Striking GOLD

RAKHEE THAKRAR on the Finders Keepers finale, starring in Wonka and whether she'd return to Walford...

- HANNAH DAVIES

FINDERS KEEPERS WEDNESDAY, 9PM, CHANNEL 5 DRAMA 

Rakhee Thakrar’s career has gone from strength to strength since leaving EastEnders. The past few years have seen the actor, who played Shabnam Masood in the BBC1 soap from 2014 to 2016, win plaudits for her roles in Netflix hit Sex Education and acclaimed ITV1 crime drama Karen Pirie as well as current blockbuster film Wonka.

But she’d never played a cop until landing the gig of go-getting DS Carole Doyle in Channel 5’s buried-treasure thriller Finders Keepers, written by Dan Sefton (The Good Karma Hospital) and featuring Neil Morrissey, Fay Ripley and James Buckley.

So far, the story has been packed with plot twists, and, in this week’s fourth and final instalment, there’s one last curveball as Carole gets closer to nailing detectorist-turned-criminal Martin Stone (played by Neil) for stealing the hoard of Saxon gold!

Here, in an exclusive interview, Rakhee, 39, chats to TV Times about the drama ahead, her starring role in Wonka and whether she’ll ever return to Albert Square…

How did you find portraying a cop for the first time?

I loved it so much. I can see why people enjoy it, because it’s so much fun! I have to say that, as an actor, I also enjoyed the chase as much as Carole! Dan’s writing is so good, so it is very clear what Carole is going after – everything is leading to something.

What’s your take on Carole?