Taggart is a
ScottishTelevision in Scotland mostly consists of UK-wide output, with some national variations, the level of which has varied in the past. Though there have been calls for such, Scotland still has no major television channel of its own...
detectiveDetective fiction is a sub-genre of crime fiction and mystery fiction in which an investigator , either professional or amateur, investigates a crime, often murder.-In ancient literature:...
television programA television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
me, created by
Glenn ChandlerGlenn Chandler is an award-winning Scottish playwright and novelist. He has written plays for theatre and radio, original screenplays for television and films, television series, and novels...
, who has written many of the episodes, and made by STV Productions for the
ITVITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
network. The series revolves around a group of detectives initially in the
MaryhillMaryhill is an area of the City of Glasgow in Scotland. Maryhill is a former burgh. The population of Maryhill is about 52,000. Maryhill stretches over along Maryhill Road...
CIDThe Crime Investigation Department is the branch of all Territorial police forces within the British Police and many other Commonwealth police forces, to which plain clothes detectives belong. It is thus distinct from the Uniformed Branch and the Special Branch.The Metropolitan Police Service CID,...
of
Strathclyde PoliceStrathclyde Police is the territorial police force responsible for the Scottish council areas of Argyll and Bute, City of Glasgow, East Ayrshire, East Dunbartonshire, East Renfrewshire, Inverclyde, North Ayrshire, North Lanarkshire, Renfrewshire, South Ayrshire, South Lanarkshire and West...
, though various storylines have happened in other parts of the
Greater GlasgowGreater Glasgow is an urban settlement in Scotland consisting of all localities which are physically attached to the city of Glasgow, forming with it a single contiguous urban area...
area, and as of the most recent series the team have operated out of the fictional John Street police station across the street from the
City ChambersThe City Chambers in Glasgow, Scotland has functioned as the headquarters of Glasgow City Council since 1996, and of preceding forms of civic government in the city since 1889, located on the eastern side of the city's George Square...
. It is one of the UK's longest-running dramas and is the longest-running police drama after the cancellation of
The BillThe Bill is a police procedural television series that ran from October 1984 to August 2010. It focused on the lives and work of one shift of police officers, rather than on any particular aspect of police work...
.
Taggart is a
ScottishTelevision in Scotland mostly consists of UK-wide output, with some national variations, the level of which has varied in the past. Though there have been calls for such, Scotland still has no major television channel of its own...
detectiveDetective fiction is a sub-genre of crime fiction and mystery fiction in which an investigator , either professional or amateur, investigates a crime, often murder.-In ancient literature:...
television programA television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
me, created by
Glenn ChandlerGlenn Chandler is an award-winning Scottish playwright and novelist. He has written plays for theatre and radio, original screenplays for television and films, television series, and novels...
, who has written many of the episodes, and made by STV Productions for the
ITVITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
network. The series revolves around a group of detectives initially in the
MaryhillMaryhill is an area of the City of Glasgow in Scotland. Maryhill is a former burgh. The population of Maryhill is about 52,000. Maryhill stretches over along Maryhill Road...
CIDThe Crime Investigation Department is the branch of all Territorial police forces within the British Police and many other Commonwealth police forces, to which plain clothes detectives belong. It is thus distinct from the Uniformed Branch and the Special Branch.The Metropolitan Police Service CID,...
of
Strathclyde PoliceStrathclyde Police is the territorial police force responsible for the Scottish council areas of Argyll and Bute, City of Glasgow, East Ayrshire, East Dunbartonshire, East Renfrewshire, Inverclyde, North Ayrshire, North Lanarkshire, Renfrewshire, South Ayrshire, South Lanarkshire and West...
, though various storylines have happened in other parts of the
Greater GlasgowGreater Glasgow is an urban settlement in Scotland consisting of all localities which are physically attached to the city of Glasgow, forming with it a single contiguous urban area...
area, and as of the most recent series the team have operated out of the fictional John Street police station across the street from the
City ChambersThe City Chambers in Glasgow, Scotland has functioned as the headquarters of Glasgow City Council since 1996, and of preceding forms of civic government in the city since 1889, located on the eastern side of the city's George Square...
. It is one of the UK's longest-running dramas and is the longest-running police drama after the cancellation of
The BillThe Bill is a police procedural television series that ran from October 1984 to August 2010. It focused on the lives and work of one shift of police officers, rather than on any particular aspect of police work...
.
The show's 100th story aired on Christmas Eve 2009 on the ITV Network. In May 2011, it was reported that the English and Welsh
ITVITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
network had decided to axe
Taggart from the network after 28 years. The series may continue to be screened in Scotland on the STV network and on overseas broadcasters.
History
The Scottish BAFTA winning pilot episode, "Killer", broadcast in 1983, directed by
Laurence MoodyLaurence Moody is an English television director who, after reading English at Cambridge University, worked as a trainee at Granada Television, at this time directing a number of episodes of their top rated ITV1 soap opera, Coronation Street.Subsequently, he has originated and worked such...
, introduced the character of
Detective Chief InspectorChief inspector is a rank used in police forces which follow the British model. In countries outside Britain, it is sometimes referred to as chief inspector of police .-Australia:...
(DCI)
Jim TaggartDetective Chief Inspector James "Jim" Taggart was the main character in Taggart from 1983 to 1995. He was played by Mark McManus until his death in June 1994, with the last episode featuring Taggart being broadcast in January 1995.-Character:...
(played by
Mark McManusMark McManus was a Scottish actor best known for his portrayal of Detective Chief Inspector Jim Taggart in the long-running ITV television series Taggart for eleven years until his death.-Career:...
until his death in 1994), a tough and experienced detective who had worked his way up through the ranks. His original sidekick was
Detective SergeantSergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organizations around the world. Its origins are the Latin serviens, "one who serves", through the French term Sergent....
