EastEnders fans hit out at the BBC after learning that a soap writer who 'has penned 55 episodes' has taken a retail job at ASDA.

Numerous people have penned screenplays over the decades to bring Albert Square's distinctive characters to life.

Richard Lazarus wrote an incredible 55 episodes for the BBC soap, spanning 2007 up until 2015. 

His final episode aired in February 2015 - with characters including Lauren Branning, Max Branning and Ian Beale taking centre stage.

However, Richard has now swapped screenplays for the shop floor by working at ASDA.

The 'Our Asda' Instagram account posted a photo of him in uniform, with the caption: 'Meet Richard!

'Did you know he’s also a TV writer with some seriously impressive credits?

'He’s written 55 episodes of EastEnders (yes, 55!).

'He’s penned stories for CBBC’s hit drama The Dumping Ground.

'He’s worked on the Scottish soap River City.

'And he even co‑created the BBC One prime‑time cop drama By Any Means.

'From the shop floor to the small screen — Richard’s talent knows no bounds!'

One person commented underneath the post: 'Anywhere is better than working for bbc for obvious reasons.'

Another swiped: 'Any news on a pay rise?'

It comes as former EastEnders star Deborah Sheridan-Taylor looked unrecognisable after unveiling a brand-new career - 27 years after her dramatic on-screen death.

Her short-lived but memorable time on the series concluded when her character brutally killed by Steve Owen (played by Martin Kemp).

It determined a crucial plot twist involving the wrongful framing of Matthew Rose (Joe Absolom), with her storyline still considered one of the most epic deaths on the soap.

Yet almost 30 years on from that iconic exit, it seems the London-born actress, 57, has reinvented herself.

Deborah now works as a personal stylist and image consultant, as well as interior designer and even owns her own company.

Her namesake company, named after her, is called DST Designs, and goes by @dstdesigns on Instagram - where her bio reads: 'STYLIST IMAGE CONSULTANT EVENTS.'

Previously, the soap star has also took off with her interior design passion and appeared on Channel 4's property show Grand Designs back in 2014, where she showed how she transformed her London pad.

One of her most recent social media posts highlighted how her brand is all about 'Refresh. Reconfigure. Reimagine.'

'What if I told you that your wardrobe is already full of possibilities?,' she wrote.

'In this Outfit Building session, I took my client’s existing pieces and completely transformed how she sees and wears them -

'This client has been working with me for about four years now, everything she is wearing has been bought through me, either firsthand or we also shop Preloved for wardrobe enrichment.

'Switching up colour combinations, original thinking, accessories and silhouettes.

'The result? She described it as “a whole new wardrobe!” without buying a single new item.;

Deborah concluded: 'This is the power of strategic styling. If your wardrobe feels uninspired, let’s redefine it together.'