Kirkwood: 'Hollyoaks' is in safe hands'

Former Hollyoaks producer Bryan Kirkwood has assured viewers that he has left the show in safe hands.

Having spent three years heading up the Channel 4 soap, Kirkwood announced his decision to stand down as producer in October last year. Lucy Allan, Bryan's deputy producer, will now take the reins when production resumes at Lime Pictures next week.

Speaking of his replacement, Kirkwood said: "Lucy's brilliant and a more than capable producer. She puts everyone to shame when it comes to her boundless energy and capacity for hard work. She and I have worked so closely on storytelling over the past few years and that's the thing that I'm most confident in her about. Her storytelling abilities will take the show from strength to strength."

He added: "It's definitely in safe hands."

Kirkwood now has numerous potential projects in the pipeline with Lime Pictures but has ruled out an immediate return to soap.

He joked: "I certainly need to take a break from soap for a while, though!"

> Click here to read Bryan's final interview in his role as producer of Hollyoaks