(DS) Peter Livingstone (Neil Duncan). Livingstone represented the new breed of young graduates entering the police force, and frequently had a difficult relationship with Taggart as a result. Taggart's boss in the pilot was Superintendent Robert Murray (
Tom WatsonTom Watson was a Scottish-born stage, television and film actor.- Early life :Thomas Welsh Watson was born on the 21 March 1932 at Auchinleck, Ayrshire, Scotland. His family subsequently moving to Cambuslang, Lanarkshire, he attended the Hamilton Academy school where he excelled in amateur dramatics...
), known as
The Mint after the well-known sweet. This humour was continued in the subsequent series with Taggart's boss replaced after the second episode ("Dead Ringer") by Superintendent Jack McVitie (Iain Anders), nicknamed
The Biscuit because he shared his name with a
popular brandMcVitie's is a snack food brand owned by United Biscuits. The name derives from the original Scottish biscuit maker, McVitie & Price, Ltd., established in 1830 on Rose Street in Edinburgh, Scotland. The firm moved to various sites in the city before completing the St...
of biscuits. Another important character was Taggart's long-suffering,
wheelchairA wheelchair is a chair with wheels, designed to be a replacement for walking. The device comes in variations where it is propelled by motors or by the seated occupant turning the rear wheels by hand. Often there are handles behind the seat for someone else to do the pushing...
-bound wife Jean (Harriet Buchan) whose disability did not prevent her from pursuing a number of interests in life, while her cynical husband stuck mainly to his job.
In 1987 the character of Mike Jardine (
James MacPhersonJames MacPherson is a Scottish actor, best known for his role as Detective Michael Jardine in the ITV drama, Taggart.MacPherson was raised in South Lanarkshire, Scotland. He left Hamilton Grammar School at 17 and got a job as a laboratory technician at Glasgow's Institute of Neurosciences at the...
) was introduced, and when Neil Duncan left the series in 1989, a new female sidekick, Jackie Reid (
Blythe DuffBlythe Duff is a Scottish actress, best known for her role as Jackie Reid in the ITV television series drama, Taggart.-Background:Duff was raised in East Kilbride...
) was introduced.
McManus died in 1994 in the middle of filming an episode. His absence was explained by the claim that Taggart was in constant meetings with the
Chief ConstableChief constable is the rank used by the chief police officer of every territorial police force in the United Kingdom except for the City of London Police and the Metropolitan Police, as well as the chief officers of the three 'special' national police forces, the British Transport Police, Ministry...
. The 1995 episode
Black Orchid opened with Taggart's funeral but, unusually, despite the death of the title character, the series continued with Jardine being promoted to Detective Inspector and DC Stuart Fraser (
Colin McCredieColin McCredie is a Scottish actor, best known for his role as DC Stuart Fraser in the STV drama, Taggart....
) was introduced, becoming the long-suffering sidekick to Jardine, former long-suffering sidekick to Taggart. Fraser was later revealed to be gay. DI Robbie Ross (
John MichieJohn Michie is a Scottish television and film actor, best known for his role as DI Robbie Ross in the STV Scottish detective television series Taggart and for playing Karl Munro in Coronation Street.-Early life:...
) joined the team in 1998. John Michie made an early appearance in Taggart in 1990, he played a suspect called Robby Meiklejohn in an episode called Love Knot.
When MacPherson left the series in 2002, his character was killed off, and replaced with DCI Matt Burke, formerly of
Special BranchSpecial Branch is a label customarily used to identify units responsible for matters of national security in British and Commonwealth police forces, as well as in the Royal Thai Police...
(played by
Alex NortonAlexander Hugh "Alex" Norton is a Scottish actor. He is probably best known for his roles as DCI Matt Burke in Taggart, and Eddie in the Renford Rejects....
who had previously appeared in the series playing a murder suspect in the 1986 episode, "Knife Edge"). Alex Norton's Matt Burke character has gained widespread critical acclaim, many believing him to be the first credible successor to McManus's original
Taggart character.
Much was made of the
platonic relationshipPlatonic love is a chaste and strong type of love that is non-sexual.-Amor Platonicus:The term amor platonicus was coined as early as the 15th century by the Florentine scholar Marsilio Ficino. Platonic love in this original sense of the term is examined in Plato's dialogue the Symposium, which has...
between Jardine and Reid, with the two being shown to share a brother/sister-like bond. Both pursued a number of relationships with other characters over the years. Reid even got married, but later separated from her husband, who is now dead. The personal relationships of the police officers in this series are shown as nothing to be envious of; Reid once describing herself, Burke, Ross and Fraser as three divorcees and a celibate homosexual (episode
"Penthouse and Pavement").
After completing filming of series 26 in December 2009 Colin McCredie was informed that he and his character would not be returning for filming of the next series.
ITV/STV dispute
ITV plc, the company that controls the ITV franchises in England, Wales, and the
Scottish BordersThe Scottish Borders is one of 32 local government council areas of Scotland. It is bordered by Dumfries and Galloway in the west, South Lanarkshire and West Lothian in the north west, City of Edinburgh, East Lothian, Midlothian to the north; and the non-metropolitan counties of Northumberland...
, had failed to announce whether it planned to show any new episodes of
Taggart that STV produces, prompting STV to suspend production of the programme in September 2009. STV later announced, in November 2009, that it would produce new episodes of
Taggart for broadcast in 2010 regardless of whether ITV plc decided to screen it. This would have resulted in
Taggart only being screened in Central and Northern Scotland if ITV plc had not taken up the option to screen the new series.
