River City actor Jordan Young, who plays Alex Murdoch in the Scottish soap, says it has 'changed his life' as the cast and crew prepare to celebrate 20 years since the first episode aired.
On Saturday, exactly two decades to the day since the likes of 'Shellsuit Boab' first appeared on the streets of 'Shieldinch, River City: 20 Year Celebration' will be available on iPlayer.
The special anniversary episode of River City will then debut on the BBC Scotland channel on Monday, September 26 at 10pm, and again on BBC One on Tuesday.
It'll see Bob O'Hara, played by Stephen Purdon, and best mate Angus Lindsay, played by Scott Fletcher, 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.
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.
As they navigate their way through this surreal multiverse, the friends come across familiar faces from Shieldinch's past, with iconic characters like former owner of the Oyster Cafe Gina Rossi, played by Libby McArthur, barman Raymond Henderson, played by Paul Samson, and hairdresser Robbie Fraser, played by Gary Lamont, returning for this must see episode.
Stephen Purdon is the only original cast member left in River City.
Jordan Young joined in 2013 and has been opening up to the Daily Record about the impact the soap has had on his life.
He said: "River City has been life-changing for me. Genuinely life-changing.
"I've had an absolute blast being here. I've loved it, it's been a job that I would never have expected to be here for so long.
"As an actor you never set out to have the same job for nine-years and I feel really lucky to still be here.
"Alex is a bit of a wrong one, and you wouldn't trust him. But he does have a heart, so maybe that's why people love him maybe.
"I've had quite a few explosive storylines while here, I've had many highlights, and I feel really lucky about that."
Alex is the son of notorious gangster Lenny Murdoch and used to consider himself a principled man.
However, a number of dodgy decisions saw him blinded by profit and his business dealings haven't always been as legitimate as he'd like everyone to believe.
"I've killed people, I've strangled people and I've done people over.
Speaking about the anniversary episode, Jordan said: "The day I was filming I didn't really cross over with past characters - and I was gutted.
"I'd have loved to have been in with all those guys. But I know the people who did cross paths just loved seeing all their old pals on set again.
"My scene was only with Kelly-Marie played by Carmen Pieraccini, so it was lovely to see her again... she is brilliant to work with.
"Things in Shieldinch are very different, Alex has changed in it, and I think that's all I can tell you.
"But I really, really enjoyed shooting it."
You can watch River City: 20 Year Celebration with Grant Scott on iPlayer from Saturday, and the River City 20th anniversary episode will air on the BBC Scotland channel at 10pm on Monday September 26, and on BBC One Scotland at 7pm on Tuesday September 27.
Do you have any burning questions for the cast of River City? Or perhaps you simply want us to pass a message on to your favourite character. We’ll be back with the cast for a Facebook Live on Monday where there’ll be the chance to ask questions. Tell us what questions you want answered here.
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