SOME familiar faces are returning to Shieldinch for a special River City episode to mark the TV soap’s 20th birthday.
Filming began this week on the anniversary episode, which will be broadcast at the end of September.
In the programme, Bob O’Hara and best mate Angus Lindsay 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, 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”.
Actor Stephen Purdon, who plays Bob O’Hara, joined the drama when it launched in September 2002 and is the only original cast member to still star in River City.
He said: “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.”
Purdon added: “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.
“River City has been an education for me and I absolutely learnt my trade as an actor on the streets of Shieldinch.”
A one-off documentary, River City: 20 Year Celebration, presented by Grant Stott, will debut on BBC iPlayer on Saturday 24 September – the exact date that the series launched in 2002.
Read more television news on Scottish Field’s film and TV pages.
Plus, don’t miss an insight into author Alistair MacLean’s childhood in the Highlands in the September issue of Scottish Field magazine.
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