Teen EastEnders actors to be axed?

A tabloid report claims that younger cast members on EastEnders fear they’ll be axed by the incoming new producer following Bryan Kirkwood’s decision to step down as executive producer.

The BBC announced last week that Kirkwood was leaving EastEnders after just two years in the role. The producer joined the BBC One soap following a success stint on Hollyoaks where he turned around the fortunes of the Channel Four soap with a series of well received and award-winning storylines. However, his tenure at EastEnders has been decidedly mixed with some criticism over the number of younger characters in the soap.

The Daily Star Sunday is reporting that some of the younger cast fear they’ll be axed in a “blood-bath” by the new producer. Although the BBC has yet to announce who will replace Kirkwood in the role the tabloid claims that cast members fear they’ll be a cull with younger, teen characters the target because of the criticism aimed at the soap in recent weeks.

‘It all feels a bit chaotic. Bryan is going very quickly but that’s what he wants. No one knows who will take over on a more permanent basis but at the moment Lorraine is very much in charge…..When another boss takes over there’s always a chance of a cull as the new producer wants to make their mark.’ An “insider” quoted by the Daily Star Sunday.

The tabloid reports that cast members such as Shona McGarty, Matt Lapinskas, Jacqueline Jossa and Tony Discipline are amongst those who are concerned about their future. When Bryan Kirkwood joined EastEnders he axed eight characters and its certainly not unusual for incoming producers to cull characters in a bid to stamp their mark. Brian Park and Paul Marquess have made headlines for their respective cast culls and its almost expected now for incoming producers to clear out characters.