River City Feed

News Flash!

2011-05-24T09:58:06+00:00

Big news from the River City Press Office today - Wee Bob is coming back and so is sister Kelly-Marie! The following statement has been released:

Wee Bob is back with Kelly-Marie in tow.
Bob will be making his return to Shieldinch with some extra baggage - his big sister Kelly-Marie. Bob headed off to Peru in early April as Kelly-Marie was having relationship troubles - but both will be returning after things don't go to plan. Their return will be on-screen in September but the pair have started filming together in Dumbarton.

On returning to the cast Carmen Pieraccini says: "I'm really excited about coming back and being with all the Adams again and of course seeing the cast again. It's been three years since I last played Kelly-Marie and a lot has changed with her - but she's still the same girl at heart and will be lots of fun to play again."

Stephen Purdon plays Bob and adds: "I can't wait to get back to work especially as I will be working with Carmen. She really is just like my big sister and we have always had great fun working together." Stephen took a break from filming earlier this year due to illness and says: "I'm now beginning to feel back to myself and want to thank everyone for their support and wishes."

Executive Producer Gaynor Holmes says: "It's great to see Stephen back at work and we're delighted to be welcoming Carmen back to the show too. It's fantastic to see the return of two much loved characters at a time when the show is continuing to go from strength to strength. Bob and Kelly-Marie have always been very popular with the audience and they are bringing with them an exciting storyline which is set to shake things up in Shieldinch."

Kelly-Marie will be on screen in September, with her last on screen appearance in April 2008.

We are really excited about it here in Dumbarton, what do you all think of Kelly-Marie's return? What do you think she'll be getting up to now that she's back in Shieldinch? Let us know your thoughts!

Wavelengths

2010-12-16T11:30:23+00:00

Gina and Jack's love on the airwaves certainly warmed up the frosty festive air in Shieldinch. Having their romantic encounter broadcast live meant that the cat was out of the bag, big-style. In the gossip-ridden aftermath the best line belonged to Molly, telling Jack, who was unaware of his live show: 'And they say that video killed the radio star!'.

So Jack got sacked and dumped by Hayley, his girlfriend/boss, and as for Murray and Gina - what next? With Gina confessing that she finds Murray 'boring' and him retaliating by telling her he'd known about the affair for weeks, etc etc, it was atomic.

Curious as to why the scriptwriters put Gina and Jack together? Show producer Lizzie filled us in on some secrets from the writers' room.

The idea for the Gina/Jack/Murray/Hayley storyline came from a desire to put characters we know and love in morally difficult situations. Gina loves Murray and doesn't understand why she kisses Jack in the first place whereas Jack's relationship with Hayley has been under growing pressure in his eyes. Throw in how Murray, Hayley and the rest of Shieldinch will react if, or when, they find out and a simple drunken kiss becomes a potentially explosive situation.

Sometimes it's great for the audience to be 'in' on a story before the characters are, but this time we really wanted to surprise everyone and keep them guessing about what will happen next. Hopefully we've pulled that off!

River City Rock Scotland

2010-11-23T14:39:18+00:00

Did you miss Friday's Children In Need spectacular from Glasgow?

The talented cast members teamed up with The Gospel Truth Choir for a stirring rendition of 'Last Request'. We hear the actors spent a lot of time practising the song in their dressing rooms but they had only one rehearsal together as a group before they went on stage - talk about nerve-wracking!

The sound of singing Shieldinch featured a host of cast members: Libby McArthur, Eileen McCallum, Tom Urie, Neil McNulty, Pamela Byrne, Taryam Boyd, Rian John, Holly Jack, and Reanne Farley all joined in.

You can watch highlights from Children in Need Rocks Scotland, and take a wander backstage and meet the stars with a selection of exclusive clips.

Children in Need Rocks Scotland - gospel truth

2010-11-20T13:46:50+00:00

Members of the River City cast made an all-singing appearance with The Gospel Truth Choir at Children in Need Rocks Scotland last night. Take a look at exclusive pictures from the cast's glittering gospel gig at Glasgow's SECC - looks like much fun was had!

You can still donate to Children in Need by visiting their website.

Children in Need featuring...?

2010-11-15T18:13:31+00:00

Watch out for some Sheildinch residents who'll be making an appearance at this year's Children in Need extravaganza.
Children in Need Rocks Scotland will be on BBC One Scotland on Friday 19 November from 19.00.
John Barrowman and Jackie Bird will present this year's show which will be coming live from Glasgow's SECC. Singer Alexandra Burke, chart-topping popsters McFly and boy band The Wanted will be among the acts joining Pudsey on stage.

So keep your eyes peeled for familiar faces from River City on the live coverage of Children in Need Rocks Scotland.

Word on the Street - seasons change

2010-10-18T17:51:41+00:00

After a very sunny start to the week it feels as if winter has come to Dumbarton.

