Soap baddies front chilling billboard campaign

Apr 27 2008 By Steve Hendry

Exclusive Soap Baddies Front Chilling Street Ad Campaign

RIVER City's baddies are being unleashed on Scotland's streets in a bid to win new fans.

Three of the soap's most hated characters star in bold billboards alongside the tagline 'Dangerously close to real life' as part of a sizzling new ad campaign. The team who designed the posters for BBC Scotland say the ads and new TV spots reflect the soap's new-found gritty storylines and high drama.

Jill Taylor, of ad agency Family, said: "River City as a whole is still about drama. It is about real life and grittiness. The line 'Dangerously close to real life' was the absolute selling point of the campaign.

"It might not have blockbuster values like Lost and it's based in Shieldinch rather than Hawaii but it's about stuff which could happen to you and our job is to really dramatise that.

"What we have tried to do is something which will make people who have never watched River City or seen it in the past think, 'Wait a minute, it's not what I thought it to be.' You are challenging perceptions, hoping people will give it a go."

Three of the characters fans love to loathe feature in the adverts.

Selfish single mum Joanne Rossi, played by Lisa Gardner, is seen with disapproving baby Romeo (Jamie Blythe) in one arm while applying lipstick with the other.

Her slogan sums her up perfectly - 'Half-hearted mum, Half-hearted sister, Full-on maneater'.

Gangster's son Ewan Murdoch (Chris Brazier) is seen in a dark suit clutching a red rose in his bloody hand beside the question 'Good looks, Charming manner, Ruthless thug?'. His stepmum Lydia - played by former EastEnder Jacqueline Leonard - has a designer handbag overflowing with cash and is embraced by a shadowy figure in menacing black gloves beside the line 'Loves the image, Loves the glam, Hates the truth'.

The show's executive producer Sandra MacIvor said: "River City has been going from strength to strength and is performing well in terms of viewing figures.

"The hope with this campaign is that it will introduce people who haven't watched River City before to the soap."

The posters will go up at more than 100 sites throughout Scotland from May 5, backed by an online campaign and teaser trailers on TV. These feature killer Lenny Murdoch, his spoilt daughter Amber and fans' favourite Scarlett Adams.

Lenny (Frank Gallacher) pulls an imaginary trigger alongside the slogan 'Family man, Businessman, Hitman', while Amber boasts of being a 'Royal pain, Drama queen, Daddy's little princess'.

Bolshy Scarlett (Sally Howitt) throws back a drink, spits out chewing gum and bawls loudly as she lives up to her slogan 'No class, No shame, No mercy'.

River City has more than 500,000 viewers a week and celebrates its 600th episode this summer with the double wedding of Scarlett and wheelchair-bound Jimmy (Billy McElhaney) and her son 'Shellsuit' Bob (Stephen Purdon) and cleaner Charlie (June Brogan).

The trial of crooked lawyer Archie Buchanan (Gilly Gilchrist), who has lost his memory, will also be a highlight.

Gordon Laing, of marketing and media magazine The Drum, said: "This will make people take notice. But if you create a glossy image, the show has to live up to it.

"If these posters make River City look less small town, it has every chance of attracting an even bigger audience."

River City is on BBC1 every Tuesday at 8pm.

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