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Equity delegates pose for a picture for the union's Save River City campaign [Pic: Neil Harrison]
RIVER CITY stars urged BBC Scotland to save the country’s only homegrown soap opera as its cancellation was unanimously opposed at Equity’s annual conference on Saturday.
In a joint speech, Joyce Falconer, who plays Roisin McIntyre, and David McGowan (the show’s Tommy Chalmers) said that since the Glasgow-set soap had first aired in 2002, its “characters and storylines have given a platform to reflect ourselves dramatically, linguistically, demographically and has become an important part of our cultural identity.”
On March 18, BBC bosses announced to staff in the canteen that production will come to an end in April 2026. The actors said: “Obviously, this was devastating news to all involved in this homegrown production and a fundamental blow to Scotland’s television infrastructure.”
Equity members voted to call on BBC Scotland to revisit its decision to end River City; explain how it will replace the soap with the same number of jobs and training opportunities for performers in Scotland; and ringfence the £9 million it costs to produce River City for Scottish talent and productions.
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