Eastenders character Syed to be outed in New Year's special

For the soap fans out there we apologize for spoiling the surprise but it has been confirmed that Syed Masood, played by Marc Elliot, will be outed on the prime-time BBC soap in a dramatic New Year's special.

The soap has courted heavy criticism from the Muslim community for it's portrayal of the relationship between Syed and openly gay character Christian Clarke, played by John Partridge - And it looks like the outing will only add fuel to the fire.

Syed is set to marry on-screen fiancée Amira Shah but will be outed just hours before the ceremony. The news breaks when his affair with Christian Clarke is unveiled by Christian himself, after Syed turns down his offer to run away to Barcelona.

Later, Christian shocks Zainab by announcing that her son is gay.

In an interview with Inside Soap magazine Elliot who plays Syed reveals, "Christian calls Syed and reveals that he's told Zainab everything. So when she catches up with Syed, he's forced to admit everything Christian said is true. She can see it all in Syed's eyes. It's a massive shock for her."

It is yet to be seen whether Syed will continue to marry Amira, however it is thought that Zainab will try to persuade Syed to go ahead with the marriage.