River City: As thousands sign petitions to save BBC soap, here's why it means so much to Scotland's TV industry

River City launched in 2002 and offered a Scottish take on the BBC’s hit soap formula that had worked for EastEnders and Holby City up until that point. Set in the fictional Glasgow district of Shieldinch, the show followed the usual soap beats, detailing the personal drama between Shieldinch’s residents.

However, the BBC announced last month that that production on River City was set to end in 2026 after almost a quarter of a century on air.

The BBC has said that the end of River City will see its £9 million annual investment shifted to serve shorter-run drama productions in Scotland such as Vigil, which is filmed in Aberdeen and Glasgow, and Shetland as well as a range of new series such as The Young Team, Counsels and Grams.

Hayley Valentine, director at BBC Scotland, said that “viewing patterns” and “competition” had a hand in the decision to call time on the Scottish soap. She added that using River City’s annual investment to add to the budget of short-run drama production in Scotland would help the BBC to meet their aim “to grow Scotland further on the global drama map”.

Louise Thornton Head of Commissioning at BBC Scotland added: “For more than two decades, River City has brought drama to life on screen as well as offering industry training at grassroots level, and we know that fans of the programme will be really sad to see it go. The show leaves a tremendous legacy behind and the new productions we’ve announced will offer further opportunities.”

I personally haven’t watched River City for many years - maybe I’m an example of the change in “audience viewing habits” that has led to its demise. But as a Scottish viewer, seeing a homegrown show axed does feel a little sad.

River City has been on screens for most of my life and I have always felt its presence on television, even if I wasn’t a particularly active or keen viewer.

Not only does the soap have an emotional connection to viewers in Scotland of all ages, it also helped to launch the career of many Scottish stars and crew members who have went on to bigger and better things.

Sam Heughan starred in four episodes of the soap in 2005. Grey O’Brien, who reached the peak of his fame as Tony Gordon on Coronation Street between 2007 and 2010, was already known to Scottish viewers for his four-year stint on River City before his move to the cobbles.

Paul W Fleming, general secretary of the UK’s arts & entertainment union Equity, called the move to cancel River City “short-sighted”, adding that removing the show from the BBC’s scheduled would be “a disaster for Scottish television”. Equity has launched a Save River City campaign in a bid to stop the show’s cancellation.

Fleming said: “Axing River City would have a devastating effect on acting and production roles for Scottish talent. There is simply no equivalent to a regular soap for getting your foot in the door of this notoriously cutthroat industry, especially for the many aspiring actors from working class backgrounds. The regular opportunities and wages simply do not exist in other show formats.

“Holby City, Doctors, River City, these cuts to members’ jobs are being made without a long-term strategy from the BBC. Every penny from those productions should stay in producing scripted drama with significant casts, not funnelled into cheap reality or factual TV. The best way to do that is to keep River City running for the audiences who love it.

“BBC Scotland must rethink this move and take action to safeguard investment in domestic Scottish continuing drama.”