If you guys want to know my opinions on the recent news that James Fletcher has decided to leave his role as Dylan Jenkins in Hollyoaks, personally, I'm not surprised by this news, and I wish the guy all the very best for the future, and hope he goes on to bigger and better projects. Why do I say this, you might ask? I believe the reason why he left was probably because he simply wised up and saw how ridiculously Bryan Kirkwood is running Hollyoaks into the ground Steven Moffat, George Lucas or even Michael Grade-style.

What I'm saying is, Bryan Kirkwood desperately needs to stop boosting his own childish ego and have an early retirement! He cannot afford to carry on the way he is, otherwise Hollyoaks is going to face cancellation because, at the moment, Hollyoaks is slowly becoming a joke, pretty much like Doctor Who was in the late 1980s and most of the 1990s, not really due to the acting (for the most part) but fundamentally due to the writing and how each storyline (apart from the Tom/Peri teenage pregnancy one, in my opinion) is handled, which is all-over-the-place. Yes, Hollyoaks could be unrealistic and over-the-top at times, but there is a limit and this is just pushing things way too far, especially when it's about to celebrate its 20th anniversary later this year! Mini-rant over!

Anyways, what are everyone else's thoughts on this? Do you think Bryan Kirkwood needs to retire, and if so, please tell me why?

I liked Dylan and it fleshed out Trevor a lot more having a son and seeing him play a father. It wouldn't surprise me if the actor had enough of the shit that Kirkwood is dishing out, but compared to some Dylan is far to new a character to be ruined. Perhaps he didn't like the cross dressing storyline? Unfortunately now Hollyoaks isn't going to improve until Kirkwood goes, his era now is actually worse than his Eastenders one...

Off the top of my head...

Once great characters like Sienna have been exhausted that I don't care what her latest devious scheme is. A shame as during the the Osborne story she was fantastic and played the bitch so well.

The Maxine and Patrick story that started brilliantly is now a joke with only the acting saving the plot and the characters. I dread to think how Kirky will handle Patrick's exit.

Marrying off Ste and JP just so Kirky could have a gay Christmas wedding only to split them up a few months later so Ste can get it on with his best mate's schoolboy son. Sinead has been ruined by having an affair with Tony and now trying to split up her best mate's marriage, she was never that selfish at the beginning. As for Scott

and Lindsay, I never despised a couple more than these two

I couldn't care at all about the gloved hand killer or any of the hospital stories, how the likes of Lindsay and Kim can keep quitting, going to prison, getting arrested, going on the run and then getting there job back immediately is just plain daft and an insult to viewer intelligence.

There are bright spots, The Tom/Peri story, Grace & Trevor, Cindy/Dirk and so far I like the Lovedays but overall he had made Hollyoaks a joke again which is actually very sad considering it was his first era that made some critics sit up and take notice of the show and gave it new viewers (I was one) and now I am very close to switching off until Kirkwood is gone.

I don't think he needs to retire. Bryan Kirkwood has improved ratings and brought the show a good few awards since returning in 2012, including best soap last year at The British Soap Awards, first time ever Hollyoaks have won it. Actors quit soaps all the time, I don't see why the actor who plays Dylan would quit because of the guy who brought him onto the show in the first place.

There seems to be a lot of criticism about Hollyoaks on Digital Spy, but elsewhere people seem to be loving it. I think it's been great the last few years, just needs to tone down on the deaths a wee bit

sorry but why are you making up the reasons for the actor choosing to leave his role when actually you do not know what they are you are just assuming/using your imagination!

there are more actors choosing to stay and renew their contracts rather than leave right now so your raesons hold no weight.

James Fletcher joined Hollyoaks on graduation from drama school, its far more likely that a year would feel enough for a young actor at the start of his career.