter Tony Jordan with Turner in mind. Producers explored the character's backstory with the introduction of her mother, Jean Slater, who has bipolar disorder. They then paired Stacey with Bradley Branning and writers developed a series of problems for their marriage, including an abortion and Stacey's scandalous affair with Bradley's father, Max Branning. In 2009, the character was placed in an issue-led storyline when she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder; the show worked with various charities to the story. Writers also incorporated Stacey in the "Who Killed Archie?" plot and revealed her as his killer in a live episode, which was followed by a two-hander episode between Stacey and Max. Stacey became pregnant by Ryan Malloy and gave birth to their daughter Lily. This led to a feud between Stacey, and Ryan's wife Janine Malloy, and culminated in Stacey fleeing Walford on the episode broadcast on 25 December 2010, to avoid imprisonment after Janine stabbed herself and framed Stacey for attempted murder. Turner's return was announced on 19 December 2013, and Stacey reappears in the episode originally broadcast on 7 February 2014 before departing again on 24 March 2014. She made a permanent return on 1 September 2014.
Karen Taylor is a fictional character in the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Lorraine Stanley. She was introduced in episode 5511, broadcast on 15 June 2017, as the matriarch of the Taylor family. She arrived alongside her children Keanu, Keegan, Bernadette, Riley, and Chatham, and is later revealed to be the mother of then off-screen character Chantelle Atkins. She is described as loud and fierce, yet kind-hearted and loyal. In her time on the show, her storylines focused on her financial struggles and her dedication to her family, family bereavements, feuds with Phil Mitchell and Sharon Watts, and a relationship with Billy Mitchell.
Iqra Ahmed is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Priya Davdra. Davdra's casting as Iqra was announced on 20 December 2018, along with that of Habiba. Both characters were called feisty and the BBC stated that they would both make an impact on Walford. Iqra is the elder sister of Habiba, and is described as "no-nonsense, bold and intelligent". Iqra makes her first appearance in episode 5871, originally broadcast on 19 February 2019. Alongside sister Habiba Ahmed, Iqra is introduced as a relative of established character Masood Ahmed. Iqra's final appearance aired on 3 January 2022.
Gray Atkins is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Toby-Alexander Smith. He was introduced by executive producer Kate Oates in episode 5893, broadcast on 29 March 2019, as the patriarch of the Atkins family, which included Gray, his wife Chantelle, and children Mia and Mackenzie. Before his introduction and during the beginning of his time on the show, Gray was depicted as a charming and confident businessman, as well as a loving husband and committed father, before Gray and Chantelle became the focus of a storyline about domestic abuse. The show worked with charities such as Refuge and Women's Aid to depict the storyline in an accurate and sensitive manner. In September 2020, EastEnders announced that the storyline would end with Gray killing Chantelle to reflect the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on domestic violence, which included a sharp increase in spousal murders.
Kheerat Panesar is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Jaz Deol. Kheerat was introduced alongside brothers Jags Panesar, and Vinny Panesar in episode 6001, broadcast on 4 October 2019, with the trio becoming the soap's first Punjabi Sikh family. Kheerat's arrival was announced on 21 August 2019, billed as the dominant and successful leader of his brothers. Deol was accepted the role after being impressed by what was pitched to him by the producers, and being excited to be a part of the show's first Punjabi Sikh family.
Jaskiranjit Singh Deol is a British actor, known for portraying the role of Kheerat Panesar on the BBC soap opera EastEnders from 2019 to 2022.
Balvinder Sopal is an English actress, whose acting career has spanned over two decades. She rose to prominence for her portrayal as Suki Panesar in the BBC soap opera EastEnders since January 2020. Her most notable storyline includes her on-off affair with Eve Unwin. Sopal has also appeared in other British soap operas including Emmerdale, Coronation Street, Doctors and Hollyoaks.
