“River City”
The next item of business is a members’ business debate on motion S4M-03168, in the name of Annabel Goldie, on “River City”. The debate will be concluded without any question being put.
Motion debated,
That the Parliament notes that BBC Scotland’s flagship drama, River City, will celebrate its 10th anniversary in September 2012; further notes that the programme, which is filmed in Dumbarton, attracts an average of 500,000 viewers a week and is regarded as an iconic contributor to Scottish drama and entertainment; praises the calibre and commitment of the actors and commends the scriptwriters for entertaining and topical storylines; considers that the programme has an important dimension as a social medium in tackling challenging social and current issues, and congratulates all those involved in the production of River City on creating a Scottish soap that has captured the hearts of so many Scottish viewers who tune in weekly to follow the eventful chronicle of life in Shieldinch.
12:30
It is a great pleasure to open this debate, which is the first Thursday lunch-time members’ business debate in our new parliamentary timetable—I am sure that the residents of Shieldinch will be captivated by such change.
I thank everyone who has supported the motion and extend a warm welcome to any visitors in the public gallery who are connected with “River City”, although I rather think that the interest of colleagues has less to do with political inquisitiveness about the cultural genre of soap and more to do with the condition of aspirant luvvies.
I still remember my reaction to the early instalments of “River City” back in 2002. I was so impressed that I thought that it should be abolished. Indeed, I shared my thoughts with the then controller of BBC Scotland, John McCormick, who—quite rightly identifying that he was conversing with someone whose grasp of screen culture was slender—informed me that a soap needed time to bed down and that a second series had been commissioned. After I had recovered from the shock of that unwelcome announcement, I thought, “Well, it’s so ghastly it will probably self-destruct, and we shall all be rid of the whole unhappy affair.”
I could not have been more wrong, because I decided to watch the new series and I was hooked, as were a lot of other people. Now, the Tuesday programme has an average audience of 420,000, and, when the Sunday repeat and the BBC iPlayer catch-up are factored in, that figure rises to around 500,000 a week, which is no small achievement. That all adds up to a significant drama success for BBC Scotland, a positive contribution to Scottish culture, an impressive showcase for our Scottish acting talent and an important economic boost for Dumbarton and the wider Scottish economy. That is why I think that it is important that the Scottish Parliament should acknowledge and celebrate the 10th anniversary of this Scottish success.
I have not constructed this speech along the lines of a “River City” script—that might have held members’ attention, but they would have needed a lie-down afterwards. However, it is worth looking at some of the facts behind the entertainment—I thank the BBC for the provision of this helpful information.
Including dailies and casual labour, the drama, which is filmed in Dumbarton, employs up to 200 people over the course of a year, with a core of 90 crew when in production, 25 main cast, 60 guest cast, four child actors and 150 extras, 90 per cent of whom are local. It films all year round, but the programme is prepared during only two 14-week periods, which enables the crew to work on other productions, encourages a healthy turnover of production talent and enables productions such as “Garrow’s Law”, “The Eagle” and “The Deep” to utilise the facilities at Dumbarton.
That leads me to the economic impact. The programme uses local supporting artists, equipment is hired locally and the crew shop locally. According to a draft report on the economic impact of BBC Scotland’s Dumbarton studios that was prepared by Strathleven Regeneration CIC, the cumulative regional gross value added to Dumbarton is around £140 million, and the cumulative national gross value added is around £45 million. As Shellsuit Bob might say to Deke, “Nae small money that, pal.”
Let us move on to deal with the entertainment component of this much-loved soap. “River City” has gripped the public imagination, pulled the heartstrings and brought tears of sorrow and laughter to the watching eyes of Scotland as we have shared the highs and lows of life in Shieldinch. With 500,000 fans viewing each week, BBC Scotland has found a winning formula that encapsulates urban life and the distinctive grain of Scottish character. However, with hard-hitting and gritty storylines, it has also created a social commentary that many people can identify with. To me, that is a tremendously important part of its success, reassuring people that they are not alone in the challenges that confront communities and individuals and providing useful signposts for help—all of that, of course, brought alive with vibrancy and pace by gifted actors, compelling scripts and the highest professional standards of direction and production.
