WHILE most people would run a mile from trouble, Garry Sweeney finds himself at the centre of an explosion of violent revenge.

That's just the way he likes it.

The Glasgow actor, who plays bad boy Gabriel Brodie in River City, says the idea of playing a character who leads a quiet life leaves him cold.

"I would rather be playing this than domestic bliss or having a quiet pint at the bar," he smiles. "It's a lot more fun and challenging."

Tension reaches boiling point in Shieldinch on Tuesday when Gabriel finds himself in a showdown.

An affair with Mandy, played by Julie Austin, that started as a fling has grown into something more serious. Unfortunately for Gabriel, Mandy is married to Billy, played by Alexander Morton, a hard man well known for his violent past.

With Billy back on the scene, Mandy is terrified her husband will find out about the affair. She believes there is only one answer: they need to get Billy out of the way before he gets rid of them.

Then Gabriel learns that Billy didn't know anything about the relationship and quickly discovers the lengths Mandy will go to protect herself.

Mean-while, Lenny, played by Frank Gallagher, has revenge in mind after discovering Billy's attempts to frame him for murder.

"It's the usual story with Gabriel, he follows his heart," explains Garry. "At the beginning with him and Mandy it was just an affair and a wee bit of danger because Billy was in the background.

"As it progressed I think Gabriel started to fall for her hook, line and sinker.

"The bottom line is that she tries to dupe him into killing Billy - Gabriel is in for a shock when he goes and confronts him and finds out he's been lied to.

"There will be devastation in this episode, you just need to wait to find out who will be affected.

"There are repercussions for every one of the characters. So much has happened to Gabriel: he lost his brother, he had an affair with his brother's wife and their relationship went to pot. Gabriel has been unlucky in love. I think he will go to a really dark place after all this."

MANDY pleads with Gabriel to get rid of Billy, telling him Billy will seek revenge for their infidelity.

Armed with a concealed gun, Gabriel confronts Billy but his murderous intentions are put on hold when he discovers Mandy's deceit - Billy doesn't know about their affair and Mandy lied to have Billy killed.

If anything messes with Gabriel's family, he'll always defend them to the hilt but he's not a gangster," says Garry.

He will defend his family but he's definitely not Billy Kennedy. That man is a serious psychopath and murderer."

Despite the tension of the storyline, Garry says he particularly enjoyed filming the scenes.

"I love working with Frank, Sandy and Julie. I've known them all for about 15 years, so it's not really like work, it's just like mates getting back together again," says Garry.

Garry joined the BBC Scotland drama in 2010 and is a familiar face on television after appearing in Taggart and Rebus.

HIS film credits include Small Faces, The Acid House, A Lonely Place to Die and Valhalla Rising.

Being based in Glasgow for River City's filming schedule means he gets to spend important time at home with his family.

"I'm a family boy, I love Glasgow. It's my home," he says. "With my job you travel a lot, especially in the theatre world. It's good to be doing something where I can come home at night and see my family. That's important to me."

If he could give Gabriel a few words of advice and help him to sort his life out, what would he do?

"I'd like to see Gabriel settle down but who knows if that's going to happen, knowing his character. That's what he's always looking for but he seems to choose the wrong situation and the wrong people."

n River City, Tuesday, March 25, BBC 1, 8pm

angela.mcmanus @eveningtimes.co.uk