Everyone loves Masood Ahmed.
He's been a great postman on the square. Over the years we've seen him struggle with his son Syed's sexuality, throw Zainab out of the house after discovering that she was aware Syed was gay, divorce Zainab, date Jane Beale, then reunite with Zainab, separate from Zainab again and a whole lot more drama. But after nine years Nitin Ganatra, who plays Masood, has decided to finally call it quits and leave the square for good.
The 49-year-old actor told the Radio Times that this isn’t the first time he's thought of leaving the show: "Honestly – I thought about leaving every year.
"But then I'd end up hearing about a new story and decided to stay. But certainly Himesh Patel [who plays Tamwar] leaving was really emotional for us both because we're very close – we have the same sense of humour.
"Nobody else gets it because it's just the two of us sitting together and making each other laugh. And when he went, it did stimulate the idea that it was time for me too."
Even though he had a close relationship with Himesh (aka Tamwar) he revealed that his decision wasn't just based on his co-worker: "It had been in the back of my mind anyway – I like doing lots of different things and transforming for other roles."
We're definitely going to be sad to see Masood leave and although viewers will say goodbye to the resident he has hinted that he would love to return to the BBC show: "I really love the character and I still think there's something about Masood that we haven't discovered yet.
"He's still got a lot of surprises in him."
He added: "I've made such good friends here. And it would be a privilege to come back."
Please do, we miss you already!
Masood's last scenes will air next week.
How do you feel about Masood leaving the square? Will you be happy or sad to see him go?
Let us know on Facebook or Twitter (@CloserOnline).
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