The BBC is to run an online vote to let the drama’s fans choose their favourite moment from the last 10 years of the programme. There will be no shortage of suggestions. Challenging issues have been taken head on, including drugs abuse, alcoholism, prison, gangland mafia, marriage breakdown, stillbirth, unemployment, homophobia, Alzheimer’s and the embezzling lawyer. Those are just some of the issues, but all the programmes have been skilfully scripted, sensitively acted and superbly directed.
Another important dimension is that “River City” has evolved into a significant social medium. As members of the Scottish Parliament, we know the raw side of human nature—the frightened, the wronged, the lost, the abandoned and the lonely. Sometimes, one of the most difficult decisions for an individual to make is to speak to someone—to anyone. “River City”, by representing those difficult issues in a realistic way and then offering, either within the script or at the end of the programme, signposts towards help, is doing something invaluable. That is not an argument for people to live their lives through a soap; it is recognising that, for some people, vital companionship and communication can be provided by a soap, and there is a world of difference between the two.
Of course, there are lighter moments. Who would want Molly as a mother-in-law or Scarlett as a daughter-in-law? We have to admire that fierce defence of family against all comers, because it strikes a chord with us. Kelly-Marie, Madonna, Shellsuit Bob and Big Bob really have a formidable duo of matriarchs looking out for them. Of course, I have my own views about what Shieldinch might want to embrace in the future. Surely, it cannot remain immune from the constitutional debate. Eileen must have an opinion, because she does on everything else. Will Lenny be part of the yes campaign and, if so, does it want him? Is Liz a confirmed unionist? What does Scarlett think of the curriculum for excellence? I fear for Mike Russell if she ever expresses a view. Who knows what will unfold in the Oyster Cafe and the Tall Ship in the coming months and years?
I thank and congratulate the BBC and everyone who is involved in “River City”, who make the programme the gem that it is, and I send very best wishes to Shieldinch for the future.
12:37
I am delighted to contribute to this debate on the 10th anniversary of “River City”, which is filmed at the BBC’s studios in Dumbarton. I congratulate Annabel Goldie on lodging her motion for a members’ business debate and on changing her mind about the value of “River City”. I offer apologies from my leader Johann Lamont—she tells me that she is a great fan, but had to leave to attend to other business.
I have discovered that my connection with “River City” extends beyond the fact that filming takes place in my constituency. Those who are regular viewers will know that the current storyline centres on Big Bob having a heart attack. Big Bob is played by Tom Urie, who is the brother of local Hermitage academy headteacher Geoff Urie, although I am not sure that Geoff will appreciate me outing him in that way. There is Liz, played by Eileen McCallum, who is known to many members not simply for her considerable acting ability, but for her passionate support for the campaign to improve services for and treatment of muscular dystrophy. Then, of course, there is my very own Gina, who is played by none other than Libby McArthur, whom I once employed many moons ago to provide drama classes for local communities. She was a punk rocker then, and looks very different now.
Apparently, some 500,000 of us, including Annabel Goldie, tune in to follow the life and times of the people of Shieldinch as they grace our screens each week on a Tuesday evening on BBC Scotland, with, as we have heard, a repeat on a Sunday afternoon. However, Annabel did not tell us that the programme is also screened in Australia. It is also available on the BBC iPlayer, where it is watched by people from across the United Kingdom who look forward to a taste of home.
It is an award-winning programme. It was nominated for best drama programme at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts awards in 2006 and for the audience award for most popular television programme. That is not bad going at all. My constituents have loved it, because a truly phenomenal number of them have appeared as extras and have earned Equity cards on the back of that.
There is a value well beyond entertainment, important though that is, which is the considerable economic value that the programme has brought to my community, which Annabel Goldie touched on. The studios are in a set of former warehouses that were owned by Diageo, which used to employ hundreds of people to bottle J&B whisky before the company closed down and left the area.