However, in February 2010, it was announced that ITV and STV had put their wider commercial differences to one side to make a new series, which Scottish viewers will get to see first. The two broadcasters have co-commissioned a six-part series of the show, with pay-TV broadcaster
UKTVUKTV is a digital cable and satellite television network, formed through a joint venture between BBC Worldwide, a commercial subsidiary of the British Broadcasting Corporation, and Scripps Networks Interactive, spun off from The E.W Scripps Company in 2008...
also investing in return for repeat rights. New episodes of
Taggart debuted on STV in autumn 2010 before being broadcast on ITV across the rest of the UK in 2011. UKTV's Alibi digital channel will show the episodes in 2013. Online catch-up of the new series will not be available to
STV PlayerThe STV Player is a website based video on demand service accessible though the main STV website and separately in the distinct domain name stvplayer.tv. Current programmes are available for 30 days after transmission on the main STV channel, with archive programming available longer-term...
users until the show is broadcast on
ITV1ITV1 is a generic brand that is used by twelve franchises of the British ITV Network in the English regions, Wales, southern Scotland , the Isle of Man and the Bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey. The ITV1 brand was introduced by Carlton and Granada in 2001, alongside the regional identities of their...
/
UTVUTV is a television channel based in the UK region of Northern Ireland. The channel is the Channel 3 or Independent Television licensee for Northern Ireland and is operated by UTV Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of UTV Media.- Terrestrial :* Analogue: Normally tuned to 3 * Freeview : 3...
.
Format and broadcast information
The format of the show has changed over the years. Originally the show ran as three one-hour episodes to each story (130 minutes without the adverts). This was later changed to a two-hour stand-alone story, which was later shortened to 90 minutes. From 2008 onwards the show became a one-hour stand-alone story for the first time since 2003. The DVD rights are held by Clearvision.
Fans of the show have in the past been frustrated by the scheduling of the show. Although blocks or series of the show are filmed, they are often not shown together as with other series. They are usually just fitted into the schedule wherever there is a gap, meaning they are often not shown in consecutive weeks or on one set night of the week. Often months will pass between episodes of the same series being shown.
One particular example can be seen in 2008. The last two episodes of the 23rd series, "The Caring Game" and "Lifeline", were the last of the 90-minute episodes filmed before the new one-hour format began. However, these were not broadcast at the time. Instead the ITV network broadcast all five episodes from the 24th series and the first episode of the 25th series, all one-hour episodes. "The Caring Game", was then shown on 14 November. This meant that the episode was shown well out of sequence. In the episode, DI Ross is faced with the choice of leaving for Canada, with his ex-wife and son, or staying in Glasgow. However, viewers already knew that Ross was not leaving the programme, as numerous future episodes had already been broadcast. The other missing episode "Lifeline", was finally broadcast on 30 December of that year.
Theme music
The programme's theme music is "No Mean City" composed by Mike Moran.
The vocals were originally performed by
Maggie BellMaggie Bell is a Scottish rock and blues-rock singer, regarded by some as Britain's answer to Janis Joplin.-Career:...
, formerly a member of
Stone the CrowsStone the Crows were a blues band formed in Glasgow in late 1969.-History:The band were formed after Maggie Bell was introduced to Les Harvey by his elder brother, Alex Harvey...
.
Between 1999 and 2009, the theme appeared only as an instrumental version, but the original lyrics were restored in 2010, with the tune re-recorded by singer Karina Smillie.
Current cast
- Blythe Duff
Blythe Duff is a Scottish actress, best known for her role as Jackie Reid in the ITV television series drama, Taggart.-Background:Duff was raised in East Kilbride...
as WPC/DC/DS/DI Jackie ReidDI Jackie Reid is a fictional character in the ITV series Taggart. WPC Reid made her first appearance in 1990 in Death Comes Softly. In 1994 Jackie was promoted to Detective Sergeant much to the dismay of Jim Taggart...
(1989–present)
- John Michie
John Michie is a Scottish television and film actor, best known for his role as DI Robbie Ross in the STV Scottish detective television series Taggart and for playing Karl Munro in Coronation Street.-Early life:...
as DI Robert "Robbie" Ross (1998–present)
- Alex Norton
Alexander Hugh "Alex" Norton is a Scottish actor. He is probably best known for his roles as DCI Matt Burke in Taggart, and Eddie in the Renford Rejects....
as DCI Matt Burke (2002–present)
- Siobhan Redmond
Siobhan Redmond is a Scottish actress.Originally from Tollcross, Glasgow, Redmond's first television appearances were in the early 1980s. Her first TV appearance was in 1982 in a sketch show called "Nothing to worry about!" which then lead to the sketch show Alfresco...
as Chief Supt. Karen Campbell (2010–present)
- Davood Ghadami as Pathologist Duncan Clark (2010–present)
- Anneika Rose as DC/DS Mita Rahim (2010–present)
Main Previous cast
- Mark McManus
Mark McManus was a Scottish actor best known for his portrayal of Detective Chief Inspector Jim Taggart in the long-running ITV television series Taggart for eleven years until his death.-Career:...
as DCI Jim TaggartDetective Chief Inspector James "Jim" Taggart was the main character in Taggart from 1983 to 1995. He was played by Mark McManus until his death in June 1994, with the last episode featuring Taggart being broadcast in January 1995.-Character:...
