River City axe is the Trigger for my new Scottish TV show

Actor who won an army of television fans as Jamie McAllister is back on screens as a new bomb squad member in Vicky McClure's Trigger Point. He also has plans to team up with Still Game's creators for a drama designed to fill void left by the axed soap

- BY RICK FULTON

A FORMER star of River City is planning a comedy drama to replace it after the soap is axed next year.

Mark Rowley, 35, who is about to star in the new series of Trigger Point and has appeared in Netflix’s The Last Kingdom and Karen Pirie, played Jamie McAllister in the Shieldinch drama.

The Paisley actor was shocked when BBC Scotland revealed River City would end next September after 24 years.

Mark, who joins Vicky McClure in Trigger Point as new bomb squad member Rich Manning on Sunday, said: "I feel gutted for the people who have been on River City for a long time.

"I do feel that they do need to find a new training ground to help and inspire people who are behind the camera.

"River City was our apprenticeship in Scotland.

"There needs to be something to replace it and I'm developing two ideas with the Comedy Unit who created Still Game.

"We are hoping to fill that void and really tell incredible stories that Scotland hasn't told yet."

When the BBC revealed its decision to drop River City, it announced three new dramas and a pledge to invest over £95million in Scottish drama over three years.

Scotland's screen scene is booming with TV and films being shot here.