EastEnders star Marc Elliott won best newcomer at the British Soap Awards for his performance as conflicted gay Muslim Syed Masood. The 30-year-old actor has only been in EastEnders a year, but has quickly become one of the soap's central characters, around whom a major storyline has been weaved about a young Muslim dealing with his homosexuality. Earlier, on the red carpet at the soap awards, he told whatsontv.co.uk: "I've had such an enormous, juicy storyline. It's been brilliant. I've had a big old marriage, a gay affair... "Initially I was quite worried about [the gay plot]. The BBC was worried it was a bit taboo, a bit too groundbreaking, maybe ruffle a few feathers. But I think the storyline's had a fantastic reception, I think because of how well it's been done." Watch the Marc Elliot interview
