EastEnders to air special episode addressing knife crime featuring families of real-life victims

The BBC has announced that EastEnders will air a special episode addressing knife crime in the UK.

In the upcoming unique episode, the storyline of murdered knife crime victim Shakil Kazemi (portrayed by Shaheen Jafargholi) will play out in the shape of the youngster’s funeral.

As characters gather to mourn the loss, the show’s producers have opted to include real-life families of knife crime victims to share their stories and raise awareness about its devastating impact.

Viewers have witness Carmell’s (played by Bonnie Langford) devastation at the death of her 17-year-old son and now fans of the soap will see powerful scenes of affected families tell their heartbreaking accounts as a means of tackling the prevalent subject, according to the show’s executive consultant John Yorke: ‘From the very beginning we were determined to treat the difficult subject of knife crime in a responsible, non-sensationalist way.

‘We started out with detailed research, and the more stories we heard the more we felt other people should hear them too.’

He details how this one of a kind episode will develop: ‘The episode gradually evolved into something unique for EastEnders – real families telling their own devastating stories alongside our own characters.

‘We’ve tried to find a way to do justice to an incredibly difficult, tragic and emotive subject, and with huge help from the families of real life victims and the support groups they work with, we hope we’ve come some way to getting that enormity across.’

In association with the campaign, BBC Three will air short films documenting the lives of those featured in the episode and how they deal every day with the loss of a loved one to knife crime.

‘BBC Three has a strong track record of handling issues relevant to young people in a sensitive way’ says the channel’s controller Damian Kavanagh.

‘We’re pleased that we’re able to collaborate with EastEnders to produce additional material to support this storyline that will allow both the BBC Three and EastEnders audience gain a deeper engagement with an important subject.’

If you’ve been affected by knife crime, visit Victim Support here.

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