Hat and gloves are essential survival wear to a long day's filming once again. On a frosty autumn morning on the Montego Street set, here's a feeling of being 'out of time' - walking past discarded Christmas trees propped by the boatshed feels slightly unnerving. Festive filming has been taking place - and we haven't had time to fully embrace autumn yet!

Also spotted wandering the corridors of the production office were a bunch of actors dressed as members of the military police. It's all quite odd - what can it mean?

Field of Blood

2010-10-11T15:51:42+00:00

Photo of Jayd Johnson as Nicki

The last we heard she'd embarked on an exciting new student life in The Big Apple, and now Jayd Johnston is returning to her native land to film a crime drama for BBC Scotland. Jayd played Nicki, wee Bob's ex-fiance and fellow mechanic, between 2004 and 2010. Talented Jayd's now been cast in one of the lead roles in 'Field of Blood'.

Adapted from the popular Denise Mina novel, crime drama Field of Blood is set in Glasgow in 1982. The story centres on would-be journalist Paddy Meehan, played by Jayd, who works in a newspaper office and becomes embroiled in a dark murder case.

Jayd says: 'I'm thrilled to be given the chance to work with such an amazing cast including Peter Capaldi, David Morrissey, Jonas Armstrong and Ford Kiernan - I know I will learn a lot from them all. The character of Paddy Meehan is amazing, she's so feisty and fierce and passionate about her work which I love about her. She's got such a good heart and just wants to do good and make a difference.'

Filming starts this week on location in Glasgow until early November. We'll keep you posted on any developments!

Meet the Brodies

2010-10-01T12:04:13+00:00

Feathers are set to be ruffled when a new family arrives in Shieldinch. The Brodies will hit our screens in early October and we've got a few details about the new characters - for your eyes only.

Andy Clark will play Shieldinch's new GP Michael Brodie. He's married to Leyla, who's played by Maryam Hamidi, and between them they have three children: Nicole, Conor and Adeeb.

Gabriel Brodie is Michael's younger brother, who loves to live by his wits. He's played by Garry Sweeney. Garry's a familiar film face from Brit-flick successes such as Late Night Shopping and Small Faces.

Looking forward to seeing what you make of the new River City residents. They move in in early October! There will be articles about the new family appearing in the papers on Sunday 3 October so keep your eyes peeled.

Word on the street - autumn and an ambulance

2010-09-17T15:53:01+00:00

It's a sunny autumn day here in Dumbarton and we're excited, though a little alarmed, to see evidence of full-scale planning for Christmas episodes going on. Yes, Christmas in Shieldinch is on its way. The costume and art teams are being kept on their toes.

Plus there's an unusual prop waiting in the wings on the exterior set; an ambulance will be involved in this afternoon's filming.

The wedding - but not as advertised

2010-09-14T19:58:18+00:00

With Malcolm as MC, a stunning dress and surrounding by beloved friends and family, Ruth's low-key wedding in The Ship was a romantic affair. Bling may have been lacking but the event was full of love. We've got lots of exclusive pictures from the wedding for you.

Like real life, weddings in TV dramas are hectic affairs for all involved in their production. The entire cast has to be suited, booted, primped and preened. Hair, make-up and wardrobe departments work frantically to bring the vision to life.

Clare Pettifer, the busy costume designer on the show, filled us in on the background to Ruth's stunning wedding dress.

Originally Clare bought a dress in a High Street store sale earlier in the year. Then she subsequently spotted a vintage 1950s oyster lace dress in Glasgow. In the storyline Ruth's grandmother, Rose, was the first person to wear this dress, which Ruth and Jo had loved as children. It fitted Morag Calder perfectly, with a few modifications. Maggie Scobbie, who worked on Helen Mirren's costumes in The Queen adjusted the dress to fit.

As we blogged about previously, the costume team always have a camera to hand, to keep a record of what the cast have been wearing and when. These are placed onto continuity sheets, which you can see a sample from below.

Photo of continuity sheet from the wedding day

Parenthood

2010-09-07T20:03:11+00:00

Who'd be a parent? Judging by the fraught exchanges between Murray and Fraser, and Andy and Sheila, it's a tough job and no mistake. Being a parent does seem to be, like Scarlett said, the hardest vocation of them all. But nothing could be harder than having to tell your beloved son that you're not his real mum. Really felt for Scarlett, but she had to tell Bob, didn't she? Secrets have a way of coming out. Read about Stephen Purdon's reaction to Bob's birth mother storyline in The Daily Record.

Take a look at our exclusive pictures from the climactic scene where Bob learns the truth from Scarlett.

Jack and Hayley - A photo love story

2010-08-27T09:09:52+00:00

Aw, the heart melted when Jack made his romantic announcement, in front of all and sundry, in The Ship. We thought you'd like to see some pictures.

Jack takes aim.

And selects his target.

Nothing like a private dance in public.

