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River City celebrates 20th anniversary

Soapworld

River City celebrates 20th anniversary

Faces from the past and present will mark the two decades on air in forthcoming scenes.

Faces from River City’s past will revisit the streets of Shieldinch alongside current cast to film a special episode, marking the forthcoming 20th anniversary of BBC Scotland’s award-winning drama.

Series Producer, Martin McCardie:

“River City owes everything to its loyal fans – this episode is for them. And in producing it we pay homage to the cast, crew and supporting artists who have all contributed to a wonderful 20 years. Happy Birthday River City!”

Filming began this week on the special River City episode which will air around the anniversary at the end of September and sees Bob O’Hara (Stephen Purdon) and best mate Angus Lindsay (Scott Fletcher) wake up in a parallel dimension where all is not as it seems as they come face-to-face with ghosts from Shieldinch’s past.

Written by Johnny McKnight and made by BBC Studios Scotland, the storyline centres around Bob’s disastrous birthday celebrations where – after drinking a 20-year-old bottle of vintage wine with Angus – the hungover pair wake up in a world they don’t recognise where their lives have taken an altogether different direction. As they navigate their way through this surreal multiverse, the friends come across familiar faces from Shieldinch’s past.

River City: 20 Year Celebration will debut on BBC iPlayer on Saturday 24th September – the exact date River City launched in 2002. The anniversary episode of River City (along with the second episode of that week) will then debut on BBC iPlayer on the morning of Monday 26 September ahead of its airing on the BBC Scotland channel at 10pm. This will then be followed by the entertainment special – River City: 20 Year Celebration – on BBC Scotland at 10.30pm.

A must-see episode for soap fans, iconic characters returning include Gina Rossi (played by Libby McArthur), Eileen Donachie (Deirdre Davis), Raymond Henderson (Paul Samson), Ewan Murdoch (Chris Brazier), Robbie Fraser (Gary Lamont), Gabriel Brodie (Garry Sweeney), Billy Kennedy (Alexander Morton), Thomas McCabe (Tam Dean Burn), Martina Kennedy (Ann Louise Ross), Stella Walker (Keira Lucchesi), Kelly-Marie Adams (Carmen Pieraccini), Zinnie Hassoun (Nalini Chetty), DCI Whiteside (Michael Nardone) and DCI Grant (Therese Bradley).

Actor Stephen Purdon, who plays Bob O’Hara, joined the drama when it launched in September 2002 and is the only original cast member in River City. He’s thrilled his character Bob will be at the heart of the anniversary celebrations: “I’m so humbled this special River City anniversary episode is centred around Bob – he’s been a part of the show and my life for two decades now so it feels like the perfect scenario. The anniversary episode is full of twists and turns and Bob goes through a lot, with his best mate Angus by his side. At the heart of it all, it’s about family which is so important to Bob and, for me, this show has become my family over the years.

“Johnny McKnight has written the perfect episode which is a fitting tribute to River City and the fans are going to love it. They’ll have a wee lump in their throats watching it and, as well as some lovely emotional moments, there are plenty of laughs along the way and a few familiar faces from Shieldinch’s past.

“When I think about the fact I’ve been here for 20 years, it’s a wee bit overwhelming – it blows my mind actually. River City has been an education for me and I absolutely learnt my trade as an actor on the streets of Shieldinch. River City means a lot to me and our fans are incredible – I’m looking forward to celebrating the shows’ very special big birthday with all of them.”

As well as Stephen Purdon and Scott Fletcher, other key cast from River City’s present line up appearing in this special episode include Frank Gallagher (playing Lenny Murdoch), Jacqueline Leonard (Lydia Murdoch), Jordan Young (Alex Murdoch), Jenny Hulse (Amber Murdoch), Gayle Telfer Stevens (Caitlin McLean), Sally Howitt (Scarlett O’Hara), Iain Robertson (Stevie O’Hara), Barbara Rafferty (Bernie O’Hara), Holly Jack (Nicole Brodie), Joyce Falconer (Roisin McIntyre), Juliet Cadzow (Suzie Fraser), Darren Brownlie (Mikey Duffy) and Gail Watson (Dr Gillian Gibson).

As part of the 20th anniversary celebrations, BBC Scotland will also broadcast River City: 20 Year Celebration – a one-off entertainment special hosted by actor and presenter Grant Stott (who plays Sam Spiller in River City) and filmed at the show’s iconic set in Dumbarton.

In this hour-long show, current cast will join with familiar faces from the past to celebrate the show’s history, reliving memorable moments as well as welcoming some special guests and fans of the series.

River City: 20 Year Celebration will showcase the results of a public poll inviting fans to vote in categories including Best Villain, Best Tear-Jerker, Best Romance and more.

Launching on the 24th September 2002, River City has become a much-loved Scottish drama over the last two decades with over 1300 episodes filmed at the BBC Dumbarton Studios outside Glasgow.

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