(1983–1995)
- James MacPherson
James MacPherson is a Scottish actor, best known for his role as Detective Michael Jardine in the ITV drama, Taggart.MacPherson was raised in South Lanarkshire, Scotland. He left Hamilton Grammar School at 17 and got a job as a laboratory technician at Glasgow's Institute of Neurosciences at the...
as DS/DI/DCI Michael JardineDetective Chief Inspector Michael "Mike" Jardine was a long-running character in the television series Taggart. He served as Detective Sergeant after Peter Livingstone left the force from 1987 to 1994 when Jim Taggart died and he took over as Detective Chief Inspector...
(1987–2002)
- Iain Anders as Superintendent Jack "The Biscuit" McVitie (1985–1998)
- Neil Duncan as DS Peter Livingstone (1983–1989, 1994)
- Colin McCredie
Colin McCredie is a Scottish actor, best known for his role as DC Stuart Fraser in the STV drama, Taggart....
as DC Stuart Fraser (1995–2010)
- Robert Robertson
Robert Robertson was a Scottish actor and director. He was best known for playing Doctor Stephen Andrews in the television show Taggart....
as Pathologist Dr Stephen Andrews (1983–2001)
- Harriet Buchan as Jean Taggart (1983–1995)
Other Previous cast
- Tom Watson
Tom Watson was a Scottish-born stage, television and film actor.- Early life :Thomas Welsh Watson was born on the 21 March 1932 at Auchinleck, Ayrshire, Scotland. His family subsequently moving to Cambuslang, Lanarkshire, he attended the Hamilton Academy school where he excelled in amateur dramatics...
as Superintendent "The Mint" Murray (1983–1985)
- Gavin Brown
Gavin Brown may refer to:*Gavin Brown , former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Sydney*Gavin Brown , Canadian musician and record producer...
as Sgt Blackman (1983-1985)
- Patricia Ross
Patricia Ross is an American former cross country skier who competed from 1982 to 1984. She attended the University of New Hampshire and skied for the 'Cats...
as DS/Sgt Laura Campbell (1987-1988)
- Anthony Cochrane as Dr Colin Crawford (1987-1993)
- Gray O'Brien
Gray O'Brien is a Scottish television and film actor, best known for his portrayal of the villainous Weatherfield businessman Tony Gordon in the popular British soap opera Coronation Street from 2007 to 2010, and as Dr Richard McCaig on Casualty from 1996 to 1998.O'Brien was born in Stewarton,...
as DC Rob Gibson (1993–1995)
- Yasmin Marley as WPC Heather McIntyre (1999-2001)
- Brian Cowan
Brian Cowan is a British actor, known for his role as Robert Davenport in long running continuous narrative drama Family Affairs.-References:...
as DCS Brian Holmes (2000-2005)
- Lesley Harcourt as Pathologist Dr Gemma Kerr (2003–2005)
- Michael MacKenzie as Pathologist Dr Magnus Baird (2005-2008)
- Katrina Bryan
Katrina Bryan was born and raised in Gatehouse of Fleet, Dumfries and Galloway, South West, Scotland in 1980. She is a Scottish actress who has starred in Taggart, Nina and the Neurons, See you, See me and Sea of Souls. She has been active since 1999. Bryan has a BA in Acting from Queen Margaret...
as Pathologist Dr Ellis Sinclair (2008–2010)
Guest appearances
Actors appearing on
Taggart episodes over the years include
- Dave Anderson
David "Dave" Anderson is a Scottish actor, playwright and jazz musician based in Glasgow. He is widely-known for a number of TV and cinema roles, perhaps most famously for the part of Gregory's father in Gregory's Girl and as the bank manager in the BBC Scotland sitcom City Lights .-External...
- Isla Blair
Isla Blair is an India-born actress of British descent. She made her first stage appearance in 1963 as Philia in the London debut of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum and her first credited film appearance in the 1965 horror film Dr. Terror's House of Horrors.- Biography :Isla Blair...
- Mark Bonnar
Mark Bonnar is a Scottish actor who is best known is playing Bruno Jenkins in Casualty. He has also acted in afterlife, Taggart and Wire in the Blood. He has appeared in Nuclear Secrets and The Bill in 2007. In 2009, he starred in the BBC One series Paradox...
(2 episodes as different characters)
- Billy Boyd
- Ewen Bremner
-Early life:Bremner was born in Edinburgh, the son of two art teachers. He attended Davidson's Mains Primary School and Portobello High School. He originally wanted to be a circus clown, but was offered a chance in show business by television director Richard D. Brooks. One of his first notable...
- Robert Carlyle
Robert Carlyle, OBE is a Scottish film and television actor. He is known for a variety of roles including those in Trainspotting, Hamish Macbeth, The Full Monty, The World Is Not Enough, Angela's Ashes, The 51st State, and 28 Weeks Later...
- Graham Carswell
- Ian Colquhoun
Ian Colquhoun is an author, actor, stuntman and freelance journalist originally from Livingston in Scotland. He lost his legs and was almost killed in an unprovoked assault and arson attack whilst living in the Republic of Ireland in 2002 and now wears prosthetic legs...
- Annette Crosbie
Annette Crosbie, OBE is a Scottish character actor.-Life and career:Crosbie was born in Gorebridge, Midlothian, Scotland, to Presbyterian parents who disapproved of her becoming an actor. Nevertheless, she joined the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School while still in her teens...
- Alan Cumming
Alan Cumming, OBE is a Scottish stage, television and film actor, singer, writer, director, producer and author. His roles have included the Emcee in Cabaret, Boris Grishenko in GoldenEye, Kurt Wagner/Nightcrawler in X2: X-Men United, Mr. Elton in Emma, and Fegan Floop in the Spy Kids trilogy...
- Henry Ian Cusick
Henry Ian Cusick is a Scottish-Peruvian actor of stage, television, and film. He is well-known for his role as Desmond Hume on the United States television series Lost, for which he received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination....
