River City actor Iain Robertson talks about the drama’s mental health message and how the heart-wrenching storyline ensured he counted his blessings

When River City hits the screen tomorrow night, actor Iain Robertson will breathe a sigh of relief.

For 10 long months now, her character in the BBC Scotland soap opera Stevie OHara has seen her mental health decline to the point of attempted suicide.

But in a dramatic turn this week, as he fights for his life in the hospital, a special episode focused on the effects of the pandemic sees him open up and come out of the brink of despair.

It’s a great episode. It’s an emotional thing, but for me it was a relief to come in and get it all together.

Stevie has been in mental decline since last August. It’s not the easiest, having an alter ego day after day going through a difficult period.

In all the games that I have played, I have never had the skin of someone as much as I have with Stevie. I know him so well.

When I first read the script production plan, I was in tears.

Stevie lost his restaurant, members of his family to Covid, his livelihood. Truly everything that can go wrong in his life went wrong in the past year, which is the story of many men during the pandemic, not just in Scotland but around the world.

I am really proud of it. His emotional thing. Let’s just say a few tears have been shed. I just hope this gives some food for thought.

If it helps just one person struggling with this problem, it will have been worth all the effort.

© Robert Pereira Hind / BBC Studios Scotland

The episode inspired by the 1946 Christmas classic Its A Wonderful Life when James Stewart is taken off the edge by his Guardian Angel is part of the BBC’s Headroom campaign, which recognizes the impact of the pandemic on the mental health of everyone. world.

Headroom offers an online toolkit for the mind to help people take care of themselves with practical, daily advice, inspiring personal stories, activities and music mixes to improve your mood, get away from it all. and relax.

Tomorrow’s hour-long episode largely features Stevie as well as her guardian angel Gabriel, played by longtime Robertsons pal Garry Sweeney.

Garry and I filmed it everyday in the pouring rain for almost two weeks. It was difficult, he said.

In fact, I think he broke all records because there weren’t so many scenes with a single actor in a single episode of River City.

But working with Garry was great. I’ve known him since I was a bairn. In fact, Garry and I first worked together when I was 13 on Small Faces. There is a story we can tap into that makes it effortless.

I guess the only difference is we were boys, now gray haired old people!

Robertson has been on the soap for four years and says it’s one of the best jobs of his 27-year acting career.

It’s a great team to be a part of, he said. I love it.

In fact, it’s hard to believe that I was originally only supposed to be on the show for three months. He passed in the blink of an eye.

I always thought it would be horrible to be in a soap, like going to the office every day. But I felt the joy of telling a story, and especially Stevie’s that has lasted a long time.

Robertson, who turns 40 on Thursday, added: I feel incredibly lucky and privileged. Since last summer, I have been able to go to work and cannot work from home. I still have the opportunity to walk into the building and socialize with 30 people every day.

My girlfriend has been working from home from the start and it just makes me realize that a few days or a few weeks I’m the only person she has seen, while I got to see my pals at work. It was very helpful to me. I tried to go out and see people as and when we were allowed to because I really think it helps.

© Moviestore / Shutterstock

Robertson has kept his own sanity in check with the hikes and has just finished filming a second series by Iain Robertson Rambles for BBC Scotland. I’m not far from doing the Speyside Way which was amazing especially since it was at the end of lockdown and I had been locked up for so long. On the first day of filming, the producer and I just stood on the parallel roads of Glen Roy and took a moment to appreciate it.

It’s amazing how the coronavirus has changed things.

I think we realized while going through a pandemic that what was weird is now normal, and what was normal is now weird.

We have all been through this pandemic when, even though you may think you are doing well, there is low anxiety. We are all in the same storm, but some peoples’ boats are more fanciful than others.

I think when we did the shoot that we did for a lot of people, it was very real. There was so much emotional baggage around certain scenes.

Everyone has, in one way or another, been affected by mental health issues.

It is important to encourage people to speak up. We need to fight the stigma and shame of not being able to tell your loved ones that you are struggling and need help.

I was very lucky as I am a bit of a Motomouth and have always found it easy to convey my feelings.

But this is not true for everyone. I made a short film called The Bridge a few years ago that addressed the issue and stigma of suicide, so I’ve been in it for a while.

I wanted to do it seven years before me. At this point, Scotland had the highest suicide rate in Europe.

It’s still in use somewhere. In fact, I think it was cleared by Glasgow City Council using it as an educational resource, which is great that something good has turned out.

The River City special episode arrives in a busy week for Robertson, with his Covid vaccination and 40th birthday.

There is certainly a lot to look forward to, he says. I’ll just go up a hill or something.

I’m not the type to have a big party. And my two best friends turned 40 during the lockdown, so it would be rash to celebrate too much. We’re just talking about joining them all and having a big 120th later in the year. I remember spending my birthday on my own last year thinking, at least, it will be better next year.

It probably won’t be much better but that’s what I get for having so much hope!

Charities: Lockdown has been tough on mental health. It’s good to talk

Sadly, suicide in Scotland has increased in recent years.

The latest figures show that in 2019, 833 people in the country committed suicide, or two people per day. This was an increase from the previous year. 75% of those who died by suicide were men. The Scottish Mental Health Association (SAMH) says men are sometimes uncomfortable asking for help, or think it is a burden on their friends if they speak openly about the challenges of life.

Research by the charity has shown that the coronavirus pandemic has hit people with mental health problems hard. A survey showed that more than half (56%) felt that their mental health had deteriorated recently, compared to the start of the pandemic.

SAMH said research shows that responsible media coverage helps break the stigma surrounding suicide.

Rachel Cackett, Executive Director of Samaritans Scotland, said: Suicide is clearly a sensitive topic. If handled responsibly, dramatic storylines can create opportunities to help expand people’s understanding and start important conversations. Talking can help see different perspectives on our situation and see a way through things.

If you’re worried about someone, you know it’s okay to ask them if they’re okay. For some, it can be a great relief to know that someone has noticed that they may be going through a difficult time and that they are there for them if they want to speak up.

We encourage everyone who has been touched by Stevie OHaras’ story to speak with someone they trust or to get in touch.

River City is on BBC Scotland Mondays at 10 p.m. and BBC1 on Wednesdays at 7 p.m.

If you need to talk, call the Samaritans on 116 123 or email [email protected]; Visit the Scottish Mental Health Association at www.samh.org.uk or the BBC’s Mental Health Toolkit on www.bbc.co.uk/headroom