At the time, the community was devastated. Local politicians, business leaders and the public sector came together to attempt to regenerate the area and formed Strathleven Regeneration CIC, of which I am a director. I am glad that the company supplied Annabel Goldie with a draft copy of its report on the investment that has been made, because the company commissioned the report knowing that the debate was coming up, and we felt that it was important to mark the anniversary—not just in the chamber, but in my local community.
During the building phase, £5 million was spent and 41 construction jobs were created. Since 2002, £84 million has been invested and there is an annual programming budget of £8.5 million. There are 221 net additional full-time jobs in the west of Scotland regional economy. Overall—I refer to the figure that Annabel Goldie quoted—the cumulative effect of “River City” and the other productions at BBC Scotland’s Dumbarton studios over the past 10 years is £135 million gross value added to our regional economy. It is a considerable success in economic terms, and I invite the minister to look at how we can build on that, not just on my side of the water, but on Duncan McNeil’s.
I am disturbed by the First Minister’s recent suggestion that we should break up the BBC if Scotland votes for independence. What will that mean for programmes such as “River City”? We know that it will mean a massive reduction in the programming budget across BBC Scotland. Potentially, licence fees will go up—we know that, too. The First Minister suggests that perhaps he would accept a model similar to the RTE model, with commercials being part of any future BBC Scotland. That is not the future that I want for “River City”.
I join Annabel Goldie in congratulating the BBC and “River City” on the programme’s 10th anniversary, and I look forward to at least another 10 very positive years in Shieldinch, despite all the fuss about referendums.
12:42
I congratulate Annabel Goldie on securing the debate. I concur with most of what she said—I have been a fan of “River City” since its inception. Talking about modern media, I have tweeted about “River City” quite often and someone came back and said that perhaps I would like to go and have a tea in Gina’s cafe. I would love to have a tea in Gina’s cafe, although I am not auditioning at the moment. I have met Gina on many occasions, particularly at Queen’s Cross Housing Association events in Maryhill—I know that Patricia Ferguson knows her well, too—where she does a lot of charity work.
“River City” is fantastic—look at the dedication of those involved and the talent and expertise that it has produced over the years. It has raised issues pertinent to Scotland. It encapsulates all that is good in Scottish broadcasting.
The motion mentions the 10th anniversary of “River City” in September 2012. I remind the chamber—and perhaps Jackie Baillie in particular—about the fact that in September 2011, the BBC was trying to close down “River City”. I have a copy of a press release about that. Notable figures such as Andy Murray and Lorraine Kelly signed a petition to keep “River City” going. So just last September, the BBC was talking about axing “River City”. It is apt to raise that.
Jackie Baillie touched on certain aspects of BBC Scotland, although perhaps not in the way that I will touch on them, and John Finnie raised the issue of BBC Scotland job losses during First Minister’s questions today. There are various issues around the BBC—issues that I have raised—to do with cuts to programmes and to funding for Scottish broadcasting. The First Minister, in his reply to John Finnie, said that that was absolutely disgraceful—and I think so, too. Unlike Jackie Baillie, I think that we should be pushing for more broadcasting powers to come to Scotland in order to ensure that programmes such as “River City” are not axed and people do not lose their jobs.
A 16 per cent cut in funding from the BBC will have terrible adverse effects. It is not just the people who petitioned last year who are concerned about that. I have a letter from a member of the Scottish committee of Equity, which states:
“Equity is launching a campaign calling for more television drama to be made in Scotland using the talent that lives here.”
It is a very good letter and I will be happy to pass it to the cabinet secretary. It goes on to say that, in recent years, too many jobs have been moved down to London,
“employment prospects of technicians in Scotland”
are being lost and the performers in these fantastic programmes
“have been ignored”.
I would like the cabinet secretary to take that on board.
Annabel Goldie said that the programme is relevant to Scotland’s social issues, and she is absolutely right. Most recently, the obesity situation with Big Bob has touched the hearts of many people—not just men, but women as well—including people who did not realise the adverse effects of obesity, such as diabetes. The issue of trafficking was covered recently as well, and I thought that the way it was handled was fantastic. The programme has also raised the issues of drugs and alcohol, death, marital break-ups, problems within the family—all issues that are pertinent not just to Scottish society, but to society as a whole.
