Coronation Street head of production Lee Rayner to join Lime Pictures’ Channel 4 soap Hollyoaks after 13 years on the cobbles.
Rayner will succeed outgoing director of production Colette Chard, who is leaving Channel 4’s fictional Cheshire village after 10 years in charge. Chard is set to head-up Lime’s as-yet-untitled new kids drama.
Rayner’s appointment will see him reunite with Hollyoaks executive producer Hannah Cheers, who previously worked at Coronation Street as a story producer.
The changes to one of Lime’s highest profiles hows come shortly after a more general shake up at the Livepool-HQd indie. Lime closed its London base last year and transferred several shows to All3Media stablemate Objective Entertainment following the departure of joint managing directors Kate Little and Claire Poyser.
Rayner previously worked at Talkback Thames as production scheduler on The Bill until its end in 2010, as an assistant director on Casualty and a production manager on Death In Paradise before joining Coronation Street in 2011, first as a production scheduler and then first assistant director. He was made production manager 18 months later and took over the show in 2021 as part of a restructure across ITV Studios’ senior management team.
He said: “I am thrilled to be embarking on a new adventure at Lime Pictures as head of production for Hollyoaks and helping to deliver such an engaging high-end drama.
”I’m also very excited to reunite once again with the incredibly talented Hannah Cheers and really looking forward to getting to know and working with the production team, who have an industry-wide reputation as highly-skilled filmmakers.”
Lime Pictures newly-appointed MD John Whittle added: “Continuing drama is a fantastic genre to work in and its production model is crucial to its success. We are delighted that Lee is coming to us from a much-loved programme, as well-oiled as Coronation Street, at delivering ambitious drama with a tightly moving schedule.
“Lee also brings a background in prime-time drama which is a bonus, as unlike other soaps Hollyoaks is filmed single-camera, which brings a different look and feel to it and is hugely valued by the younger-skewed audience. We welcome him aboard in an exciting year, as we approach the 30th anniversary in autumn.”