- Barbara Dickson
Barbara Ruth Dickson, OBE is a Scottish singer whose hits include "I Know Him So Well" and "January February"...
- Reece Dinsdale
Reece Dinsdale is an English actor of stage, screen and television.-Acting career:He trained at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama from 1977 until 1980...
- Fish
Derek William Dick, better known as Fish, is a Scottish progressive rock singer, lyricist and occasional actor, best known as the former lead singer of Marillion.-Biography:...
- Jill Gascoine
Jill Gascoine is a British actress and novelist. She is most widely known for her role as Detective Inspector Maggie Forbes in the 1980s television series The Gentle Touch and its spin-off series C.A.T.S. Eyes...
- Iain Glen
Iain Glen is a Scottish film and stage actor.Iain Glen was born in Edinburgh, Scotland and trained at RADA where he won the Bancroft Gold Medal. He was married to Susannah Harker from 1993 to 2004; they have one son, Finlay...
- Julian Glover
Julian Wyatt Glover is a British actor best known for such roles as General Maximilian Veers in Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, the Bond villain Aristotle Kristatos in For Your Eyes Only, and Walter Donovan in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.-Personal life:Glover was born in...
- Hannah Gordon
Hannah Cambell Grant Gordon is a Scottish actress who is well known in the United Kingdom for her television work, including Upstairs, Downstairs, Telford's Change, My Wife Next Door, Joint Account and an appearance in the final episode of One Foot in the Grave.-Early life:Gordon was born in...
- Clare Grogan
Clare Grogan is a Scottish actress and singer. She is sometimes credited as C. P. Grogan.-Early life:...
- John Hannah
John David Hannah is a Scottish actor of film and television. He has appeared in Stephen Sommers' Mummy Series, Richard Curtis' Four Weddings and a Funeral and Sliding Doors with Gwyneth Paltrow...
- Daniel Healy
Daniel Healy is the Glasgow born Actor who has recently been cast as legendary Singer Songwriter Paul McCartney in Iain Softley's theatre production of Backbeat opening at the Citizen's Theatre on the 9th of February....
- Douglas Henshall
Douglas James Henshall is a Scottish actor probably best known for his role as Professor Nick Cutter in the British science fiction series Primeval.-Early life:...
- Celia Imrie
Celia Diana Savile Imrie is an English actress. In a career starting in the early 1970s, Imrie has played Marianne Bellshade in Bergerac, Philippa Moorcroft in Dinnerladies, Miss Babs in Acorn Antiques, Diana Neal in After You've Gone and Gloria Millington in Kingdom...
- Jason Isaacs
Jason Isaacs is an English actor born in Liverpool, who is best known for his performance as the villain Lucius Malfoy in the Harry Potter films, the brutal Colonel William Tavington in The Patriot and as lifelong criminal Michael Caffee in the internationally broadcast American television series...
- Ashley Jensen
Ashley Jensen is a Scottish actress who is best known for her roles in the television series Extras for which she was nominated for an Emmy, and ABC's Ugly Betty...
- Diane Keen
Diane Keen is an English actress.Keen is possibly best known for her starring roles in the British TV drama Doctors which she has been in since 2003 , and in the 1970s comedy series The Cuckoo Waltz and Rings on Their Fingers.-Personal life:Keen has one daughter, actress Melissa Greenwood, from...
- Gary Lewis
Gary Lewis is a Scottish actor. He has had parts in Billy Elliot, Gangs of New York, Eragon and Three and Out, as well as a major role in the television docudrama, Supervolcano.-Early life:...
- Jim Manclark (3 episodes as different characters)
- Kathleen McDermott
-Biography:Kathleen is an experienced vocalist, who also enjoys martial arts and snowboarding. She was working as a hairdresser when spotted by the casting director for Morvern Callar. She is best known for her appearance as Shaz in Wedding Belles and Pippa in E4's 2008 series Dead Set...
- John McGlynn
John McGlynn is a Scottish actor. His most notable role was that of vet Calum Buchanan in the British television series All Creatures Great and Small between January 1988 and September 1989....
(5 episodes, each as a different character)
- Allison McKenzie
-TV Credits:* Doctors - - BBC 1 - 'Just Like A Woman' - Katrina Bryne/Steve* Sadie J - 'Tidylicious' - - BBC 1 - Lorna* River City - BBC One Scotland - Joanne Rossi* Rebus - - STV - 'Dead Souls' - Helen...
- Ann Mitchell
Ann Mitchell is one of Britain's leading stage and television actresses. In 2011, she was cast as Cora Cross in the BBC soap opera EastEnders, the mother of Tanya Jessop and Rainie Cross. She was only to appear originally for 4 episodes but returned on 28 July 2011 as a regular character...
- Gavin Mitchell
Gavin Mitchell is a Scottish actor and comedian.He is best known as Boaby the Barman in Scottish sitcom Still Game. He previously played the character of Winston in the stage show Still Game...
- Peter Mullan
Peter Mullan is a Scottish actor and film-maker who has been appearing in films since 1990.-Early life:Mullan, the sixth of eight children, was born in Peterhead in the northeast of Scotland, the son of Patricia, a nurse, and Charles Mullan, a lab technician who worked at Glasgow University. He...
- Daniela Nardini
Daniela Nardini is a Scottish actress of Italian ancestry, best known for playing Anna Forbes in the BBC Two television series This Life. The role earned her a BAFTA Best Actress award in 1998 and also earned her a Scottish BAFTA...
- Gray O'Brien
Gray O'Brien is a Scottish television and film actor, best known for his portrayal of the villainous Weatherfield businessman Tony Gordon in the popular British soap opera Coronation Street from 2007 to 2010, and as Dr Richard McCaig on Casualty from 1996 to 1998.O'Brien was born in Stewarton,...
