Skip to content

Emotional day as River City films last ever scenes after 24 years

Pauline McLeanScotland arts correspondent
News imageBBC Studios Drama Stephen Purdon stands outdoors holding a film clapperboard that reads “River City – Last Day of Filming.” The background shows a blue-painted building with signage for “The Tall Ship.” BBC Studios Drama
Stephen Purdon as Bob is synonymous with the show

It was a bittersweet day in Shieldinch as the cast and crew of BBC drama River City filmed their last ever scenes.

Actor Stephen Purdon, better known as 'Shellsuit' Bob O'Hara, said it was "emotional, surreal, hard to put it into words" on their final day on set on Friday.

The long-running soap opera that started out as Scotland's answer to Eastenders and Coronation Street has come to an end after 24 years.

A fierce campaign was mounted to save the programme after it was announced last year it would be axed. BBC Scotland said it was "no longer value for money".

Purdon is the programme's longest-serving cast member.

He said: "I've been here since I was 19, now I am 43. I have lots of memories from here - great memories.

"I've been lucky to work in this industry for 24 years. We all get on great and there's no place like it."

News imageBBC Studios Drama A person stands in the foreground with arms folded, wearing a turquoise jacket, patterned jeans, and holding a leopard‑print bag. Behind them is a cream-and-yellow ice cream van with signage reading “Marlon’s Ices” and “Sweets • Minerals.” Another person leans out of the serving window of the van, suggesting a casual street setting on a wet roadway.BBC Studios Drama
First day - Sally Howitt, aka Scarlett O'Hara, arrives in Shieldinch with Shellsuit Bob in 2003

Sally Howitt played the much-loved Scarlett O'Hara for 23 years.

She said: "She came in screaming and shouting in tight leather jackets and leopard print chaps - shouting at her son Shellsuit Bob and it's been a journey.

"My agent said to me at the time, they're giving you a month, play your cards right and you might get six months or a year out of it.

"Now, 23 years later, I'm still here," she said.

Sally says a bit of Scarlett will always be with her.

"She was such a great character and so much fun to play. The character evolved and they put me through the mill. I had more children, more husbands and her clothes got slightly more demure."

"There's always going to be a part of me that will be Scarlett."

News imageBBC Studios Drama Scarlett O'Hara person stands with arms folded beside a large decorative ice‑cream cone outside a storefront. She wears a blue jacket and dark trousers, positioned near white metal café furniture on a pavement. Behind the person, a striped shopfront and glass window suggest a street‑side dessert or retail setting.BBC Studios Drama
Last day - Howitt marked her final day on set by revisiting her original pose

Executive producer Martin McCardie has worked in many roles on River City - on and off screen. He has been a writer, an actor, producer, series producer, and executive producer.

He told BBC Scotland News: "It's very sad. There's lots of people I've known since I first started on the show in 2005, some of them are still here and are the heart of the show.

"I said on the call sheet today that being the exec producer for people as special as them has been the honour of my professional life."

Scenes filmed on Friday will go to air at the end of August.

The final episode will be followed by a specially-commissioned documentary about the 24-year-long production.

News imageBBC Studios Drama A person stands outdoors beside a decorative cast‑iron column, wearing a light blue sweater and jeans. Behind them is a stone building with bright blue trim and a sign reading “The Tall Ship” above the doorway.BBC Studios Drama
Martin McCardie has worked in lots of roles on River City and says the cast and crew are special

Actor and comedian Sanjeev Kohli - known for playing shopkeeper Navid in BBC comedy Still Game - played Shieldinch resident AJ Jandhu for seven years.

Kohli told The Saturday Show on BBC Radio Scotland that he was gutted the show was going.

"I watched young actors that might not get a chance anywhere else because of their background get a chance on River City and watched them flourish.

"To hear our voices being reflected, to hear just Scottish slang being said is quite important and quite empowering."

News imagePA Media A group of people stand and sit down while outside the Scottish Parliament building. They are all holding placards reading "save River City".PA Media
Past and present cast members of River City took part in a Holyrood protest

The BBC said that cancelling River City reflected a significant change in audience behaviour away from long-running series and towards shorter runs.

The BBC is concentrating its budget on major drama productions set across Scotland, starting with three new series – Counsels, Grams and The Young Team.

This is on top of returning dramas such as Rebus, Shetland, Granite Harbour and Vigil.

Since the announcement last year, other new dramas from Scotland include Sutherland, Half Man and Mint.

Giving evidence at the Scottish Parliament about BBC Scotland's drama investment strategy, BBC Scotland's Director Hayley Valentine said that the "cost per viewer" of producing the show was now much higher as audience figures had declined.

She told Holyrood's culture committee that she didn't take the decision to end the show lightly.