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Hollyoaks boss reveals which soap stars he’d take from rivals

‘Hollyoaks’ boss Bryan Kirkwood would love to see Meg Johnson and Lorraine Stanley on the show.
The Channel 4 soap’s executive producer keeps tabs on his rival programmes and he admitted the ‘Emmerdale’ and ‘EastEnders’ actresses have both impressed him so much that he thinks they’d be perfectly at home in the village.
Speaking to RadioTimes.com, he said: "I watched ‘Emmerdale’ recently and loved Pearl Ladderbanks. I’ve always been a fan of Meg Johnson’s work, she was in ‘Corrie’ years ago, and she was just dazzling in this episode.
"It made me think it would be lovely to see her having a G&T with Nana McQueen in ‘Hollyoaks’, sipping behind the bar!
"I also love Karen Taylor, played by Lorraine Stanley. To me she is one of the best ‘EastEnders’ characters in years."
While Meg joined ‘Emmerdale’ 16 years ago, she previously appeared on the cobbles as Eunice Gee from 1981 to 1982, before briefly reprising the role in 1999.
Meanwhile, Lorraine debuted as Karen two years ago in Albert Square, and found herself shortlisted for top prizes at the British Soap and TV Choice award ceremonies.
Bryan – who previously worked for both ‘Corrie’ and ‘EastEnders’ behind the scenes – revealed he is always keeping up to date with other soaps, and described it as a "healthy" habit to get into for his role.
He explained: "It’s an unofficial part of my job description to see what’s going on in the other shows.
"I think it’s healthy to know what’s on the horizon and what territory they’re veering into."