Long-running BBC soap films final scenes after 24 years despite cast and crew protests

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River City, the long-running Scottish soap opera on BBC Scotland, has finished filming after more than a year since the cancellation announcement.

After 24 years, filming wrapped up on the soap opera on Friday, April 24th. Stephen Purdon, who played ‘Shellsuit’ Bob O’Hara, described the experience to BBC News as “emotional, surreal, and difficult to express in words.”

He’s been working here for 24 years, ever since he was 19 – he’s now 43. He has many fond memories of his time here and says it’s a fantastic place to work, with a really good team. He feels lucky to have spent so long in this industry.

Filming has wrapped on the soap opera following a determined effort by the cast, crew, and viewers to save the show.

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After the announcement that River City would be ending, BBC Scotland director Hayley Valentine shared that everyone was sad to see the show go, but proud of its run. She praised the team’s excellent work and mentioned they’re planning a big finale for next year.

With how people are watching shows evolving and more competition appearing, now is the perfect moment to fund new, compelling drama series made in Scotland that highlight stories from all over the UK.

We aim to increase Scotland’s presence as a major center for television and film production, creating high-quality shows that are recognized and admired around the world.

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Several new Scottish dramas are coming soon from the broadcaster, including ‘Counsels’, ‘Grams’, and ‘The Young Team’. Recently, they’ve also launched shows like ‘Half Man’ and ‘Mint’.

The last episode will be shown near the end of August. After that, a special documentary titled River City: Our Story will air.

As filming wrapped up, executive producer Martin McCardie shared with BBC Scotland News how sad he was to see it end. He explained that he’s known many of the crew since the show began in 2005, and that many of them are central to what makes the show special. He even wrote in the day’s schedule that working with such a talented team has been the highlight of his career.

Authors

James HibbsDrama Writer

James Hibbs writes about TV dramas for TopMob, covering shows on streaming services and traditional channels. Before becoming a writer, he worked in public relations, first at a business-to-business agency and then at Fremantle, a global TV production company. He has a BA degree in English and Theatre Studies, as well as a Level 5 Diploma in Journalism.

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2026-04-26 12:34