River City stars 'Shellsuit' Bob and Scarlett O'Hara film final scenes

Now, Shellsuit Bob (Stephen Purdon) and his mum Scarlett O’Hara (Sally Howitt) are riding off into the sunset as the long-running BBC Scotland soap comes to an end.

Whether the mouthy matriarch and her cheeky chappie son get the happy endings they deserve we will not know until the last episodes are broadcast in August.

However, the Glasgow Times was given a look behind the scenes on the final day of filming at the Dumbarton studios which have been home to the show for 24 years.

The back lot, home to the exteriors of The Tall Ship, Scarlett’s shop, and the famous Oyster Café, is eerily quiet, with only hours to go until executive producer Martin McCardie shouts “wrap” on a Scottish institution.

Stephen Purdon, who has played Bob since episode three back in 2002, was 19 when he joined the show.

Stephen Purdon (Image: Alan Peebles)

“I'm 43 now and married with two kids,” he says. “Things that have happened to Bob have happened to me, so I've grown up with him, really.

“Today is such a weird day because it's like a normal filming day, but it’s not a normal day because it’s the last one.

“I came in a wee bit early today and had a walk round myself, trying to take it all in. You’re trying to be professional, because you’ve got a job to do but - aye, it’s a weird day.”

Stephen admits he was “very emotional” when the cast and crew were told last March that River City was ending.

Stephen Purdon and Sally Howitt (Image: Alan Peebles)

“It gave me a jolt, I have been in my comfort zone on this show for so long,” he says. “I know nothing lasts forever, I know television is changing, and the way people watch television is changing, but when you get that news …”

He pauses. “But actually, getting out and doing auditions again, I have really enjoyed that,” adds Stephen, who has a part in forthcoming Glasgow-set legal drama Counsels.

“I am excited about what’s next. I want to show people what else I can do, because I know I can do more than just be Bob.”

Sally Howitt, who plays Bob's mum - the fierce, flawed, fabulous Scarlett - can remember vividly her first day on set at River City.

Sally Howitt as Scarlett on her first day on set, with Stephen Purdon as Shellsuit Bob (Image: Alan Peebles)

“I got nabbed by the photographer right away, so there I am, with my ice cream van, my push up bra and pleather jacket …” she breaks off with a laugh. “I was going for it, because I didn't know how long I would be there for. Those pictures were taken before I had even spoken a word as Scarlett.”

She admits to feeling “a little spaced out” as the final scenes are filmed.

“I don’t think I’ve really fully comprehended it’s the end,” she sighs. “I signed up for a month and I remember my agent saying if we play our cards right, you might get six months, and here I am, 23 years later.”

Sally Howitt on the set of River City during the last day of filming (Image: Alan Peebles)

She laughs. “What a journey Scarlett has had - don't ask me how many times I have been married, I can’t remember.”

Pinpointing her most memorable scene is too difficult, she groans, although giving birth to baby Madonna in the taxi surrounded by Christmas tree lights, was pretty “magical”.

“But jumping out the van, cursing at Shieldinch, fighting with Gina – there are just so many fantastic moments," she says.

Scarlett is a combination of “conversations I have overhead, people I have met,” says Sally. “I’m a mimic, and I’m nosey, fascinated by people and the more feisty you are, the more people remember you," she explains.

“This role has given me so much experience as an actor - the comedy, tragedy, pathos – and so much confidence. I am not sure I would have been able to stick it out in the business without Scarlett."

She pauses.

“And if someone had said to me that day in that van doing those photos, that I'd be here for the next 23 years?” she says, smiling.

“I'd have said - bring it on.”