Ronny Ferreira

The core Ferreira family (L-R: Ash, Dan, Kareena, Ronny, Adi)
Created by	Tony Jordan
Introduced by	Louise Berridge
Duration	2003–2005
First appearance	Episode 2527 3 June 2003
Last appearance	Episode 2909 22 March 2005
Portrayed by Dalip Tahil Relationship Head of family First appearance Episode 2527 3 June 2003 Last appearance Episode 2649 30 December 2003 Portrayed by Madhur Jaffrey Relationship Wife of Dan First appearance Episode 2543 1 July 2003 Last appearance Episode 2569 15 August 2003 Portrayed by Raji James Relationship Son of Dan and Pushpa First appearance Episode 2527 3 June 2003 Last appearance Episode 2909 22 March 2005 Occupation Minicab controller, lecturer Portrayed by Ameet Chana Relationship Son of Dan and Pushpa First appearance Episode 2527 3 June 2003 Last appearance Episode 2909 22 March 2005 Occupation Minicab driver Portrayed by Ray Panthaki Relationship Son of Dan and Pushpa First appearance Episode 2527 3 June 2003 Last appearance Episode 2909 22 March 2005 Occupation DJ, minicab driver Portrayed by Pooja Shah Relationship Daughter of Dan and Pushpa First appearance Episode 2527 3 June 2003 Last appearance Episode 2909 22 March 2005 Occupation Bar staff Portrayed by Nabil Elouahabi Relationship Son of Dan and an unknown woman First appearance Episode 2527 3 June 2003 Last appearance Episode 2909 22 March 2005 Occupation Promoter, minicab driver

The Ferreira family are a fictional family from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, that appeared on screen between 2003 and 2005. Created by Tony Jordan and introduced by Louise Berridge as a new Asian family, producers hoped they would become central to the show. However, after Indian actor Dalip Tahil was forced to leave due to a controversy over his work permit, a major plot involving the family had to be scrapped and was replaced with a kidney transplant storyline that was branded "boring". It was later revealed that the dropped storyline involved Dan being murdered by his children and buried in a shallow grave. The characters were also called "unrealistic", "annoying", and "unlikeable" by many of the show's fans and critics. They were blamed for a decline in the show's viewing figures and were eventually axed by Kathleen Hutchison after bosses struggled to find storylines for the family. Jordan later admitted the family's members were "the least successful characters [he] created".

The Ferreiras were introduced in 2003 as the first Asian family in EastEnders since Sanjay (Deepak Verma) and Gita Kapoor (Shobu Kapoor), who both departed from the show in 1998. They were also the first large family to arrive since the Slater family's arrival in 2000. The family were the creation of writer Tony Jordan, and Bollywood star Dalip Tahil was cast by the show's executive producer, Louise Berridge, to play Daniel "Dan" Ferreira, the patriarch of the family. The family, from Goa in India, also consisted of Dan's three sons, Rohan "Ronnie" (played by Ray Panthaki), Ashwani "Ash" (Raji James) and Aditya "Adi" (Ameet Chana), and daughter Kareena (Pooja Shah). Ronnie's friend Tariq Larousi, played by Nabil Elouahabi, also joined the show at the same time.