Asif Malik

Name: Asif Malik
First Appeared: 21st September 1999
Last Appeared: 10th October 2003
Played by: Ashvin Luximon

Asif Malik was the kind of character who brought a cheeky charm to Walford, always found with his best mate Martin Fowler. The two were partners in crime, quite literally, getting up to all sorts of mischief, from shoplifting to vandalism. And almost every time Martin got caught, Asif was nowhere to be found, leaving Martin to face the wrath of his mother, Pauline Fowler, alone. Despite being a regular on the Square, Asif’s family never graced our screens, making him a bit of an enigma in that regard.

Asif’s storylines often intertwined with those of Martin and their schoolmates, Nicky di Marco and Janine Butcher. He had a few dates with Nicky, but nothing ever got serious. His crush on Janine was another matter entirely—completely one-sided and going nowhere fast. Poor Asif was often seen pining after her, but Janine had no interest in reciprocating those feelings.

Drama was never far away when Asif was around. In November 1999, things got heated when Janine told Nicky that Asif had bragged about their relationship being more physical than it was. Nicky confronted Asif at Kathy’s Café, only to find him flirting with Janine. Following Sonia Fowler’s sage advice, Nicky dumped him on the spot.

In September 2001, Asif and Martin’s trip to West London took an interesting turn when they met Kirsty, a blonde university student working as a café waitress. Asif and Kirsty hit it off, and her friend Craig took a liking to Martin. The pair invited them to a university party, but the night got intense when a stalker followed Kirsty. Asif, ever the hero, confronted the stalker, who left promptly. Kirsty and Asif spent the night together, but it ended bittersweetly when she declared it was just a one-night stand, leaving Asif disappointed as he returned to the East End with Martin.

Asif’s story concluded in October 2003 when he passed his A-levels and headed off to university. Although he never appeared again on-screen, it was later revealed in 2004 that he had moved to Edinburgh and was getting married. He even invited Martin to his stag party off-screen, showing that some friendships never fade, no matter how much trouble you get into together.