Nationality British Role Television producer Name Bryan Kirkwood | Years active 2002–present Occupation TV Producer Employer Lime Pictures | |
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Born 1976 (age 39–40) Bellshill, Scotland Awards The British Soap Award for Best Storyline Similar People Lorraine Newman, Diederick Santer, Phil Redmond, Claire Cooper, James Sutton | ||
Bryan Kirkwood (born 1976) is a British television producer. He was the producer of Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks from 2006 until 2009 and was the executive producer of the BBC soap EastEnders from 2010 until 2012. He returned as the executive producer of Hollyoaks in late 2012.
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Personal life
Kirkwood was born in Bellshill, Scotland. He also lived in East Kilbride and Edinburgh before moving to Brighton, England at a young age. Openly gay, he was living in Liverpool with his partner in 2006. Kirkwood entered into a civil partnership in 2011 and now lives in Surrey.
Career
Kirkwood's first major role came as a storyliner for ITV's Coronation Street. He later took control as the producer for Channel 4's Hollyoaks between 2006 and 2009, a period in which the show explored a number of well-loved and critically acclaimed storylines (such as that of the relationship between John Paul McQueen and Craig Dean and the Dog at the Pond explosion that killed five characters). After leaving the main Hollyoaks team, he produced the second series of the late-night spin-off Hollyoaks Later, shown in 2009 on E4. He became responsible for the casting of several new characters and guest appearances, such as Bonnie Tyler.
On 2 November 2009 it was announced that he would become the executive producer of the BBC One soap opera EastEnders, replacing Diederick Santer. He faced criticism from the media before he even assumed his role on EastEnders, with many reporting he planned to 'sex up' the show on arrival. His appointment came on 1 March 2010 as Santer stepped down from the role after the 25th anniversary celebrations. His first episode was broadcast on 4 June 2010 (moved from 7 June due to a schedule change), though he shares the executive producer credit with Santer for two weeks.
Kirkwood’s tenure oversaw numerous high-profile storylines, such as the death of Billie Jackson, and the introduction of such characters as Michael Moon. Other ideas, however, such as the introduction of Tyler Moon and Anthony Moon and the decision to kill off long-standing soap veteran Pat Butcher, were not as well-received and prompted media criticism. The show was also criticized for pandering too heavily towards a younger demographic, insofar that the soap was, at one point, dubbed the "East End version of Hollyoaks."
In January 2011 an EastEnders baby swap storyline involving the character Ronnie Branning gained over 10,000 complaints, which resulted in the BBC ending the storyline earlier than planned. On 12 March 2012, it was announced Kirkwood had decided to leave his position of executive producer of EastEnders, and left in April 2012, after two years in charge with series producer Lorraine Newman temporarily taking over his role. Of his departure, 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."
Later that month it was announced that Kirkwood had returned to working with Lime Pictures. Working alongside Tony Wood, Kirkwood will help create new scripted and reality drama. He produced Mark Wright's Hollywood Nights before returning as executive producer of Hollyoaks. in 2014, Hollyoaks won Best British soap in at The British Soap Awards. This was the first time Hollyoaks ever won this award.