- Dorothy Paul
Dorothy Paul is a Scottish actress, comedienne and entertainer. She is best known for her stage shows often at the Pavilion Theatre in Glasgow.-Acting career:...
- Julie Peasgood
Julie May Peasgood is an English actress, television presenter, author and voice over artist known for her distinctive voice. She attended Grimsby's Wintringham School as a student. She is best known for her role as Fran Pearson in the television soap Brookside...
- Craig W. Porter
- Amanda Redman
-External links:* ArtistsTheatreSchool.com* The-Little.co.uk...
- Annabel Reid
Annabel Reid is a Scottish actress. She has played in Post-mortem and The Infinite Worlds of H G Wells. She has also starred in several short films. On television she played in Dream Team, Monarch of the Glen, Taggart, and Rab C. Nesbitt.-External links:*...
- Dougray Scott
-Early life:The son of Elma, a nurse, and Alan Scott, an actor and salesperson, Stephen Dougray Scott was born in Glenrothes, Fife and attended Auchmuty High School...
- Steve John Shepherd
-Career:Shepherd first became known in 1996, when he played the role of Jo, the law clerk, in the critically acclaimed BBC drama This Life. He remained in the role for two series...
- Ewan Stewart
Ewan Stewart is a Scottish film, television and stage actor.- Life and career :Stewart was born Andrew Ewan Stewart in Glasgow, and is the son of the late Scottish entertainer Andy Stewart. His mother Sheila is still alive and lives in Arbroath, Scotland. Stewart was educated at Edinburgh's...
- Ken Stott
Kenneth Campbell "Ken" Stott is a Scottish actor, particularly known in the United Kingdom for his many roles in television.-Early life:...
- Kim Thomson
Kim Thomson is an English actress who has appeared on stage, television and film since the early 1980s in both the United Kingdom and the United States.-Early life:...
- Jimmy Yuill
Jimmy Yuill is an actor, born in 1959, in Golspie, Scotland.He is a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company and later joined the Renaissance Theatre Company. He has appeared in many of Kenneth Branagh's films, most recently as Corin in the 2006 As You Like It...
(2 episodes as different characters)
Episodes
|
Episode | Title | Airdate | Notes |
| Pilot: |
| P. |
"Killer" |
6–20 September 1983 |
First appearance of DCI Jim Taggart and DS Peter Livingstone |
| Series 1: |
| 1. |
"Dead Ringer" |
2–16 July 1985 |
|
| 2. |
"Murder In Season" |
23 July - 6 August 1985 |
|
| Series 2: |
| 3. |
"Knife Edge" |
24 February - 10 March 1986 |
|
| 4. |
"Death Call" |
2–16 September 1986 |
|
| Series 3: |
| 5. |
"The Killing Philosophy" |
15–29 April 1987 |
First appearance of DS Michael Jardine |
| 6. |
"Funeral Rites" |
9–23 September 1987 |
|
| 7. |
"Cold Blood" |
31 December 1987 |
Feature length Christmas Special |
| Series 4: |
| 8. |
"Dead Giveaway" |
7–21 September 1988 |
|
| 9. |
"Root Of Evil" |
28 September - 12 October 1988 |
|
| 10. |
"Double Jeopardy" |
30 December 1988 |
Feature length Christmas Special |
| Series 5: |
| 11. |
"Flesh And Blood" |
5–19 September 1989 |
|
| 12. |
"Love Knot" |
1 January 1990 |
Feature length New Year Special |
| 13. |
"Hostile Witness" |
22 February - 8 March 1990 |
|
| Series 6: |
| 14. |
"Evil Eye" |
4–18 September 1990 |
|
| 15. |
"Death Comes Softly" |
3 December 1990 |
First appearance of WPC Jackie Reid |
| 16. |
"Rogues Gallery" |
31 December 1990 |
Feature length Christmas Special |
| Series 7: |
| 17. |
"Violent Delights" |
1 January 1992 |
Feature length New Year Special |
| 18. |
"Nest Of Vipers" |
9–23 January 1992 |
|
| 19. |
"Double Exposure" |
30 January - 13 February 1992 |
|
| Series 8: |
| 20. |
"The Hit Man" |
17 September - 1 October 1992 |
|
| 21. |
"Ring Of Deceit" |
8–22 October 1992 |
|
| 22. |
"Fatal Inheritance" |
1 January 1993 |
Feature length New Year Special |
| Series 9: |
| 23. |
"Death Benefits" |
16 February 1993 |
|
| 24. |
"Gingerbread" |
20 April 1993 |
|
| 25. |
"Death Without Dishonour" |
11 May 1993 |
|
| Series 10: |
| 26. |
"Instrument Of Justice" |
30 September 1993 |
|
| 27. |
"Forbidden Fruit" |
1 January 1994 |
Last appearance of DS Peter Livingstone |
| 28. |
"Secrets" |
6 October 1994 |
|
| Series 11: |
| 29. |
"Hellfire" |
27 October 1994 |
|
| 30. |
"Prayer For The Dead" |
11 January 1995 |
Last appearance of DCI Jim Taggart |
| 31. |
"Black Orchid" |
25 February 1995 |
First appearance of DC Stuart Fraser |
| Series 12: |
| 32. |
"Legends" |
2 November 1995 |
|
| 33. |
"Devil's Advocate" |
4 January 1996 |
|
| 34. |
"Angel Eyes" |
21 March 1996 |
|
| Series 13: |
| 35. |
"Dead Man's Chest" |
19 September 1996 |
|
| 36. |
"Apocalypse" |
16 January 1997 |
|
| Series 14: |
| 37. |
"Babushka" |
4 September 1997 |
|
| 38. |
"Berserker" |
1 January 1998 |
|
| 39. |
"Out Of Bounds" |
1 March 1998 |
|
| 40. |
"Dead Reckoning" |
15 July 1998 |
|
| Series 15: |
| 41. |
"A Few Bad Men" |
8 October 1998 |
First appearance of DI Robbie Ross |
| 42. |
"Long Time Dead" |
1 November 1998 |
Feature length Special |
| Series 16: |
| 43. |
"Bloodlines" |
16 January 1999 |
|
| 44. |
"A Fistful Of Chips" |
7 September 1999 |
