EastEnders to feature real-life accounts from relatives of stabbing victims as residents gather to mourn Shakil Kazemi

EastEnders will air a special episode in the coming weeks featuring accounts from relatives of real-life stabbing victims.

The forthcoming episode of the long-running BBC soap will incorporate the true accounts as part of an emotional episode centred around the funeral of Shakil Kazemi.

Shakil, played by Shaheen Jafargholi, was fatally stabbed in May as the soap tackled the issue of knife crime and youth gangs.

Additionally, BBC Three will be producing a series of short films that will reveal more about the lives of the families involved in the episode.

Written features about the families will also be created for the digital channel's social media platforms and website.

EastEnders executive consultant John Yorke said the need to include the true accounts became apparent when the show's researchers spoke to the families about the challenging storyline.

He said: "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.

"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."

BBC Three Controller Damian Kavanagh welcomed the collaboration with EastEnders and discussed the importance of the channel covering a serious issue that has affected the lives of many of its viewers.

Kavanagh said: "BBC Three has a strong track record of handling issues relevant to young people in a sensitive way.

"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."

The emotional storyline coincides with the 10^th anniversary of Ben Kinsella’s death. The BBC soap worked with Brooke Kinsella MBE on the storyline.

EastEnders continues on BBC One on Thursday at 21.10pm.

Additional reporting by the Press Association.