Archives for February 2010

This week in Glasgow there's a double-whammy of Shieldinch-related sparkle featuring in Oran Mor's lunchtime Play, Pie and a Pint season.

Sean Scanlan, who plays Innes' boxing coach Joe, stars in a production of 'Heaven', a story about a divine encounter in an airport departure lounge - oooh! There's even a brief cameo from Shirley aka Barbara Rafferty, Sean's real-life wife.

If you're missing Barbara, meanwhile, she's on our screens as Ella Cotter with the sage of Govan, Mr Rab C Nesbitt. You can catch up on the whole series on the iPlayer.

So it looks like Nicki's had it with Shieldinch - a cab zipped her off to the land of Spanglish and sangria, into the well-tanned arms of Shirley, her substitute mum. She leaves behind a cheating fiancé, the stench of engine oil, a squad of mates and a whole gaggle of memories. Who knows if we'll see Nicki again on Montego Street but the actress who plays Nicki has got Broadway firmly on her mind. Talented Jayd Johnson has taken up a place at a prestigious acting school in New York and she has started her studies. Are we jealous? Hmmm... Central Perk or Kinning Park?

We caught up with Jayd to find out all about her new life in the Big Apple, and she sent us a snap of her enjoying an icy February day in Manhattan.

"I arrived in NYC on the 5th of January this year but I had a really bad flight, and got earache, so when I landed I went straight to the hotel and into my bed. So my first day in New York was spent in bed! But on the second day we went to Times Square and I think that's when it hit me that I was in New York! I sat on the red steps and it was such a strange feeling because all I could think was 'I live here now' - amazing!

"The city is amazing - it's so much more than i imagined! I walk past the Empire state building every day to get to school.

But was it sad saying farewell to her friends in Shieldinch and Scotland?

"My last week in Glasgow was amazing - my friends actually had two nights for me leaving, they threw me a leaving party at a bar in town and I got to see all of my friends. Gordon McCorkell and Lorna Anderson were both there. And then the night before I left I went for dinner with my best friends and family. Sam Robertson was there and, of course, Laura McMonagle. So it was great getting to see them all.

"I found it really hard saying goodbye to my friends. My mum, dad, sister and brother-in-law all came to New York with me for my first week so I didn't have to say goodbye to them in Glasgow. It was such a hard thing having to say goodbye to them and I do miss them a lot.

So now she's settling into New York life. As a student surely it's all long lies, the odd lecture and beans on toast? Don't think so!



"The course is really busy and I take seven classes in all: theatre history, acting, movement, voice and speech, speech practicum, vocal production and Alexander Technique. I've learnt so much already and I have only been here a few weeks! Among the plays that I'm loving are 'True West' by Sam Shepard and 'Hooters' by Ted Tally. The workload is very intense - we have a lot of studying to do in terms of writing play reports and reading but I am loving it so much."

So will Nicki return to Shieldinch? Who can say but, for Jayd, the door in Dumbarton is always open. The cast and crew of River City are proud as punch of her achievements and they'll always be glad to hear from her. We wish her well with her studies and look forward to hearing about her future success.

You can watch our exclusive video interview with Jayd now, and visit our 'Gangs to Gaskets' photo gallery to relive her time in River City.

Awww, not a dry eye in the house! Bob and Nicki - wouldn't they just break your heart? Should Bob have 'fessed up and told her the truth about his Prague fling? He'll probably be regretting it now... Is it best to own up if you've been unfaithful? What do you think?

The parish confessional is busier than the M8 these days: it's filled with sleekit Murdochs. Father Mulvaney's desperately trying to keep Ewan on the straight and narrow. Will he succeed? Is Ewan really thinking of bumping his father off? We know Lenny's always been a bad lot, but surely Ewan's better than that? Or is he?

Our production team has been rattling about the streets of Shieldinch for the last couple of months while we've been on a filming break but today's the day everything gets back to normal... whatever 'normal' is.

The cast and crew are back and have just started filming another batch of 26 episodes for your televisual enjoyment!

I'd not be popular at work if I revealed what scenes are shooting but I can tell you that Scarlett, Iona and Big Bob are the hardest-working individuals today.

To add to the excitement, Chris Evans mentioned the show on his Radio 2 breakfast show this morning! Libby (Gina) and Deirdre (Eileen) got in touch and Chris wished everyone all the best for the new filming block. You can find it on the iPlayer at about 21 minutes in.

Aw, nice to see Scarlett helping her brother out! Do you think he'll enjoy working in Shieldinch?

The fly in the ointment is mommie dearest, however. Can't imagine that Molly willl be happy to see her boy being independent, can you? How do you think she'll react?

Can you really blame Gina for her frostiness towards Murray? The last thing she heard he was off on a smoochy mini-break to Paris with her sister! What do you think Murray should do to romance Gina? What romantic gesture would she appreciate?

Eileen was daft bringing her nippy wheeled suitcase on a camping trip, but what was Murray thinking taking Eileen on a romantic Valentine's hike? Eileen doesn't do rural, unlike Gina, who looked right at home in her waterproofs.

And what was Robbie playing at, making those withering comments about Ruth? Feathers were ruffled, we reckon, when he heard about Gordon's date with her.

By showing Lee mercy, Ewan went way up in our estimation. Mind you, we wouldn't want to be in Ewan's shoes if Lee shows up again. Pleased to see that Ewan isn't exactly a chip off the old block.

There's a nice interview with Johnny Beattie in The Sun, where he talked to Matt Bendoris about his life and work. Take a look at it on The Sun website. It was published in Saturday's paper.

With Lenny up his old tricks there's blood on the streets of Shieldinch again. Amazing how he can go from psycho killer to family man in a matter of minutes. And can Ewan, a man with such fine puppy dog eyes, really be capable of cold-blooded murder? He has the genes but we hope he hasn't got the stomach.

Murray's getting two sisters for the price of one as his romance with Eileen blossoms. The fact that Gina even owns a toasty hat is a sign, surely, that she's destined to be with nature-loving Murray!

Bob picked up a few unwanted souvenirs when he was on his Prague stag fest, but we think his unmentionables might be under threat from Nicki, when she discovers what he got up to. Prepare for fireworks.