Actor Nitin Ganatra has warned that EastEnders won't be able to survive unless major changes are made.
The 54-year-old actor, who played Masood Ahmed from 2007 until 2019, has suggested that the soap could be in danger of being axed and not "surviving the next 40 years".
He explained that the soap needs "gutsy" and "courageous" new teams in order to be able to compete in the current streaming climate.
Speaking after being made OBE for his services to acting by the Duke of Cambridge on Tuesday, he referenced the decline in viewership for EastEnders.
He said: "I think a show like EastEnders needs very gutsy, courageous new teams really.
"I wouldn’t say just a producer or a writing team, I think the whole approach to storytelling will inevitably have to change.
"So I do hope they do survive another 40 years, I think they will.
"It is so much of the culture of this country, that I wish it to survive."
Nitin, who is currently appearing in new Apple TV show The Essex Serpent, admitted that he would "never say no" to returning to the soap.
He told PA: "Obviously I love the character of Masood, he was a ground-breaking character."
His character was the patriarch of the much-loved Masood family, who were at the centre of a number of huge storylines during EastEnders' golden era in the late noughties and early teens.
One of the biggest storylines revolved around Masood' struggle in accepting his son Syed's homosexuality.
His fractious relationship with wife Zainab was also a running theme, with their relationship finally splintering after he asked for a divorce.
Nitin continued: "I was the longest-running Asian character in its history.
"So that’s quite a huge achievement in my eyes for an actor from a diverse background."
*EastEnders airs Mondays - Thursdays at 7.30pm on BBC One
