EastEnders viewers were left stunned last night after another racist rant by erstwhile popular character, Karen Taylor.
Karen found herself at the centre of a mix- up when she arrived at the launderette for her first day at work only to discover that new owner, Mr Papadopoulos Jr, had actually given the job to Masood instead of her.
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Of course, that didn’t go down well, and, when Masood tried to defend his appointment, Karen furiously attacked him, using language and attitudes that shocked fans.
As the pair of hopefuls argued in front of their potential new employer, Karen told Masood to stop “brown-nosing” Mr Mr Papadopoulos Jr, with Masood responding: “Is that a racist slur?”
Masood went on to say he was the best candidate as it is a “very physical job”, prompting Karen to ask: “Is that a sexist slur?”
She went on to say: “You know what? Roll on Brexit!”
Masood pointed out that he was British, but Karen continued to rant, saying: “Coming over here, taking all our jobs? What, is that part of your sherry law is it? Screw thy neighbour?”
Masood had a smart put down though, telling Karen: “If anyone’s had a sherry love, it’s you.”
Karen continued, asking Masood where he was from. When he answered ‘Karachi’, Karen told him to “swan off back there” only for Masood to have the last word, saying: “Why don’t you just swan off back to your Jeremy Kyle show?”
Finally, Mr Papadopoulos Jr ended it by telling the feuding pair that they could each clean one side of the soon-to-reopen launderette, and whoever had the best results would get the job.
The exchange left some viewers appalled though, with one saying: “Karen Taylor’s character being openly racist and still being considered for a job? What kind of example is being set?”
Another said it was part of a poor run for the show, pointing out that they hadn’t liked Mel, Tiffany or Masood’s returns to the show and hated the fact that Karen’s character was emerging as a racist.
It’s not the first time that Karen has spouted these kinds of opinions, and we recently saw her brand Mr Papodopoulos Jr himself an ‘asylum seeker’ when she first met him.
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Karen and Masood did both end up infuriating their boss when their inept cleaning saw cleaning fluid spilled all over the place, but the duo seemed to part on good terms.
Masood got Karen the launderette job and went to ask for shifts at the Vic, and some viewers saw the whole thing as comedy gold, with one saying it “made my night”.
So will it lead to further racist rants or a beautiful friendship? Only time will tell!