River City stars protest soap's cancellation at Scottish Parliament

BBC News

24-04-2025

Scotland's creative industries will suffer a "massive blow" unless the BBC reverses a decision to cancel soap opera River City, stars of the show have claimed.A number of actors from the programme were at the Scottish Parliament to hear a motion to save the show, which is due to end next year.Stephen Purdon, who has played Bob (previously 'Shellsuit Bob') in the show since it began, told BBC Scotland News the programme served as a pipeline for talent who could otherwise be lost to the industry.BBC Scotland announced the decision to axe the soap last month, citing changes in audience behaviour away from long-running series.
Past and present cast members - including Frank Gallagher, who played crime boss Lenny Murdoch, and Gary: Tank Commander star Scott Fletcher - held placards up outside Holyrood protesting the cancellation, before sitting in the parliament to listen to the motion, brought by Labour MSP Neil Bibby. Purdon, the only remaining original cast member from its 2002 launch, said the show was important for off-screen talent it nurtured as well as those on screen, emphasising the programme's training academy - which teaches participants through classes and workshops.He said: "It's the only Scottish show that is constant throughout the year, and it's not just on screen. "It's what goes on behind the scenes, like the training academy – it's a pathway into the industry for people who maybe don't otherwise have connections."A BBC spokesperson said training opportunities with River City would remain active until April 2026.
BBC Scotland previously said it would increase total investment in drama over the next three years with a focus on "world-class productions" that can be sold internationally. However Purdon said short-term productions would not be able to replicate the consistency of River City, and it would be a "massive blow to the industry" if the cancellation went ahead. He added: "A six-part drama isn't going to constantly be there. "It might be great for a short period of time, but for longevity, a show like River City is a conveyer belt [for talent]."
Tom Urie, who was in the soap for four years from 2010 to 2014, told the BBC's Scotcast podcast the show was now "embedded into Scottish culture".He said: "As an actor living in Scotland, it's an accessible ambition to have. "If you look at something like Vigil, how would I ever get in that? But you look at River City, and you go maybe one day I'll get into River City because they'll want to do a story about a big guy trying to lose weight."It doesn't feel like something that'll be here for four months and then go away." The series, set in a fictional west of Scotland area called Shieldinch, is filmed on a specially-built set in Dumbarton and featured the likes of Outlander star Sam Heughan in early roles.Deacon Blue singer Lorraine McIntosh, Scottish acting veteran Johnny Beattie and EastEnders actor Alex Ferns also took roles in the show.Bibby said he brought the motion in the hope it would encourage BBC Scotland to think again, and that he was particularly concerned over closure of the Dumbarton studio.He said: "River City has been a platform and a pathway for young creative talent in Scotland. It's really important we have that platform, and I hope the BBC think again and maintain this iconic soap." The Scottish government's culture secretary Angus Robertson said during the debate the decision to end River City was "more than regrettable" and that it displayed a "worrying trend in decision making that runs counter to the BBC's commitment to invest in the nations."Purdon admitted the cancellation would carry an emotional impact for him personally, too.He said: "I'm 42 this year and I started when I was 19 so it means everything to me. I was there before I had my kids and now they see me on screen, so it's very important to me."