AJ (Amjad Jahangir) Ahmed

Spontaneous, irresponsible, fun... AJ was everything Zainab didn't want in a brother-in-law.

He doesn't do planning. And he doesn't do what's expected of him. He lives his life by the toss of a coin - it's gotten him this far. Why change?

AJ despaired of his older brother's relationship with Zainab. He made it his mission to lead Mas astray and be the antidote to what he saw as his sister-in-law's lifelong mission to sap the life out of his brother.

With Zainab finally gone, AJ got his wish... but he quickly realised that encouraging Masood's carefree side would mean that he would have to step up and be responsible, and responsibilty is the last thing on AJ's mind! While he chats up every woman he encounters and generally acts the fool, AJ does having a caring side, and is starting to realise that life can't just be one big party... when you're part of a family that's been through as much as his, sometimes telling jokes just wont cut it!

Played by Phaldut Sharma

Phaldut Sharma

• Before EastEnders, Phaldut appeared in a vast array of TV and films including Sanjay in The Office, Achmed in Gavin and Stacey and Ian in Children of Men.
• He describes his music tastes as "eclectic" and lists some of his favourite artists as Beach House and Jill Scott.
• Phaldut is a trained dancer, originally starting out as a street dancer before moving into rhythm tap dancing. He likes to maintain his dance training while also practicing Isha Yoga.
• Unlike AJ, Phaldut doesn’t have any good luck charms or superstitions, he likes to live a fairly laid back life, trusting his instincts to guide him through.
• There is no other character on The Square that Phaldut would rather play than AJ, "I think it's a really fun, colourful and lively part and I can't wait to see where it goes!"