Lee Rayner, longtime Head of Production at Coronation Street, is leaving the ITV soap to join Channel 4's Hollyoaks. Rayner's departure comes amid a period of uncertainty for Coronation Street, with a number of cast members recently being let go and reports of a financial crisis.
Lee Rayner , the veteran Head of Production for Coronation Street, is making a significant career shift after over a decade with the show, joining the team at Channel 4's Hollyoaks. Rayner has been with ITV 's Corrie since 2011, starting as an assistant director and progressing to production manager in 2013 before assuming the role of Head of Production in 2021. His extensive experience includes work on other notable series such as Death in Paradise, Doctors, and The Bill.
Broadcast reports that Rayner will be taking over from Colette Chard at Hollyoaks, who is moving to a children's drama produced by Lime Pictures, the same company behind Hollyoaks. In his statement, Rayner expressed his enthusiasm for the new challenge: 'I am thrilled to be embarking on a new adventure at Lime Pictures as head of production for Hollyoaks and helping to deliver such an engaging high-end drama.' He also shared his excitement about working with Hannah Cheers again and commended the Hollyoaks production team for their filmmaking expertise, as reported by the Mirror. John Whittle, Managing Director of Lime Pictures, welcomed Rayner, emphasizing the significance of the production model in continuing drama and expressing delight in having someone from a well-established show like Coronation Street join their team: 'Continuing drama is a fantastic genre to work in and its production model is crucial to its success. We are delighted that Lee is coming to us from a much-loved programme, as well-oiled as Coronation Street, at delivering ambitious drama with a tightly moving schedule.'While Rayner appears ready for this new chapter, Coronation Street actors are reportedly facing a wave of cast dismissals. 'There's a WhatsApp group which has been pinging with messages about concerns of where the axe will fall next. It's a tough time on the soap and it's filtering down,' an insider revealed to The Sun last week, suggesting that the cast is anxious about their job security. The source further suggested that the show might terminate more contracts to afford the retention of the highest-earning stars. Alongside a reduced cast, the atmosphere on set is reportedly less enjoyable than before. The insider elaborated: 'Filming is tough. One person moaned they were 'worked like dogs.'' Recently, insiders attributed a significant budget crisis to the cast dismissals. 'Corrie is on its knees financially and bosses are being forced to make hard decisions' due to escalating TV production costs while the advertising market supporting them has virtually collapsed. 'The cast are not happy but ITV have no choice but to slash costs,' a source commented. Despite the concern, however, another insider has assured fans that there are exciting developments ahead for the show and that it's a case of 'one door closes and another opens' for the programme. 'Fans can ignore any idea that within a decade the soap will be gone, because it's in no way on the brink of collapse.' A source revealed: 'There's some really exciting twists ahead for our favourite characters and couples, with a massive stunt that will no doubt bring the drama, as well as some hard-hitting storylines bringing some of soap's biggest characters to the forefront. It really is a case of one door closes and another opens in that some familiar faces will be leaving, but others will be back - and the new faces could be just what the show needs. There's so much ahead so the idea the end of Corrie is in sight is bonkers.
LEE RAYNER CORONATION STREET HOLLY OAKS CHANNLE 4 ITV SOAP OPERAS DRAMA CAST DEPARTURES BUDGET CRISIS PRODUCTION
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