As I said, I have been a fan of “River City” for many years, during which I have watched it develop. Even in the past nine months, it has changed its tune slightly, if members will pardon the pun, because there is certainly more music in it. In focusing on certain issues, it has really touched the hearts of the Scottish people and reflected what they are going through. We had the situation in which the doctor went over to Liberia to help people there, and the programme showed a pan shot of Glasgow in which poverty was rife. That was very touching. It certainly touched me, and I imagine that it touched many other people. The doctor was going to another country to help people there, but we saw a pan shot of the real poverty in Glasgow.
“River City” is a fantastic programme and a fantastic production. I praise everybody who takes part in it, but I also want to raise the issue of the funding cuts. Let us not forget that, exactly a year ago, in September 2011, the BBC was going to axe the programme. If it was not for the campaign that was run by a newspaper and people such as Andy Murray and Lorraine Kelly and the many others who signed the petition, we might not be having this debate today. I ask people to remember that, and the fact that the forthcoming cuts to the BBC could still lead to the axing of the programme.
12:47
I, too, offer my congratulations to Annabel Goldie on securing the debate, and I add my congratulations to the BBC and the cast and crew of “River City” on the 10th anniversary of the programme, which we are celebrating in the debate.
Unlike Ms Goldie and Ms Baillie, I cannot claim a local connection with Shieldinch, although I consider myself a relatively near neighbour. As colleagues will know, for many years, Maryhill, which I hail from, was the home of the delightful Jack Jarvis and Victor McDade, residents of Osprey Heights in the fictitious district of Craiglang as featured in the BBC production “Still Game”. Therefore, I can understand the particular pleasure that the citizens of Dumbarton take in “River City”. For residents of Maryhill, part of the joy of watching “Still Game” was in spotting local landmarks—the pub, the cafe and the old graving docks on Maryhill Road, for example. On one occasion I was chuffed to spot my surgery poster on the wall of a community centre that was being used as a location.
However, apart from the fun of spotting local places there is also the value that comes with such productions. As Jackie Baillie said, “River City” is broadcast every week in Australia and the much missed “Still Game”, which was ultimately broadcast throughout the United Kingdom.
Maryhill also benefits from the location of the BBC Comedy Unit there. The production units built to accommodate “River City” in Dumbarton and “Waterloo Road” in Greenock in Duncan McNeil’s constituency continue to bring skills and work to those locations.
I know that the spouse of one of my colleagues—I had better not say which one—has appeared as an extra in “River City”. Colleagues might like to guess who that might be.
The BBC has recognised the need to distribute its productions more proportionately throughout the country—a welcome if overdue development. Success often breeds success in the arts and having these programmes made in Scotland will encourage the emergence of more home-grown talent and will help to boost the local economy and provide a pool of talent for the television, film and theatre sectors.
I concur entirely with the remarks of my colleague Jackie Baillie about the SNP Government wishing to break up the BBC. It is rather ironic that the SNP wants to keep the Queen and the Bank of England but to ditch the BBC.
Often, the mark of a good programme is how it becomes part of our everyday thinking and language. That often happens because of the catchphrases that the characters employ. I remind colleagues of the lighthouse keepers’ catchphrase on “Chewin’ the Fat” as an example that eventually began to drive us all round the bend. For a long time, I could not mention my constituency of Maryhill without some wit impersonating the late Mark McManus and telling me, “There’s been a murder in Maryhill.”
I do not recall “River City” adding to the lexicon in quite that way, but I have always been intrigued by the nickname that was given to the character of Bob Adams, who is played by Stephen Purdon. I have always felt some sympathy for Bob, because it is quite a while since we last saw him wear a shellsuit, but the name has stuck.
