Bryan Kirkwood, Hollyoaks’ longest serving Executive Producer is to leave the show at the end of the year.
“For many years I have had the privilege of running a soap opera with a fiercely loyal audience,” he said.
“I passionately believe that soaps can help viewers start serious conversations about their lives and in recent years we have covered important topics within mental health, sexual consent, Far-Right radicalisation, male rape, sexual abuse and many issues other shows might look away from…
“It has also been a joy to deliver the plot buster stories that ‘can only happen on Hollyoaks’, stories that give our viewers an entertaining escape into a heightened world.
“I’m incredibly proud of what we have achieved, and I want to thank the entire team. Their talent, warmth, loyalty and friendship are why I stayed so long.”
This year is the soap’s 25th anniversary and he’s told Lime Pictures that he will leave at the end of 2020.
“The 25th anniversary feels like an elegant time to hand the reins over to someone else but I’m confident that the beating heart of Hollyoaks – the people who make it – will keep the show around for another 25 years,” he added.
It’s Kirkwood’s second stint as showrunner having first taken up the role in 2006, before departing in 2009. He then returned in June 2012.
During his tenure, he’s created many of the show’s most popular and enduring characters including the McQueen family and has been behind the show’s most groundbreaking storylines and award wins. This includes raising awareness of mental health and LGBTQ+ issues.
“Bryan’s passion for creating gloriously soapy characters that take fans from laughter to tears in a heartbeat, a rich imagination for nurturing compelling plot busters and his unwavering commitment to tell groundbreaking issue led stories mark him out as an outstanding Executive Producer of Hollyoaks,” explained Lime Pictures MDs – Claire Poyser and Kate Little.
“This has been rightly reflected in the multitude of awards that the series has secured throughout his tenure at Lime. We would like to thank him for his dedication, care and commitment to the show throughout the last eight years.”
Ian Katz, C4 Director of Programmes, added:
“Bryan has been the untiring creative force behind the extraordinary resurgence of Hollyoaks. He’s taken the show into new territory with some extraordinarily brave storylines and soap firsts and collected numerous awards.
“I’m immensely grateful for his steering of the show safely back to screen next week and leaving it in top creative form and I wish him all the best for his next chapter.”
In 2014, Hollyoaks was named Best British Soap for the first time in the history of the British Soap Awards.
“Working with Bryan has been both utterly inspirational and enormous fun. Under his leadership, Hollyoaks has become a true gamechanger in the soap world, and while I’m heartbroken to say goodbye, I can’t wait to see what he achieves next,” said Caroline Hollick, Head of C4 Drama.
