EASTENDERS Axes Four Actors: Kierston Wareing, Phaldut Sharma, Daniel Coonan & Rachel Bright Leaving

Clockwise from top left: Carl White, Kirsty Branning, AJ Masood and
Poppy Meadow.  Photo Credit: BBC

EASTENDERS stars Kierston Wareing (Kirsty Branning), Phaldut Sharma (AJ Masood), Daniel Coonan (Carl White) and Rachel Bright (Poppy Meadow) have all been let go.

Producers are hoping to film their final scenes before Christmas.

An EASTENDERS spokesperson said: "We can confirm these actors will be leaving EASTENDERS. We wish them all the best."

The BBC soap slumped below five million viewers earlier this summer, leaving it in third place behind rivals CORONATION STREET and EMMERDALE.

Executive producer Dominic Treadwell-Collns told the cast of the soap that he will do everything he can to make EASTENDERS Britain's most popular soap again.

UPDATE:
Make that six actors leaving.

According to the Mirror, Cornell S John (who plays Sam James) and Clare Perkins (Ava Hartman) will also exit.

The two are currently involved in a storyline in which their son Dexter (Khali Best) is contemplating being a donor for his father Sam, who is in urgent need of kidney transplant.

Khali Best will continue as Dexter Hartman despite the departure of his onscreen parents, according to an EASTENDERS spokesperson.