A new 14-part audio drama is heading your way this summer. Riverside is the feel-good story of family, friends and community in a small town, and will be available in bite-sized 15-minute episodes.
The show features romance, heartbreak and secrets, as well as gentle wit and humour – all the elements of a classic soap – with a cast of actors already well-known from TV and radio soaps Neighbours and The Archers.
As viewing and listening habits change, Riverside brings new life to soap: a drama series using modern audiobook technology, conveniently downloaded from Amazon, Audible and iTunes to your device.
The drama is based on the already successful Riverside serial, which has been written by best-selling author Glenda Young since 2016 and is currently enjoyed by 140,000 loyal magazine readers every week.
The scripts are adapted and written by Ian Skillicorn from Glenda's original characters and stories. The series is produced by Wyndham Books.
Cast includes:
Lisa Armytage plays Ruby Connor. Lisa was watched by millions of viewers on both sides of the world as Dr Beverly Robinson – wife of Jim Robinson – in Neighbours during its 80s heyday, starring alongside the likes of Kylie Minogue, Jason Donovan and Guy Pearce.
Lisa says: “It's so good to be part of a soap again. Especially playing the feisty, romantic Ruby. Riverside has that optimistic ‘Neighbours’ feeling. A sense of community at a time when we all really need it. I jumped at the chance to play Ruby. She is my favourite out of all the characters – loud, impetuous and naively romantic, she was a joy to play. It was wonderful to be back working in audio-drama again, especially with such colourful characters and a bunch of talented actors.”
Becky Wright plays Susan Dougal. She was Nic Grundy in The Archers for 12 years and hit the headlines with Nic's highly publicised death from sepsis in 2018.
Toby Laurence plays Dave Brennan. He is well known for playing currently troubled twin Freddie Pargetter in The Archers since 2016.
Synopsis:
As the series begins, we see big changes in the offing for the riverside town of Ryemouth, and while some are excited by new beginnings, others are finding it hard to let go of the past.
We’ll meet Susan and her boyfriend Dave, who are opening their new cafe and deli – despite Susan’s dad George disapproval of Dave, which may not be unfounded. Meanwhile, George’s wife Mary and best pal Ruby have been inseparable since childhood, but face challenges when single Ruby is reunited with her teenage crush, Paul.
But when the community come under threat from developers, can everyone put their differences aside to fight for the town they love?
Creatives:
Glenda Young, Creator
Glenda Young is a best-selling author and award-winning writer. She's written Riverside, a weekly soap opera published in The People's Friend magazine since 2016. Meanwhile, she is the author of two successful book series – gritty sagas set in a northeast mining village in 1919, and cosy crimes set in modern-day Scarborough. She has also written official TV tie-in books for ITV’s Coronation Street.
Glenda says: “Riverside is inspired by my love of soaps. The characters I created on the page are now living, breathing and speaking. Hearing the voices of the characters I've created really is a dream come true. I hope that listeners will really enjoy the community of Riverside and feel that they too are part of it all.”
Ian Skillicorn, Writer and Producer
Ian Skillicorn is a publisher, producer and writer. His publishing imprint, Wyndham Books, publishes best-selling fiction by some of the twentieth century’s most successful English language novelists. He was a podcasting trailblazer, producing streaming audio programmes in the early 2000s, well before the podcast revolution.
Ian says: “I've always been a fan of Glenda's work, so I jumped at the chance to bring Riverside to the listening public. Writing and producing the audiobook has been a privilege. Riverside's setting and characters feel very real to me. I hope listeners will enjoy Riverside's central message of the importance of family, friends and community.”
Find out more at the Riverside website http://riversidethesoap.com
Riverside will be available from Audible, Amazon and iTunes from Wednesday 27 July.
Glenda Young
Twitter: @Flaming_Nora
Facebook: GlendaYoungAuthor
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