'EastEnders' is to undergo one of its biggest shake-ups in years in a bid to improve ratings.
Kirsty Branning (Kierston Wareing), AJ Ahmed (Phaldut Sharma), Carl White (Daniel Coonan) and Poppy Meadow (Rachel Bright) will all be waving goodbye to Albert Square in the New Year.
AJ Ahmed (Phaldut Sharma) and Kirsty Branning (Kierston Wareing)
'EastEnders' boss, Dominic Treadwell-Collins is charged with reviving the BBC soap, which has seen viewing figures drop to below 5 million.
An 'EastEnders' source told The Sun: “Dominic didn’t feel the characters who are leaving fit with the direction he is taking the show so he quickly decided to write them out.
“He has only been in a month but he is already making big changes. He knows what he wants for EastEnders and is putting plans in place quickly."
Carl White (Daniel Coonan) and Poppy Meadow (Rachel Bright)
Earlier this month, Kierston Wareing, who plays axed Kirsty Branning recently told Digital Spy that she was looking for other acting roles outside of the soap.
"I'd like to do other projects," she said. "It'd be nice to be in the show, come out, go back in there and come out - I don't know if they're going to allow that, but that'd be my ideal situation."
Yesterday we reported that another character, Alice Branning, is also to be written out of the show.
Actress Jasmyn Banks, who was cast in the BBC One soap 18 months ago, will leave Albert Square as part of Michael Moon's (Steve John Shepherd) exit storyline.