Sutton praises 'Enders Kirkwood effect

Emmerdale star James Sutton has claimed that the arrival of producer Bryan Kirkwood has improved EastEnders.

Speaking to DS, the actor - who worked under Kirkwood at Hollyoaks - praised his impact on the Albert Square serial.

He revealed: "I'm really digging EastEnders at the moment. I'll be honest, I've never really been much of a soap fan because I'm always working or whatever, so I've never really watched that much, but EastEnders really is fab at the moment.

"I've seen bits of what Lacey [Turner]'s been doing and she's phenomenal, and there's some really exciting stuff coming up on EastEnders as well. A friend of mine has just directed some stuff over there, and from talking to Bryan, they're all really excited - as they should be."

Sutton added: "I think that EastEnders is going to go from strength to strength under Bryan. He's a top bloke and a great boss. They're really lucky to have him and that show's just going to get better and better and better."

Kirkwood succeeded Diederick Santer shortly after EastEnders celebrated its 25th anniversary earlier this year.

> Click here to read our full interview with James Sutton