EastEnders’ Caroline Paterson returned to set and reunited with icons as she reveals all on important new River City project

Caroline Paterson, who played Ruth Fowler in EastEnders, will be taking part in an exciting new soap venture (Picture: Alan Peebles)

Caroline Paterson featured in many an iconic EastEnders moment and storyline as Ruth, wife of much-loved Mark Fowler.

Appearing across a five year period between 1994 and 1999, Ruth starred in almost 400 episodes of the long-running soap, during a time that is considered by fans to be one of its best ever eras.

Ruth would ultimately depart the famous Square in 1999, following the breakdown of her marriage to Mark, after she cheated on him with his cousin and became pregnant.

Actress Caroline, meanwhile, has continued to appear on our screens, popping up in programmes included Coronation Street, The Bill, Holby City and Silent Witness over the years.

These days, she’s best known for her work on River City, where she has portrayed a number of characters, with her most recognisable being that of social worker Sandra Devlin, and she’s also directed on the show too.

With many working in TV starting their career River City, the soap is such an important part of the industry in Scotland, and thus this year Caroline will be taking part in a brand new scheme, the River City Academy, which aims to upskill and train new and creative talent.

Metro.co.uk discussed the exciting new venture with Caroline, who also talked about what it was like as she returned to the EastEnders set and reunited with some former iconic co-stars from her Walford days.

You’re taking part in the River City scheme – what can you tell me about it and your role in it? 

The River City Academy is a huge initiative for both the show and Scotland. BBC Studios and Screen Scotland have created something amazing which gives Scottish creatives the chance to train in an unpressured way with a full filming unit around them. It’s the best way to learn; doing the thing you’re training for, surrounded by loads of supportive people. My part in The Academy is to direct the scenes that the trainees are bringing to life. 

River City is so important to the Scottish TV industry – can you tell us why that is and the role it plays in helping people start their journey in TV?

Caroline has starred in River City in addition to directing on it (Picture: BBC)

It’s so important. It’s always been a place that nurtures new talent and gives people opportunities to learn and grow from the ground up. The skills you learn in soaps set you up for the rest of your career and so many people who start their careers at River City go on to be hugely successful at the show or elsewhere in the industry. 

You’ve directed on River City before and will do so again in the next series – what was that experience like?

It was a wonderful opportunity. The cast and crew are very supportive – I learned so much and I’m still learning! The show goes at a very fast pace and that’s hard to get used to. I feel if you can work on River City, you can do anything! It’s one of the most supportive places to work – I’m still learning by my mistakes! 

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As part of the Academy, you recently headed back to EastEnders to see how they direct there – what was that like? 

EastEnders is fast paced use four cameras – and they only use two at River City. I obviously remember them using four cameras when I was on the show, but looking at it from a directing point of view, I was amazed how the director could manage all the shots at the same time!

The team down at EastEnders were pretty amazing and the atmosphere the director created was so relaxed and calm. It was a great opportunity to go to a different part of the continuing drama family to learn. 

Did it feel like old times stepping onto the new set and reuniting with Adam Woodyatt and Michelle Collins? 

I couldn’t believe the new set. The Square was exactly the same, but the market felt more vibrant and represented London a lot more; busy and diverse. I found it quite emotional I didn’t expect to feel that way!

I moved from Glasgow to London all those years ago and I knew no one, so everyone at Elstree was my family. It brought back a lot of memories. I surprised Adam and Michelle on set and Adam did a double take when he saw me. It was brilliant to see them. It felt like old times.

Do you have fond memories of your time on the show as Ruth? Do you have a favourite storyline and was there any behind the scenes moments that have stayed with you all these years later?

Caroline is best known for playing Ruth in EastEnders(Picture: BBC Archive)

My favourite story was Mark’s HIV story. It was such an important story to tell. At that time, society had so much fear about HIV and this story represented a man living with HIV, not dying of it.

And I think my scene with Peggy when she finds out Mark has HIV was explosive; Peggy’s reaction was of hate and disgust. I used to love the days we filmed in The Vic, especially if there was a party or an event. Myself and Todd [Carty] used to do crazy 80s dancing in the background. It was a great laugh.

With legendary characters like Cindy and Ian returning to the Square this year, would you ever like to see Ruth stage a return?   

As my mum taught me – never say never! But in all seriousness, I’m really enjoying being on my directing journey – River City’s my home now.

 Read more about the River City Academy and apply here. 

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The EastEnders icon discussed her new venture with Metro.co.uk, which led to her reuniting with former Walford co-stars.