Exclusive: 'Enders exec offers character teasers

I recently caught up with new EastEnders exec Bryan Kirkwood to learn more about his vision for the Albert Square serial, the fruits of which can be found here.

Here, however, Bryan teases what's to come for some of your favourite Walford characters.

Read on for more...

What's in store for Lucas?
"The Lucas story has been bubbling away for a year or two now and like any big, murderous storylines, it has to reach a conclusion at some point. I'm delighted by what we have coming up. The stakes are raised in a really surprising way and all the actors are responding so well to it. All I'll say is, whatever you think the outcome of this storyline will be - think again. Expect the unexpected…"

Are you a fan of Christian and Syed?
"Absolutely. The actors have done an outstanding job. It's a storyline that I've inherited but some of the first episodes I watched as producer were the big reveal with Amira's exit and Syed's suicide attempt. It's stunning material and beautifully played by all concerned. I'm thrilled that I have all the actors involved in this story in the show."

Do you want Christian and Syed to be together?
"After the story we've told, I wouldn't want to disappoint viewers who have waited so patiently. We have a story beyond where we are now - it's far from the end of these characters."

Phil and Shirley
"I love Phil and I love Shirley and we've got big plans for them…"

Will we be seeing Tina Carter this year?
"No plans at the minute, but we know she's there…"

What about Tanya's boyfriend Gregg?
"Jo Joyner will be returning from maternity leave fairly shortly. She's done one day with us for one episode and her full-time return will follow a little later in the year. We have talked about Gregg and what he would bring to the programme, what he'd mean to the story and what he means to Max…"

Janine and Ryan
"They're such an exciting couple to tell stories about. They don't seem to have any boundaries and are both the product of neglectful childhoods. There's lots of fun, dramatic and surprising material coming their way…"

Are you going to stop playing ping pong with Ronnie and Jack?
"I think it's time that Ronnie and Jack grew up, realise what they mean to each other and make a decision about their future. You'll just have to wait and see what they decide…"

EastEnders has a lot of powerhouse female characters but not as many strong males. Is this something you hope to rectify?
"It's a fair observation that we might not have as many strong men as we need. We often have a fun conversation about which of the female characters would win in a fight with each other and I don't think we can have the same discussion about the men. It's something we're certainly aware of and we're working on."

Coming from Hollyoaks, you know how to handle younger storylines - will you be realigning the younger cast?
"The E20 kids had a massive job and responsibility to seamlessly fit into the makeup of the main show and I don't think that's been as successful as it could have been. That said, I think there are some cracking actors in that gang and I'm looking forward to working with them and making the audience fall in love with them.

"We will be saying goodbye to Leon and Zsa Zsa and from there, we'll be looking at the relationships among the younger characters to see who works best with who."

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