|
| 45. |
"Fearful Lightning" |
21 October 1999 |
|
| 46. |
"For Their Sins" |
21 November 1999 |
|
| Series 17: |
| 47. |
"Ghost Rider" |
16 February 2000 |
|
| 48. |
"Skin Deep" |
14 September 2000 |
|
| 49. |
"Wavelength" |
21 September 2000 |
|
| 50. |
"Football Crazy" |
1 December 2000 |
|
| 51. |
"Falling In Love" |
10 January 2001 |
|
| Series 18: |
| 52. |
"Death Trap" |
14 January 2002 |
First appearance of DCI Matthew Burke and last appearance of DCI Mike Jardine |
| 53. |
"Fire, Burn" |
21 January 2002 |
|
| 54. |
"Watertight" |
8 July 2002 |
|
| 55. |
"The Friday Event" |
15–16 July 2002 |
Split in 2 parts |
| Series 19: |
| 56. |
"Hardman" |
4 December 2002 |
Hour long episode |
| 57. |
"Fade to Black" |
11 December 2002 |
Hour long episode |
| 58. |
"Blood Money" |
18 December 2002 |
Hour long episode |
| 59. |
"New Life" |
4 January 2003 |
Hour long episode |
| 60. |
"Bad Blood" |
11 January 2003 |
Hour long episode |
| 61. |
"Halfway House" |
18 January 2003 |
Hour long episode |
| 62. |
"An Eye For An Eye" |
25 January 2003 |
TV Movie Special |
| Series 20: |
| 63. |
"Penthouse And Pavement" |
7 October 2003 |
|
| 64. |
"Atonement" |
3 December 2003 |
|
| 65. |
"Compensation" |
30 April 2004 |
|
| 66. |
"Saints And Sinners" |
30 December 2004 |
|
| 67. |
"Puppet On A String" |
6 January 2005 |
|
| 68. |
"The Wages Of Sin" |
13 January 2005 |
|
| Series 21: |
| 69. |
"The Ties That Bind" |
20 January 2005 |
|
| 70. |
"In Camera" |
27 January 2005 |
|
| 71. |
"Mind Over Matter" |
3 February 2005 |
|
| 72. |
"Cause And Effect" |
16 September 2005 |
|
| 73. |
"A Taste Of Money" |
23 September 2005 |
|
| 74. |
"A Death Foretold" |
30 September 2005 |
|
| Series 22: |
| 75. |
"Running Out Of Time" |
4 November 2005 |
|
| 76. |
"Cause To Kill" |
11 November 2005 |
|
| 77. |
"Do Or Die" |
9 December 2005 |
|
| 78. |
"Dead Man Walking" |
16 December 2005 |
|
| 79. |
"Law" |
22 March 2006 |
|
| 80. |
"The Best And The Brightest" |
29 March 2006 |
|
| Series 23: |
| 81. |
"Users And Losers" |
3 January 2007 |
|
| 82. |
"The Thirteenth Step" |
17 January 2007 |
|
| 83. |
"Tenement" |
30 April 2007 |
|
| 84. |
"Pinnacle" |
4 July 2007 |
|
| 85. |
"Genesis" |
8 January 2008 |
|
| 86. |
"The Caring Game" |
14 November 2008 |
|
| 87. |
"Lifeline" |
30 December 2008 |
|
| Series 24: |
| 88. |
"Judgement Day" |
15 January 2008 |
|
| 89. |
"Island" |
27 February 2008 |
|
| 90. |
"Trust" |
21 April 2008 |
|
| 91. |
"A Study in Murder" |
1 May 2008 |
|
| 92. |
"Point of Light" |
5 June 2008 |
|
| Series 25: |
| 93. |
"Safer" |
3 November 2008 |
|
| 94. |
"Homesick" |
8 December 2008 |
|
| 95. |
"Crossing the Line" |
15 December 2008 |
|
| 96. |
"Cold Reader" |
20 February 2009 |
|
| 97. |
"Grass" |
30 April 2009 |
|
| 98. |
"The Knife Trick" |
7 May 2009 |
|
| 99. |
"So Long Baby" |
19 July 2009 |
|
| Series 26: |
| 100. |
"Fact and Fiction" |
24 December 2009 |
100th Episode Three years earlier Jimmy Melville's corpse was found floating in a river. His mobile phone was sold on e-bay and at one time had been in the possession of Mark Joffe, a part-time English lecturer and crime writer, whose new novel 'Chaos' describes a murder identical to Melville's. He is an arrogant, evasive interviewee but he once had an affair with an Anne Scoular, to whom he was violent and threatening after she left him for Jimmy Melville.This gives Burke's team an opening, as does the cooperation of an older female colleague spurned by Joffe. |
| 101. |
"IOU" |
18 July 2010 |
Bank clerk Craig Williams is murdered at the dog-track,where,for a change,he would have won - forty five grand. Evidence suggests that the race was fixed and the favourite dog nobbled. Had Craig lived he would have claimed his winnings from bookie Niall McShane and his violent son Ged,who threatens the trainer. But then Ged McShane is killed in the same way as Craig. An ex-wife who stood to gain from Craig's life insurance and a married colleague with whom he had a fling while her husband was abroad are now in the frame alongside the bookie and the trainer. |
| 102. |
"Local Hero" |
25 July 2010 |
A body is found hanging from the swing frame in the playground on the recently rejuvenated Allerdykes Estate by a local 'Community Watch' member doing his early morning check. |
| 103. |
"The Rapture" |
1 August 2010 |
The last appearance of DC Stuart Fraser : Edward Muir and his son Luke,members of the austere Triune Family religious group,are brutally murdered with open bibles by the corpses,referring to the Rapture or promise of eternal life. Karen,the young daughter of Jackie's friend Eileen,is also murdered and a bible found by her body. Karen's lap-top shows that she was dating Luke Muir,against his religion's rules. The group leader's family come under suspicion when his wife and younger son reveal they want to leave the Triune Family as Luke did and the other son puts up opposition to their wishes. |
| Series 27: |
| 104. |
"Bad Medicine" |
3 October 2010 |