Talk about an appreciative crowd!

Why don't you see if you can come up with some suitable captions for the photos?
Gordon's glower is priceless - he is not a happy camper.

Guiding with scissors

2010-08-25T10:08:09+00:00

If you went down to the River City tours this year in Dumbarton you were certainly in for a big surprise.

Two members of the cast had summer jobs as tour guides. Robbie and Hayley, aka Gary Lamont and Pamela Byrne, ditched their curling tongs in favour of showing members of the public around the streets and sets of Shieldinch.

Gary and Pamela studied together, on different courses, at Glasgow's RSAMD. Although they knew one another to see, it's only when they worked together regularly as hairdressers in River City's Just Gordon salon that they became bosom buddies on and off-screen.

'We got our very first job together, in James and the Giant Peach at the Citz,' Pamela said, 'and since then we've become great pals. Just as well, as we seem to do everything together.'

We caught up with the duo to get the low-down on life as a tour guide.

What happened on the tour when you and Gary turned up?

Pamela: 'Whenever Gary and I would walk in, or even more so when we'd walk in together, peoples' jaws would hit the floor. People were always so chuffed, because when you go on a tour you're told that you won't see any cast. We're probably the first cast members to do it. The people on the tour loved it and were so supportive'.
Gary: 'We kept the fact that cast members were doing tours a bit quiet.
When I turned up most people on the tours were a bit confused and thought it was a joke. I bet it was bit surreal!'

'The whole point of the tour is it's the River City set, it's our office, where we got to work every day. It is special though - so it's nice to step out of that and appreciate the River City set for what it is. And you can tell people all that you get up to - all your backstage tips'.

Did people call you by your own name or your character name?

Pamela: 'I would say to people at the start of the tour, 'My name's Pamela, but if you want to call me Hayley I don't mind!' When we went to the salon, people would say: 'I'm thinking about doing this with my hair, what do you think?' They were quite serious!' Do you think it would suit me?' I would tell the people on the tour - you can ask me anything about the characters but I can't talk to you about storylines. People would always ask me about Jack, even before the storylines went out'.
Gary: 'Most people did say: 'Oh, Robbie, Robbie!'. And I get folk saying to me every day in life 'What shall I do with my hair?' If I had a pound for every time someone said that to me I'd be more than a millionaire. What I usually say to them in response is, have you seen the state of my hair??''

The River City cast have time off over the summer. Have you been busy aside from doing the tours?

Pamela: 'I've been involved in a Fringe production in Edinburgh. The Lasses,O. It's a play about Robert Burns and the many women he knew. In another River City connection it was directed by David Paisley, who played Rory Murdoch'.

Together, they've also appeared in A Song, a Sip and a Sandwich, performing numbers from Chicago, Avenue Q and duetting in a number from the musical version of Legally Blonde.

It's purely coincidental that they've now been cast as best friends in River City and forged a close friendship. Gary: 'Pamela and I are now a bit of a double-act. Where I go she seems to pop her head up and vice versa.'

The Magic Bump

2010-08-20T13:55:47+00:00

What's warm, cosy and flesh-toned? Need another clue?
These things live in the River City costume room, and Eileen will be getting to grips with them in the next few months. Yes, we're talking about the pregnancy 'bumps' which Deirdre has started wearing as her character adjusts to becoming an expectant mother.

By far the most intriguing items in the River City wardrobe room are the selection of costumes used to create the effect of a pregnancy. You immediately want to handle and squeeze the odd, skin-toned suits. They are also surprisingly lightweight.

Claire Pettifer, the costume designer on River City, let us in on some of the secrets behind the bumps.

Eileen's pregnancy wardrobe - tell us more.
Pregnancy costumes do depend on the actor's shape so they can vary quite a lot. When Eileen gets four/five months into her pregnancy, we use the first bump under her clothes. That's the stage that we're at now. After a while Eileen's bump will go up a stage.

How are the 'bumps' to wear?
The padded costumes are very warm and comfortable! For some reason people think the suits will be really heavy, but they are very cosy and soft to wear. Dressing in the suit is similar to carrying round a cocoon. They are fantastic costumes to wear in the winter when it's chilly on set.

In the air

2010-08-17T20:11:31+00:00

With Heavenly Herbals taking shape the Shieldinch air is filled with the smell of bath oils. Ruth's pre-wedding girlie afternoon was crammed with goodies, and the sound of Fraser's sales pitch. He gets marks for cheekiness.

We thought we'd bring you a glimpse of one of Heavenly Herbal's gift sets.The show's art department worked furiously, filling the bottles with bath product, as they had many gift packs to create.

So we know Fraser's got issues, especially with his dad. With Joanne's knack for sensing troubled men you can be sure she caught a whiff of him a mile away.
Meanwhile, Theresa's ability to sniff out a scamming opportunity at forty paces can only mean one thing - dodgy deeds!