I have a particular reason for feeling that way. In 1999, I read a newspaper column, which I recall was appropriately called “Bitching from Bruntsfield” and which appeared in the Edinburgh Evening News. For some reason, the column focused on what I wore at the Parliament’s opening ceremony. Apparently, I was not dressed formally enough to meet Her Majesty the Queen. That is fine—I can take criticism, and that was hardly the worst thing that has been said about me in the press. However, the columnist concluded her piece by saying that, as I was from Glasgow, she could only be thankful that I had not gone the whole hog and worn a shellsuit. Colleagues will therefore understand my fellow feeling for poor Bob Adams.
I thank the cast and crew of “River City” for 10 years of enjoyable, gritty and witty entertainment. I wish them well for a long-running future.
12:51
I, too, thank Annabel Goldie for giving us the opportunity to have the debate. I have no doubt that “River City” has gained a place in our hearts. It seems to interest people across the board. My family—from my youngest grandson to his great-grandfather, my father, who is 86—are regular viewers. The programme has a message for everyone.
In addition to the programme’s entertainment value and all that it brings in economic terms to the community of Dumbarton and the lower reaches of the Clyde, I contend that its 10 years of production—in which it saw off the difficult early years—must have positively influenced the BBC’s significant decision to relocate its top award-winning drama to Inverclyde. “Waterloo Road” is a successful drama that has 5 million viewers UK-wide. That gives us undoubted opportunities to market the area. We have seen all the earlier benefits of connections with the community and we expect good economic and cultural benefits from “Waterloo Road”, too.
With “River City” in Dumbarton, the Comedy Unit in Maryhill and “Waterloo Road” in Inverclyde, I am beginning to feel that the residents of Newton Mearns are very disadvantaged. I do not know whether we get “River City” in Newton Mearns and Whitecraigs. Would colleagues support encouraging the BBC to bring an appropriate level of programming to Newton Mearns, too?
The BBC has made a good start in Greenock and Inverclyde, including at the old Greenock academy, which Annabel Goldie knows well.
As I said, such programmes present us with tremendous opportunities to market the area. Our shared river location is a great spot for filming. A storyline on “Waterloo Road” was about not Inverclyde but the attraction of the river and had a link to Faslane naval base. We also have the Argyll hills. We have a great marketing opportunity.
For film-makers, we have the other attraction of a varied urban background—of Victorian architecture and the post-industrial, sad areas that excite and attract film-makers, just as they attracted the makers of the beautiful film “Dear Frankie” and the more challenging “Sweet Sixteen”. Such activity needs to be recognised for the opportunity that it presents.
Over the period, our public services have gained the experience to deal with film production, with all the advantages that that can bring. Strathclyde Police works with film production and has a knowledge of its needs, and the local authorities now have greater experience of film crews out on location, which is an advantage.
Whether we like it or not, we are also developing a shared campus for Clydebank, Paisley, James Watt and Greenock colleges. As we develop that shared campus, we have the opportunity to take advantage of and recognise the excellent state-of-the-art facilities for sound and video production at James Watt College. If we add to that the exciting prospect of local television, the opportunities are extensive.
Our new Beacon arts centre in Inverclyde will also provide modern facilities right in the heart of the community for both travelling film crews and the local community. Patricia Ferguson kicked off the project years ago with her announcement of £12 million in funding to support it.
I mention all those advantages because I believe that the assets that we have in the lower Clyde area give us a great and significant opportunity. Can we use the 10th birthday celebration of “River City” and the birth of “Waterloo Road” on the other side of the river to recognise that we have a tremendous opportunity to create a new hub of creative activity and innovation in the lower reaches of the Clyde, with all the economic and cultural benefits that that can bring? I have contacted Creative Scotland and hope to get it into the area so that we can use some of its expertise to help us to do that. I hope that the minister will support that endeavour.
12:57
I join other members in congratulating Annabel Goldie on securing the debate. I am sure that there are many in the Conservative Party who think that Annabel is one in a million. We certainly know that she is one in half a million, as she is among the regular viewers of “River City”. Her profile on the BBC’s news website describes her as
“a die-hard fan of BBC Scotland soap River City”.
It is interesting that she confessed her early opposition to it—she is obviously now a sinner reformed in that regard.
