Bryan Kirkwood leaves EastEnders

The BBC has announced that Bryan Kirkwood is stepping down from his role as Executive Producer on its flagship soap EastEnders.

Kirkwood has been in the role for two years taking over in EastEnders’ 25th anniversary year from Diederick Santer. He had previously won acclaim for his stint as producer on Hollyoaks revamping the teen-soap’s image by introducing hard-hitting but popular storylines in a bid to shake off its ‘dolly-oaks’ image.

Kirkwood’s tenure at EastEnders has seen the re-introduction of popular characters such as Kat Slater (Jessie Wallace), Alfie Moon (Shane Richie), Mandy Salter (Nicola Stapleton) and Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean) who will return to Albert Square in the summer. Kirkwood has also introduced new characters such as Derek Branning (Jamie Foreman), Rose Cotton (Polly Perkins) and Michael Moon (Steve John Shepherd).

However, his time as producer has not been plain sailing; his decision to axe characters such as Charlie Slater (Derek Martin) and Heather Trott (Cheryl Fergison) met with criticism from fans. The famous baby-swap storyline prompted thousands of complaints from disgruntled viewers and press reports that Samantha Womack quit her role, of Ronnie Branning, over the storyline. More recently storylines including Ben Mitchell (Joshua Pascoe) revenge plot against father Phil (Steve McFadden) have been panned by fans.

In the past month tabloid reports have also claimed that ratings for EastEnders have dropped by 1.5 million viewers prompting “crisis talks” at the BBC. Accusations that the soap is full of teen characters – ala Hollyoaks – have also been levelled at the BBC series.

In a press release Bryan Kirkwood said ‘Being the Executive Producer of EastEnders is one of the most exciting jobs in TV, but it’s also the most exhausting – so after two years, I’ve decided it’s time to leave Walford. It’s been a thrill to work with such talented people such as John Yorke, Simon Ashdown, and our amazing cast and crew. Most of all it’s been a privilege to tell stories that have genuinely had the nation talking. I’m going to take with me some brilliant friends and memories.  I’m delighted to leave the show in the capable hands of Lorraine Newman. Lorraine has been by my side every step of the way for the last two years and knows EastEnders inside out. I wish her and the show every future success’Kirkwood will remain in the role until next month when Series Producer Lorraine Newman will take over until a replacement is found.