IT IS THE shocking showdown River City fans have been waiting for.

The writing is on the wall for villain Andrew Campbell-Baxter, cornered on New Year’s Day in a remote hideaway by the woman he attacked and the man who is fighting her corner.

Will Lydia and Lenny Murdoch really get rid of Andrew for good?

Or will he manage to talk his way out of it?

Viewers of the BBC Scotland drama will have to wait until January 3 to find out, in a dramatic finale to the current series.

It’s the culmination of a storyline which began when Andrew, an old flame of Scarlett’s, waltzed back into her life in 2022.

Not everyone was happy at the rekindling of their relationship, but Andrew charmed his way into the community and forged a close friendship with Lydia Murdoch.

However, things took a shocking turn in January 2023 when Andrew raped Lydia. Since then, he has refused to acknowledge what he did and has gaslit Scarlett into standing by him, insisting the sex was consensual.

The arrival of Andrew’s sister Victoria (Emma Currie) should have given him further support. However, she has her own grudge to bear against her sibling. Together with the Murdochs, Victoria wants to be instrumental in long-overdue justice being served to Andrew.

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Greg Powrie, who plays Andrew, says it is a “privilege” to take on a storyline like this.

“You’re always mindful that this is a sad reality for a lot of victims,” he explains. “And the difference between soap and reality, of course, is that not everyone has a Lenny fighting their corner. A lot of men walk away from situations like this completely untouched.”

He adds: “You don’t assume, as an actor, that  just because someone has watched your performance, they’re going to suddenly make the phonecall they have not been brave enough to make until now.

“But hopefully it does highlight the issue.”

River City was part of Greg’s life long before he landed the role of Andrew. He is married to Deirdre Davis, who played Eileen Donachie in the drama for almost 14 years.

“When I joined last year, Martin McCardie [River City producer] said it felt like I’d hit the ground running, which was good to hear,” says Greg, smiling. “I felt like I knew many of the people when I started, it was an environment I was familiar with.”

Greg graduated from Queen Margaret College in Edinburgh in 1985.

“Most of my friends say they always thought it would be acting I’d do, when we were growing up,” he says, adding with a short laugh: “I must have been a right pain in the backside.

“I had actually applied to join the Royal Artillery – both my brothers were in the Forces, and when I was at school your choices were: do something academic, or join up.

“I was very young, only 18, and I remember telling an officer I was off to do acting instead. He said acting and being an officer were essentially the same thing – standing up in front of people, convincing them to listen to you.”

Youth theatre had a big part to play in influencing Greg to become an actor.

“I remember walking into a panto rehearsal, to be confronted by 30 or 40 kids my age, all completely different, all backgrounds, getting ready to start this show and thinking, yeah – this is what I want to do," he says.

Greg is staying tight-lipped about how the showdown ends, but viewers can expect a gripping and tense episode.

“It is quite dark,” he acknowledges. “But what actor doesn’t enjoy the chance of playing a good character that turns bad? I’m really lucky.”

River City’s season finale is on BBC Scotland on Wednesday, January 3, at 10pm. The series will return on February 19, 2024.