CITY SLICKER; Soap ditches 'cheap' new look.

Byline: Paul English

RIVER City chiefs have ditched the show's "cheap" new format after a wave of protest from fans.

A bid to give the Shieldinch series a gritty Holby City-style look backfired badly.

Now BBC bosses have bowed to increasing pressure after fans and critics mauled the new look.

Producers have promised a return to the soap's old look, with more emphasis on fan favourites such as Shellsuit Bob, played by Stephen Purdon, and Gina - Libby McArthur.

But River City - which used to have two half-hour shows a week - will remain in its new one-hour format.

Scores of disgruntled fans signed a petition on the soap's website in protest over changes introduced last autumn. Some set up a "Save River City from Auntie's Meddling" club on networking site Facebook.

They hated the introduction of incidental music and the lack of humour in scripts. A cheaper "post-production" filming process was also unpopular with viewers.

Tonight's episode has been hailed as the first step in a gradual change back to the look which made the show a hit with fans. And cast members are delighted.

One star told The Record: "The way things were going, River City looked like it was a goner.

"People were coming up to us in the street to say how awful they thought the show looked.

"The changes had been ordered from down south.It just didn't work."

One crew member added: "Too many changes were made all at once and too many new characters were introduced in a space of time.

"The new scripts are much more like the old ones."

CAPTION(S):

FAVOURITE: Purdon