Sean O´Connor

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EastEnders' master of surprise Dominic Treadwell-Collins has done it again - shocking fans by announcing that he's leaving his post as executive producer after two and a half years in charge.

Sean O'Connor, who's currently editor of The Archers, will be taking over the top job after Treadwell-Collins oversees the Mitchells' much-anticipated reunion and Peggy's final farewell. But if you're wondering who Sean is and what he might bring to the wonderful world of Walford, here's 7 facts you should know...

1. He's worked on some of EastEnders' greatest hits

EastEnders fans don't need to worry about the new guy not knowing Phil Mitchell from Ian Beale. O'Connor is actually returning to the show after an 11-year gap, having previously worked in Walford as a director, producer and story producer.

During his last Albert Square stint, he storylined some of the most memorable plots ever, including Trevor's domestic abuse of Little Mo, and Zoe being Kat's secret daughter. And those who like things a little bit gentler shouldn't worry - he also helped to craft the touching relationship between Dot and Jim.

2. Dominic Treadwell-Collins reckons he'll be great

Sure, we'll have to wait and see whether O'Connor can work the same magic in his new role. But one thing's for sure - he already has the golden seal of approval from current exec Treadwell-Collins, who's openly said that he helped to bring his successor on board.

"I needed to find the right person to take over from me," Treadwell-Collins explained today. "This is an incredible, all-consuming show and in Sean, I know that we have found someone who already has Albert Square in his bones and who adores EastEnders as much as I do."

3. He's worked all over Soapland too

O'Connor hasn't just been involved in EastEnders and The Archers - he has a wealth of other soap experience too, having previously produced Family Affairs and Hollyoaks.

He was also in charge of series three of Footballers' Wives in 2004 and the rebooted version of Minder in 2009, which starred Shane Richie. Assuming the two of them got along, maybe Alfie Moon doesn't need to worry too much about that brain tumour after all...

4. He was accused of sexing up The Archers (but denied it!)

O'Connor's stint on The Archers has seen a number of compelling storylines hit the airwaves, including the flooding of the village and the dark relationship between villain Rob Titchener and his wife Helen.

But his time in charge of the rural show has proved slightly controversial too, with some loyal listeners claiming that he'd turned it into "Farmaggedon" or "EastEnders in a field".

One accusation in particular was that he'd sexed things up too much with an affair between the characters of Roy Tucker and Elizabeth Pargetter. Denying that charge in an interview with The Daily Telegraph, O'Connor said: "They have only had sex twice. That's hardly sexing up." Just twice?! We dread to think what lothario Max Branning will say if that's what the new regime is going to be like...

5. He's not afraid to stand up for himself... even to the BBC's big boss

The row over O'Connor's racier storylines on The Archers even led to the BBC's director-general Tony Hall (pictured above) wading in, admitting that he hoped the show's team would be "thinking about what is happening and making sure that we don't lose what is precious". Ouch.

But when Hall's comments fanned the flames in the press and he decided to backtrack, no-nonsense O'Connor wasn't shy of admitting that he wasn't too pleased with the Beeb's boss.


"I was a bit annoyed," O'Connor told the Radio Times last September. "But [Tony] rang me at 7.30 in the morning and said that he was terribly sorry. And I said: 'You do know it's getting an extra 3.5 million listeners on the podcast? That it's doing as well as it did in the '50s?' And he said he apologised and we were doing a wonderful job." Sounds like you won that round, Sean!

6. He's confident about his vision... but is keen to respect the past

In another sign that O'Connor could be a formidable force, he was actually unsure about whether to take on the job at The Archers as he feared there'd be too much meddling from higher up.

"I hesitated a little," he told ​The Daily Telegraph. "I wanted to be sure that if I took it on - given that it is such a special thing, and so important to Radio 4's identity and the BBC's identity and perhaps even to Britain's identity - I could do what I wanted to do with it, and that the BBC executives would support my vision."

But, despite some grumblings about life in Ambridge getting just a little bit too eventful, O'Connor has been credited with placing farming back at the show's heart and giving the older cast more to do - a sign that he does respect the roots of whichever show he's working on. "I don't think of it as shaking it up," he said. "I've been trying to refresh it by looking at its history."

7. He's fond of a soap surprise

Does the departure of Treadwell-Collins mark the end of the 'OMG moments' of unannounced returns and shock deaths we've seen in the past few years? Well, apparently not. On the contrary, O'Connor is on record saying that he hates it when the biggest storyline twists are spoiled in advance.

He was also notoriously coy when promoting The Archers' recent 65th anniversary episode, so much so that he'd only tell Radio Times: "I'm ruling nothing in and ruling nothing out." In the end, the birthday edition was slated by some fans as "boring", as the Archer family spent the whole episode debating whether dairy farming had a future at Brookfield farm. Hmm - so much for him turning it into EastEnders!