BBC Scotland to scrap flagship soap River City

BBC Scotland is to scrap its flagship soap River City after more than 20 years.

The drama which began in September 2002 will continue filming for another 12 months before airing its final series in autumn next year.

The BBC said there had been a significant change in audience behaviour away from long-running series and towards shorter runs.

It said total investment in drama would increase over the next three years with the focus on "world-class productions" that can be sold internationally.

River City was set in the fictional west of Scotland area of Shieldinch and filmed on a specially-built set in Dumbarton.

It was originally seen as a Scottish competitor to Eastenders and Coronation Street but struggled to get viewers in other parts of the UK.

Stephen Purdon, who was nicknamed Shellsuit Bob in the early years of the show, is the only original member of the cast who still appears in the soap.

In its early days, the soap attracted stars such as Stefan Dennis, from Neighbours, and Lorraine McIntosh from pop band Deacon Blue.

Simon Webbe from pop band Blue also had a part in the show as well as young Sam Heughan, the actor who would go on to star in hit show Outlander.

Singer Susan Boyle, broadcaster Lorraine Kelly and Radio 2 DJ Scott Mills are among the celebrities to have made cameo appearances over the years.

BBC Scotland director Hayley Valentine said: "The team have done a brilliant job and I know they have some big plans for the finale next year.

"But as viewing patterns change and competition intensifies, this is the right time to invest in the next generation of high-impact drama series from across Scotland showcasing storytelling across the UK."

At the same time as announcing the end of River City, the BBC said three new dramas - Counsels, Grams and The Young Team - would create new opportunities across the independent TV production sector.

It said total investment in BBC drama from Scotland over the next three years is expected to rise to over £95m in total.

As well as the new dramas, the BBC said that popular show Granite Harbour will return for a third series as well as Shetland coming back for its 10th series and Vigil for a third.

Philippa Childs, head of the Bectu union, which represents TV crew, said the news was "incredibly disheartening".

"The loss of such a long-running production is devastating for the workers impacted and for the local industry," she said.

"As viewing habits change, broadcasters rightly have to make tough decisions, but it's imperative that the impact on the workforce and the diversity of the industry is accounted for," Ms Childs added.

The BBC says the decision to bring River City to an end is driven by changing tastes.

Audiences for soap operas and continuing dramas have been declining across the board.

The focus is shifting towards shorter series which make a high impact.

Shows such as Shetland can be "appointment to view" TV which are sold abroad, streamed for a long time and repeated on smaller channels.

The falling audiences for soaps - along with the inflationary costs which have faced drama productions - have led to some hard decisions for commissioners, with daytime soap Doctors and the medical drama Holby City coming to an end.

The challenge for the BBC will be to demonstrate that the resources freed up by this move are being spent effectively on other Scottish dramas.

When the programme started in 2002, the hope was that River City would build a strong relationship with its audience - especially those viewers who may not have felt well-served by the BBC in general.

It is only natural some regular viewers and fans will be disappointed by today's decision.

But there is also the question of the impact on employment - for actors, writers and production staff.

Many of those who work on River City are freelancers.

It will be vital for the BBC to demonstrate that other commissions balance out River City's loss and ensure there are still plenty of employment opportunities.

It is likely to face scrutiny to ensure a creative decision which will disappoint some viewers does not prove to be bad news for the TV production industry.