Marc Elliott had to miss his birthday because of his commitments on 'EastEnders'.

The actor - who plays Syed Masood in the BBC soap - said his twin sister was left upset when they couldn't celebrate their 30th birthday together.

Marc said: "My twin sister wasn't very happy, as we were having a big party together. We had to delay it because I was filming."

The actor also said that while his twin sister can be relied on to watch on TV, his elder sister is not so inclined to tune in.

He added: "They always loved the show before I started on it. We'd always sit down together to watch the Christmas Day episode. But my eldest sister, Melissa, is more inclined to watch the other channel. She thinks life's miserable enough without having to see all the drama on television."

Marc is currently embroiled in a blackmail plot which could see his Muslim character's gay affair with Christian Clark (John Partridge) exposed.