BBC Scotland has been warned that axing River City will be a real “hammer blow” for the Scottish TV industry as there will be very few opportunities left.
Jamie MacKinlay, who works as a script editor for the BBC show, said Scotland’s TV landscape was already in crisis and that the hit soap ending next year will lead to a “drain of talent” leaving the industry.
BBC Scotland announced last week that River City would come to an end in autumn 2026 after more than 20 years on screen.
“Although I was really sad, it didn't surprise me because I've seen the trends and if anything, I'm just frustrated,” MacKinlay said.
The script editor, who also hosts the Get A Real Job podcast, said he had spoken to others working in the industry about the diminishing TV landscape in Scotland just weeks before the announcement.
He added that despite being worried and frustrated about the decision, most of his colleagues are quite “resilient” and are being realistic about TV's future going forward.
Along with the announcement that River City will end, BBC Scotland said it will make an investment in major drama productions set across Scotland, moving the funding from the show to three new series – Counsels, Grams, and The Young Team.
“I think a lot of people understand that the soap format, no one's saying that it could last forever and it has to stay the exact same way, but there's no replacement or alternative in the same way.
“You can't really replace the training here or the opportunity for lower and mid-level creative TV workers.
“There needs to be some sort of long-running alternative, and I think a lot of people are just quite worried that there's not actually going to be those opportunities in the longer term.”
MacKinlay explained that the BBC Studios, based in Dumbarton, offers a great opportunity for people looking to get their first foot into the TV industry, along with providing consistent work for those who are also long-established in their careers.
He said he works with a lot of young people and junior script writers at the studios on work experience and that there are opportunities for people to learn and get first-hand experience in a variety of roles.
MacKinlay added that with River City ending, he worries about the lack of other opportunities available to those in the industry.
“There's honestly nothing,” he said.
“It's really tricky to like give people optimism, and in all honesty, there aren't a lot of opportunities in Scotland and [River City] is one of the few places where you can get them."
MacKinlay said that work experience placements might not exist on the new projects and then the “talent will drain out” of the industry locally and nationwide as people are unable to get their foot in the door.
Another problem the industry needs to address, he said, is that there needs to be more investment in keeping those who want to progress in a career in TV.
He said it is good that people are able to get involved and get the experience, but there needs to be investment in mid-level and above-the-line roles.
“I think training opportunities are obviously very vitally important, but I think at the moment the industry isn't sustainable for anyone, so I think it's great to bring new people in, but I think if you bring new people in, where do they go after a year or two?” MacKinlay said.
“It's not a sustainable industry. Just bring people in to then spit them back out, and I know far too many people that are trainees that are now have come in, got training, and they have nowhere to go, and I think you need to really invest in mid-level and above as well, because you need to create a sustainable industry that people can progress through.”
MacKinlay expressed his frustration that a lot of the opportunities in TV are based in London.
He said, although he has done stints in the city before, when he worked for STV, he doesn’t want to move for the sake of his career and is ultimately considering if he will need to look at pivoting into a new line of work.
“It's just such a tricky industry to navigate sometimes, so I think the door doesn't always feel very open for opportunities, especially in Scotland where there's not as many.”
He added: “It can be frustrating when companies have come up to film a drama here and their in-house team are all London-based.
“It's a lot harder if you're based up here, and personally, for me I don't really want to move, and it does get to the point where you go, well, what am I actually going to do?
“I'm gonna have to pivot and, at the moment, it does feel like I might need to take a career pivot at least for the time being.”
A BBC Scotland spokesperson said: “River City training opportunities will remain active for another year until we cease production in April 2026.
“We are actively working with BBC colleagues, the independent companies making our newly announced dramas and others in the industry on future training opportunities.”