Ash Panesar is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Gurlaine Kaur Garcha. Ash was introduced as the bisexual Punjabi Sikh girlfriend of established character Iqra Ahmed in episode 5980, broadcast on 29 August 2019. Garcha expressed excitement to be cast as a Sikh LGBT character due to the opportunity for representation that it presented. Later revealed to be an estranged member of the Panesar family, Ash's storylines have mainly focused on her complicated family relationships, especially her mother Suki due to her sexual orientation, her romantic relationships with Iqra and Peter Beale, being a victim of casual racism at the hands of Harvey Monroe, and her eventual exit from the soap after accepting a job in Canada.
Chantelle Atkins is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Jessica Plummer. She first appears in episode 5991, originally broadcast in the United Kingdom on 26 March 2019. Chantelle is introduced as the eldest daughter of Karen Taylor and had been referenced on-screen since the family's arrival in 2017. The character was created with a family unit consisting of Chantelle, husband Gray Atkins and two children Mia Atkins and Mackenzie Atkins. Chantelle is characterised as a loving and vivacious hairdresser with the same fiery attitude as her family. Her backstory states that after marrying Gray, she established a perfect life for herself away from her family. The character's early stories focus on her relationships with her parents, Karen and Mitch Baker, and a feud with Kim Fox after moving into her former home.
Ravi Gulati is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders and is portrayed by Aaron Thiara. Ravi made his first appearance in episode 6515, originally broadcast on 4 July 2022. Ravi was introduced as a fellow prisoner of Phil Mitchell and a former associate of Kheerat Panesar, though later revealed as the illegitimate son of Nish Panesar however viewers did not originally know this beforehand as there was no announcement prior to the plot-twist.
Nish Panesar is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Navin Chowdhry. After being mentioned multiple times beforehand, Nish made his first appearance in episode 6565, broadcast on 29 September 2022. It was confirmed that Chowdhry had begun filming before the announcement of his casting on 28 August 2022. Billed as "ice-cold" and "manipulative", Nish is introduced as the estranged mentally abusive and controlling husband of Suki Panesar and the father of Kheerat, Jags, Ash, and Vinny. He is later revealed to also be the father of Ravi Gulati in a twist. Since his introduction, Nish's storylines have focused on his attempts to rebuild relationships with his family, the crumbling of his marriage to Suki, a feud with Suki's lover Eve Unwin, becoming comatosed during "The Six" storyline, a fling with Kat Mitchell and suffering from viral myocarditis.
Shiv Jalota is an English actor, known for portraying the role of Vinny Panesar on the BBC soap opera EastEnders since 2019.
Suki Panesar is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Balvinder Sopal. Sopal's casting and details about Suki were announced in December 2019, with the character making her first onscreen appearance on 27 January 2020. She was portrayed as the protective mother of Kheerat, Jags, Vinny and Ash who believe that she always has the right answer. Prior to her arrival, it is confirmed that her relationship with Ash is severed due to disagreeing with her bisexuality. Her initial storyline sees her lying about having cancer to garner sympathy and get closer to her children. She was immediately well-received by viewers and critics, with Inside Soap writing that Suki had reached "soap icon status in record time". Sopal was shocked by the praise that she and Suki had received from the beginning of her tenure.
Priya Nandra-Hart is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Sophie Khan Levy. Priya was introduced into the serial in episode 6789, originally broadcast on 16 October 2023. The character is devised as part of Ravi Gulati and Davinder "Nugget" Gulati 's backstories in a plot-twist that would introduce Nugget's mother and a secret daughter for Ravi. Khan Levy's character and casting details were both announced on 21 September 2023. Priya is revealed to be looking after her estranged son Nugget, who had gone missing at the time after a dispute with his father and Priya's ex-boyfriend Ravi from what was described as a "bittersweet" break-up years prior, where she left Ravi and Nugget to provide for her unborn daughter Avani Nandra-Hart, also fathered by Ravi but was however unbeknownst to him or Avani. It was later revealed in a plot-twist Priya had not walked out on them – Ranveer Gulati, the adoptive father of Ravi, sexually assaulted Priya and enforced her exit from his family – Priya struck a cord with Suki Panesar as they have similar experiences with Ranveer prior to them meeting.
"The Six" is a storyline from the BBC soap opera EastEnders which was intended to be a different type of "whodunit" mystery.