About Zahra Ahmadi
Zahra Ahmadi is a British actor who trained at the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama. Early screen roles included a detective constable in Trial & Retribution (2006-2007) and a part in Peter Kosminsky's drama Britz (2007), before she joined EastEnders as Shabnam Masood, appearing in more than 60 episodes in 2007 and 2008.
She has since moved easily between comedy and drama. Comedy credits include Mehtap in The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret, Sinem in Count Arthur Strong (2013-2017), Dr Tessa Marsden in the revived Porridge and a range of characters for Tracey Ullman. On the drama side she has appeared in the Black Mirror special White Christmas (2014), Doctor Who (2013), Berlin Station (2016), Innocent (2018), Informer (2018), The Beast Must Die (2020-2021) and The Bay (2022). Her film work includes Stephen Frears's Tamara Drewe (2010) and the courtroom thriller Closed Circuit (2013), and on stage she played Nasreen in King of Hearts at Hampstead Theatre. In 2026 she appeared as Mehreen Askari-Evans in the drama Betrayal.
Ahmadi had a guest role in Death in Paradise in 2018, playing Daisy Anderson, and that connection helped lead to her casting in the spin-off. Since 2023 she has been a series regular in Beyond Paradise as DS Esther Williams, the sharp, grounded Shipton Abbott detective who becomes Humphrey Goodman's trusted partner in solving the town's more unusual cases.
Zahra Ahmadi as DS Esther Williams
Esther supplies local knowledge, steadiness and a useful counterweight to Humphrey's apparently improvised methods. Their partnership is one of the programme's defining working relationships.
Read the full DS Esther Williams character guide →
Key character relationships
- Humphrey Goodman — detective partnership
- Kelby Hartford — colleague
- Margo Martins — colleague
- Zoe Williams — daughter
Episodes
Zahra Ahmadi is part of the continuing ensemble and appears throughout all four series and the Christmas specials. Browse the episode guide →
Zahra Ahmadi TV shows and films
- EastEnders (2007-2008, Shabnam Masood)
- Count Arthur Strong (2013-2017, Sinem)
- Black Mirror: White Christmas (2014, Gita)
- Porridge (2016-2017, Dr Tessa Marsden)
- Innocent (2018, DS Mari-Luz Garcia)
- The Bay (2022, Shazia Riaz)
- Beyond Paradise (2023-present, DS Esther Williams)
Zahra Ahmadi: quick answers
Who does Zahra Ahmadi play in Beyond Paradise?
Zahra Ahmadi plays DS Esther Williams, detective sergeant, in the BBC One drama Beyond Paradise. Esther supplies local knowledge, steadiness and a useful counterweight to Humphrey's apparently improvised methods. Their partnership is one of the programme's defining working relationships.
Was Zahra Ahmadi in Death in Paradise?
Guest-starred in Death in Paradise in 2018 as Daisy Anderson, before being cast in the spin-off.
What else has Zahra Ahmadi been in?
Ahmadi's screen work includes EastEnders (2007-2008, Shabnam Masood); Count Arthur Strong (2013-2017, Sinem); Black Mirror: White Christmas (2014, Gita); Porridge (2016-2017, Dr Tessa Marsden); Innocent (2018, DS Mari-Luz Garcia).
Is Zahra Ahmadi in Beyond Paradise Series 5?
Zahra Ahmadi was named among the returning cast when a fifth series was reported in April 2026. Filming took place in Cornwall and Devon in summer 2026 and the series is expected on BBC One in 2027.