Bernie Taylor (Clair Norris) is leaving EastEnders after 8 years.
The character, who is the daughter of Karen Taylor (Lorraine Stanley), has certainly struggled to get back on her feet following the massive storyline involving her brother Keanu Taylor (Danny Walters).
A spokesperson for the BBC One soap has confirmed to Metro that Bernie will be leaving later this year. They said: ‘We can confirm that Clair will be leaving EastEnders later this year and we wish her all the best for the future.’
As a result of producer Chris Clenshaw leaving and new boss Ben Wadey taking over, the show will undergo a few changes.
Usually when someone new takes over, a handful of characters depart the show, with Bernie Taylor being one of them.
‘Every time a soap gets a new boss they want to make their own changes – it’s nothing personal. The writing has been on the wall for Bernie for some time so it wasn’t really a surprise to Clair’, a source said.
Continuing to The Sun, they added: ‘She was the last Taylor standing and it’s time to close the chapter on them and let Clair go on to do other things.’
When the Taylor family arrived in 2017, Bernie lived with her siblings Keanu, Keegan and twins Riley and Chatham.
They welcomed the arrival of eldest sibling Chantelle a couple of years later, but she was killed by her abusive husband Gray Atkins.
In December 2023, Linda Carter (Kellie Bright) stabbed Keanu to death in the Queen Vic. Linda and five other women then transported Keanu’s body to the café and buried him under the rubble.
Bernie eventually worked out that the characters – known to viewers as The Six – were responsible for her sibling’s demise and, despite everything, she kept shtum.
Ben Wadey previously worked as a Storyliner and Story Editor on the serial, focussing on the show’s 35th anniversary and introducing the Panesar clan.
He was also Story Producer on the final series of Holby City, before becoming the commissioning executive at Channel 4.
It usually takes a little while to see a new producer’s ideas come into fruition, but Ben’s forthcoming stint has already received significant recognition from Kate Oates, the Beeb’s Head of Continuing Drama.
This comes following a huge scoop for the show, which took home the gong for Best Soap and Continuing Drama at last night’s BAFTA TV Awards.
On the red carpet, Kate teased what was ahead.
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‘We can tease that all those heartland characters have some really, really big stuff coming up, actually,’ she said.
‘We’ve got some uncharted territory, which considering we’re following on the heels of Mr Clenshaw is quite an accolade, because he has broken quite a lot of fresh ground.’
Kate added: ‘I think the challenge for Ben – who is our new exec – has been to carry on after Chris’s success, but he is very much ready to do that and we’re excited as a team.
