River City

River City is a Scottish television soap opera that was first broadcast on BBC One Scotland on 24 September 2002. River City follows the lives of the people who live and work in the fictional district of Shieldinch. In November 2017, a short crossover episode of the show was made for Children in Need and featured several of the show's characters meeting characters from Scottish sitcom Scot Squad.[1] In March 2020, production of River City was halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and filming recommenced in August 2020.[2] In place of new episodes, a select number of "classic" episodes were aired.[3] In February 2022, it was announced the cast were back filming another series. In March of the same year the show returned to its original broadcast pattern of two half-hour episodes a week.

For other uses, see River city (disambiguation).

River City
GenreSoap opera
Created byStephen Greenhorn
StarringPresent and former cast
Opening themeRiver City theme (2020)
Ending themeRiver City theme (2020)
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languages
  • English
  • Scots
No. of episodes1,338
Production
Producer
  • Martin McCardie
Production locationsDumbarton, Scotland
Camera setupMultiple camera setup
Running time
  • 30 minutes (2002–2007, 2022–present)
  • 60 minutes (2007–2022)
Production companies
Release
Original network
Original release24 September 2002 (2002-09-24) –
present

Setting

River City is set in Shieldinch, a fictional district in the west end of Glasgow, the largest city in Scotland. Shieldinch was founded in 1860 and was known for its shipyard (the local pub is named "The Tall Ship", which is a tribute to the areas's shipbuilding heritage). The name is derived from the real districts of Whiteinch and Shieldhall, located on opposite banks of the River Clyde.[4] Filming takes place on a set built specifically for the soap opera in the nearby town of Dumbarton.[5]

Characters
Main article: List of River City characters

The storylines featured in River City are based on personal relationships and family life. Community involvement and the ability to come to terms with family issues, distress, and disagreements contribute to the development of each character. One of the original families that River City had been centered on was the Hamilton family that included Malcolm Hamilton; his daughters; Eileen Donachie, formally called Eileen Henderson; Gina Hamilton, previously known as Gina Buchanan and Gina Rossi; Gina's daughters; Ruth Rossi; Green; and Joanne Rossi. Another family that was integral to River City was the Hendersons. Both of these families have grown as the show has gone on. Eileen had two children, Kirsty and Brian, with her husband Raymond, as well as a stepdaughter Hazel who was her second husband Tommy's daughter from a previous marriage. She later had another son, Stuart, with Raymond that happened by chance. Joanne Rossi's son Franco and Ruth Rossi's daughter Ellie also became part of the show.

The Hamilton and Adams-Mullen families were the main focus of the plot for several River City storylines. The Hamiltons played centre stage from the drama's beginnings in 2002, and the Adams–Mullen families from around 2003. Around the start of 2007, the storylines were based around the recently integrated Murdoch clan. In the year 2008 a new couple, the McKees, had been brought into the show when they made a new home in Shieldinch, giving them a big part in several storylines focused on their lives outside Shieldinch and the challenges of coming to a new town. As well as this, 2009 saw the introduction of the students and the hairdressers, consisting of father, daughter and two stylists. The current longest-serving character is Bob O'Hara, played by Stephen Purdon. He is the longest-serving character since Deirdre Davis' (Eileen Donachie) exit in May 2016 (the last character to have appeared since Episode 1). Scarlett O'Hara, played by Sally Howitt, is the longest-serving female character, having appeared since 2003. In 2016, Scottish actress Juliet Cadzow, known for appearing in Balamory, joined the soap.

Awards and nominations
Year Award Category Nominee Result Ref
2006 BAFTA Scotland Award Best Drama Programme River City Nominated
BAFTA Scotland Award Audience Award River City Nominated
Great Scot Award Entertainment Award River City Won [6]
2009 BAFTA Scotland Award Television Drama River City Nominated [7][8]
Scotland Variety Award Best New Scottish Actor or Actress Lisa Gardner (Jo Rossi) Nominated [9]
2010 Scotland Variety Award Best New Scottish Actor or Actress Lorna Craig (Jennifer Bowie) Won [10]
New Talent Award Acting Performance Keira Lucchesi (Stella Walker) Nominated [11][12]
2011 New Talent Award Producer: Fiction/Factual Lizzie Gray Nominated [13]
2012 Scotland Variety Award Best New Scottish Actor or Actress Kiera Lucchesi (Stella Walker) Nominated [14]
2020 BAFTA Scotland Award Audience Award[lower-alpha 1] River City Nominated [15][16]
2023 RTS Scotland Award Drama River City Won [17]
  1. The Audience Award was specifically for Most Popular Television Programme

References
  1. "Scot Squad and River City stars join forces for Children In Need mash-up with Pudsey". Media Centre. BBC. 16 November 2017.
  2. "River City Resumes Filming". BBC. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
  3. "BBC to screen classic episodes of River City throughout summer months". Daily Record. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
  4. Neil Blain, ed. (2008). Media in Scotland. Edinburgh University Press. p. 130. ISBN 9780748631827.
  5. "Dumbarton: River City stars heading to town for night of laughter". Dumbarton Reporter. 9 February 2023. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
  6. "Great Scot! River City Wins Award". bbc.co.uk. 6 November 2006. Retrieved 15 September 2012.
  7. "Scottish BAFTA nominations announced". film.list.co.uk. 30 October 2009. Retrieved 15 September 2012.
  8. "BAFTA Scotland Nomination". bbc.co.uk. 20 October 2009. Retrieved 15 September 2012.
  9. "Scottish Variety Awards 2009". bbc.co.uk. 12 February 2009. Retrieved 16 September 2012.
  10. "Scottish Variety Awards-26 March". BBC. 23 March 2010.
  11. "New Talent Awards Winners in 2010". bafta.org. Retrieved 15 September 2012.
  12. "Bafta New Talent Awards – Friday, 19 March". bbc.co.uk. 19 March 2010. Retrieved 25 September 2012.
  13. "New Talent Awards 2011". bafta.org. 28 February 2011. Retrieved 25 September 2012.
  14. "Scottish Variety Awards". clyde1.com. 12 December 2011. Archived from the original on 11 September 2012. Retrieved 16 September 2012.
  15. "BAFTA Scotland 2020 nominees". BAFTA Scotland. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
  16. "All the winners from the BAFTA Scotland Awards 2020". The List. 9 December 2020. Retrieved 18 December 2020.
  17. "RTS SCOTLAND AWARDS 2023". Royal Television Society. Retrieved 5 August 2023.
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