Interview with BBC River City actress Joyce Falconer on the return of Roisin McIntyre

The Montego Street favourite is back on our screens tonight after more than a decade absence to reclaim the role of Roisin McIntyre - and she is set to make an entrance fans won’t forget.

“I am thoroughly enjoying it,” beamed the Aberdeen-born star.

“It is like putting on an old pair of slippers. I was actually taken aback at how easy it was (to return).”

READ MORE: River City star Iain Robertson on turning 40 and growing up in Govan

Loud, brash, and generally outspoken, Roisin fast became one of the show’s most iconic characters when she first arrived in 2002 with an unmistakable Doric accent and her no-nonsense attitude towards life.

An employee of the Lazy Rays tanning shop, some of Roisin’s most memorable storylines included her love affair with boss Raymond (Paul Samson), winning the lottery, her over-the-top wedding to Raymond or ‘Raymundo’, and reunion with her secret love child Alanna (Jade Lezar). She eventually left Shieldinch in 2008.

READ MORE: River city favourite 'Roisin' to return while Grant Stott joins the soap

So what made Joyce return to her most famous role?

“I will be honest with you I really thought it was so long ago since I was last in it.

“It certainly wasn’t on my radar going back certainly not during lockdown,” said Joyce.

She continued: “It was very much out of the blue, I got a phone call from Martin McCardie (writer and producer).

“I couldn’t even click he was talking about River City when he phoned and then he said I am actually wondering if you would consider coming back in.

“I was really taken aback, I thought that boat had left the harbour a long time ago, it was very surprising.

“I obviously considered it and I am very excited at the thought of going back which I now am and loving it.”

Now a counsellor, Roisin is in Shieldinch to help Stevie O’Hara (Iain Robertson) whose difficult year came to a head recently when he tried to take his own life.

While he is nervous about his first counselling session, his mum Scarlett (Sally Howitt) tries to sabotage it coming to blows with Roisin.

“When I was last seen I had a sugar daddy - an older Texan. I was away off with my older man to America.

“So since then it has transpired in the script that I came back to Aberdeen to care for my father for a while and I decided to retrain.

“So Roisin has retrained as a therapist/counsellor and that is the capacity I arrive back in Shieldinch as," she said.

While the cast has changed dramatically since Joyce last worked at the Dumbarton studios where the soap is filmed, Joyce admitted she found bearings in some familiar faces.

“There are a lot of different faces, I underestimated how many were new cast.

“The only ones who were there when I was is Stephen Purdon and Sally Howitt. Actually, Stephen is the original cast - myself and him were in the 2002 original cast.

“The only thing now is it takes longer for my face to wake up in the morning because I am a wee bit older. You have to unwrinkle your face. When I was in my early thirties I didn’t have that problem,” she laughed.

Roisin counselling Stevie

With their long Shieldinch history, eagle-eyed fans watching tonight might spot some chemistry between Roisin and Bob. So will it go any further?

“It seems to be that romance is in the air but that is entirely up to the storyliners.

“Certainly he appears to have a wee crush on Roisin, he had when he was a young snapper.

“I’ve had quite a few good scenes with Stephen which is lovely.

“We have done panto together, we always have a great laugh and he is a total pro.

“He is the soap king of course.

“It’s been lovely working with Stephen back where we started because we had a good bit of banter when I was in the sunbed shop previously and he was just wee ‘shellsuit’ jumping about the streets.

“The fans seem to love the wee scenes we had together. They have been fun.

“But as an actor you just do what is given, you do the best you can and be as truthful as you can be whatever script you open.”

Although her comeback scenes have not aired yet, Joyce admitted there is already a buzz surrounding her return to the soap.

"I have been hollered in the street," she said with a smile.

She added: "I don’t do any social media myself but I believe from my friends up the road - the area where I was brought up in - they are all quite excited because they are not used to hearing a North East voice on the TV. I think they feel I represent them in some kind of way."

River City airs tonight Monday,  BBC Scotland HD, 10pm to11pm and Wednesday, BBC One Scotland 7 pm to 8pm.