I also join many others in expressing my admiration for this fine dramatic series on its 10th anniversary. It is filmed in Jackie Baillie’s constituency, and she talked about the economic impact that it has had there. We also heard an impassioned advocacy of the whole area—including across the Clyde—from Duncan McNeil, who talked about the contribution of “Waterloo Road”. I hope to visit the area soon and I am very interested in exploring the opportunities that that provides.
It was interesting to hear from Jackie Baillie about Gina as a punk rocker. Could we have “River City—The Early Years”? That is as much fantasy as Jackie Baillie’s scaremongering about the BBC in her later comments.
Sandra White pointed out that the BBC currently faces a 16 per cent cut, and she was right to temper her celebration by saying that we must look at what is happening, concerns about which were raised earlier today in questions.
What really matters is not just that “River City” is loved in the Scottish Parliament by all the members who signed the motion, but that it is loved by the Scottish people and its 500,000 viewers. We are only two thirds of the way through the year, but tours of the “River City” studio and set in Dunbartonshire are booked solid until the end of December and beyond.
Indeed, the show has viewers beyond Scotland, through the BBC iPlayer, its availability on Sky and its being shown on the Australian free-to-air digital channel—a fair exchange, I suggest, for “Neighbours”.
Not only have audience figures continued to rise, but detailed audience research shows that “River City” has a high level of audience appreciation for any soap opera. It is not only a show that people watch passively but one that engages with their real interests and concerns.
As Annabel Goldie set out, the show tackles some difficult subjects in an involving and thought-provoking way. Recent editions have outlined health problems through a storyline about the character Big Bob O’Hara and his obesity-linked heart attack. It also deals with contemporary issues. A recent episode involved a proposal for a civil partnership, a legal status that was not even enacted when “River City” began in 2002.
The show also reminds us of where we have come from. As the title “River City” suggests, the fictional district of Shieldinch is rooted in the history of Glasgow and the Clyde. To quote from the late Donald Dewar’s speech at the opening of this Parliament, it is a place where
“we might hear some echoes from the past: the shout of the welder in the din of the great Clyde shipyards”.
I am glad that we can still sometimes hear that shout, whether it is ships or offshore wind and wave energy installations that are being welded. Equally, I am glad that the welders’ shouts are now joined on the Clyde by the clap of the clapperboard and the whisper of the production assistant.
“River City” is emblematic of the success of our television production sector, not least along the River Clyde. It is produced by BBC Scotland, which has its headquarters at Pacific Quay, with Scottish Television on one side and Film City Glasgow on the other. The creative Clyde enterprise area, which started in April, builds on that existing base by offering a streamlined planning regime, reduced local business taxation and support for marketing and development. With that in mind, I look forward to further growth of the creative industries in that enterprise area.
We heard from Duncan McNeil about the relocation of the BBC’s “Waterloo Road” to Greenock. Scottish Enterprise and Scottish Development International supported the production company Shed Productions in making that move, which is expected to generate almost £25 million in direct investment and create 230 job opportunities across all levels of production over the next two years.
That welcome development reflects the great strides that the TV production sector has made over the past five years. In 2007, only 2.6 per cent of network production by United Kingdom public service broadcasters came from Scotland. By 2011, that had risen to 4.9 per cent, with the BBC attaining a population share at 8.6 per cent—up from 3.3 per cent in 2007, so there has been progress. In 2010-11, the total estimated value of the television production sector as a whole in Scotland was £131.2 million, which is a 42 per cent increase since 2009-10.
The energy in that sector, which many members mentioned, is evident in the figures that are being generated. That sort of success depends on having a base of dependable, long-standing television series that are produced here in Scotland. Therefore, I salute “River City” for the way in which it has been an anchor for television production in Scotland for a whole decade, in good times and in bad.
Moreover, like many members, I salute “River City”, its cast, its crew and everybody who is involved in it for all that it has meant to the Scottish viewing public for the past 10 years, and I look forward to it having many more successful years ahead.
13:03
Meeting suspended.
14:30
On resuming—