This series is being aired first on STV, in multi-camera set-up & HD for the first time, and introduces the supporting characters of CS Karen Campbell and Pathologist Duncan Clark as well as the move from Maryhill to the City Centre. Newly qualified doctor Scott Clarkson is found tortured and murdered in an empty warehouse. Two London detectives, Moretti and Casey,the latter an old friend of Burke,arrive in Glasgow whilst investigating a similar case though Jackie and Robbie do not warm to them. Scott's girlfriend Lucy,another medic,is arrested for manufacturing recreational drugs and admits that Scott also made and sold Ecstasy to pay his student fees. Lucy is arrested and commits suicide in custody after a visit from the London policemen. Were Jackie and Robbie right to be suspicious of the visitors motives? |
| 105. |
"Abuse of Trust" |
10 October 2010 |
When union leader for shipworkers Will Ramsey is shot dead it looks to be an open and shut case that it is a corporate killing, but the real motivation and implications lay closer to home |
| 106. |
"Silent Truth" |
17 October 2010 |
When an Iranian refugee is found burnt to death, it appears at first to be a racially motivated crime. It soon becomes clear to DCI Burke and the rest of the team that there is another motive and when a drug dealer enters the frame, the case is set to be extremely complex for all concerned. First appearance of the supporting character, DC Mita Rahim |
| 107. |
"Fallen Angels" |
24 October 2010 |
When the team are called to a flat, they discover three children all dead with a fourth named Callum fighting for his life, DI Ross then discovers the dead body of the children's father Pete in the bathroom, he therefore becomes the prime suspect but then when forensic tests reveal that Pete died before his own children. The real culprit is still at large and shocks all of the team. |
| 108. |
"Bloodsport" |
31 October 2010 |
After the badly beaten body of a man is found dumped on a motorway underpass, his murder is linked to a Fight Club style bare-knuckle boxing venue. Both professional and personal lives collide at Maryhill CID, with one of the detectives having to come face to face with their own demons. |
| 109. |
"The Ends of Justice" |
7 November 2010 |
When a busker is fatally stabbed in Glasgow city centre, the newly promoted DI Jackie Reid heads up the investigation. Mita Rahim joins the Maryhill CID team properly while DI Ross suffers personal heartache. |
International distribution
Taggart is also broadcast to various countries around the world on the following networks:
| Country |
Channel |
Notes |
 Australia |
7TWO 7TWO is an Australian free-to-air standard definition digital television channel which was launched by the Seven Network on Sunday 1 November 2009 at 12pm....
/ 13th Street13th Street is an Australian television channel specialising in action and suspense programs. The channel is owned by NBC Universal and was launched on November 15, 2009 as part of Foxtel's Next Generation launch....
|
In 2011, ABC-1 airs episodes on Friday at 8:30pm.
ABC-1 actually broadcast episodes 101 ("IOU"), 102 ("Local Hero") and 103 ("The Rapture") before STV did, because of scheduling conflicts. 7TWO airs repeat episodes. |
 New Zealand |
TV One |
|
 Sweden |
TV4 |
|
 Denmark |
DR2 DR2 is a Danish television station. It is part of Danmarks Radio, the public service broadcasting company of Denmark.It was launched in 1996 as a satellite-/cable-only channel. This was highly controversial at the time, as it was considered close to a breach of public service principles that the...
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|
 Czech Republic |
CT1 CT1 stands for Cordless telephone generation 1 and is an analog cordless telephone standard that was standardized by the European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations in 1984 and deployed in eleven European countries...
|
|
| |
RTÉ 1 |
|
 Bulgaria |
AXN Crime AXN Crime is a European movie channel owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, which is broadcast 18 hours per day, between 11:00 am and 03:00 am hrs. It is available in Poland, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria on Boom TV, Bulsatcom, Cyfra Plus, Cyfrowy Polsat, Digi TV, Dolce, iNES, Max TV and N...
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|
 Romania |
AXN Crime AXN Crime is a European movie channel owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, which is broadcast 18 hours per day, between 11:00 am and 03:00 am hrs. It is available in Poland, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria on Boom TV, Bulsatcom, Cyfra Plus, Cyfrowy Polsat, Digi TV, Dolce, iNES, Max TV and N...
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|
 Early Modern France |
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|
 Mainland China |
|
|
 Norway |
NRK1 NRK1 is the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation's main television channel. Test broadcasts started on 12 January 1954, regular test broadcasts started on 13 April 1958 and regular broadcasts started in 20 August 1960. It is Norway's oldest and largest television channel...
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External links