Almost 15 years after his character Yusef Khan met a fiery end in EastEnders, actor Ace Bhatti continues to flourish with a stellar acting career spanning major TV dramas and film.
Yusef Khan's Chilling EastEnders Storyline
Villainous Yusef first appeared on the BBC soap in 2010 as a friend of Afia Masood (Meryl Fernandes), who later turned out to be his daughter. A deeply sinister character, Yusef spent his Walford stint winning over residents while concealing a dark past: he had deliberately set fire to his first wife, Zainab Masood (Nina Wadia), after she had an affair.
Yusef relocated to Walford as a local GP and reignited his romance with Zainab from their days in Pakistan, but their relationship soured as Zainab discovered his lies. During this period, Yusef repeatedly manipulated and assaulted Zainab, driving her to even abandon her own son. Eventually, she confided in ex-husband Masood (Nitin Ganatra) about the domestic violence.
The Fiery Death Scene
When Yusef learned of Zainab's disclosure, he flew into a rage and deliberately set fire to the Albert Square bed-and-breakfast during a party. His plan was to murder Zainab, but she tricked him by claiming their daughter Afia was trapped inside. Rushing in to rescue her, Yusef became trapped and was consumed by the blaze. The building exploded, and Yusef died on Boxing Day 2011.
Ace Bhatti's Career After EastEnders
Before EastEnders, Nottinghamshire-born Ace Bhatti had already built an impressive television portfolio, appearing in Grease Monkeys as Dave Dhillon, Coronation Street as Jayesh Parekh, and Secret Diary of a Call Girl as Ashok.
After leaving the soap, Bhatti portrayed Rohan Sindwhani in Line of Duty between 2019 and 2021, and in 2022 he featured in The Good Karma Hospital as Jules Fonseca. Between 2020 and 2024, he played Crawley in Alex Rider. His credits also include ITV drama Protection as DCI Arun Kapoor, Malpractice as Arun Mansoor, and The Hack as Rahul Shah, plus appearances in The Stranger, Three Girls, Vera, and Shetland.
Recent Roles and Film Success
In 2026, Bhatti appeared in the celebrated series Death in Paradise as Alasdair Hartnell, a barrister grappling with marital troubles and his daughter's tragic death. Beyond television, he played Bomi Bulsara, Freddie Mercury's father, in the Oscar-winning biographical drama Bohemian Rhapsody, which also featured former EastEnders actor Ben Hardy as Roger Taylor, alongside Rami Malek in the lead role.
