When is Shakil’s funeral on EastEnders, when was he murdered and how are real-life knife crime victims involved?

TRAGIC Shakil's funeral is due to take place on EastEnders - and it will feature accounts from relatives of real-life victims of knife crime.

But, when will it air on the BBC soap, how are real-life knife crime victims involved, and when was the character stabbed to death? Let's find out.

When is Shakil's funeral on EastEnders?

Shakil's funeral will take place tonight (July, 6, 2018).

The episode will start slightly later than usual - it will run from 9:15pm until 9:45pm.

How are real-life knife crime victims involved?

The true stories and reflections will be incorporated into a special instalment of the programme which will centre around the funeral of the murdered teenager.

Additionally, BBC Three will be producing a series of short films that will reveal more about the lives of the families involved in the episode.

Written features about the families will also be created for the digital channel's social media platforms and website.

At least 46 people have been fatally stabbed in London this year and there were just under 1,300 stabbings in the capital up to the end of April, according to statistics from the Metropolitan Police.

EastEnders executive consultant John Yorke said the need to include the true accounts became apparent when the show's researchers spoke to the families about the challenging storyline.

He said: "From the very beginning we were determined to treat the difficult subject of knife crime in a responsible, non-sensationalist way.

"We started out with detailed research, and the more stories we heard, the more we felt other people should hear them too.

"The episode gradually evolved into something unique for EastEnders - real families telling their own devastating stories alongside our own characters.

"We've tried to find a way to do justice to an incredibly difficult, tragic and emotive subject, and, with huge help from the families of real-life victims and the support groups they work with, we hope we've come some way to getting that enormity across."

When was the character stabbed to death?

Shakil, played by actor Shaheen Jafargholi, was stabbed and killed by a gang in an episode in May.

His funeral will make history by featuring a real-life element with those affected by knife crime.

The dark knife-crime plot marks the ten-year anniversary of the death of the brother of former 'Enders actress Brooke Kinsella.

Brooke, whose brother Ben died from stabbing, has been consulting scriptwriters on the storyline.