Glenn Chandler
Glenn Chandler (born 12 March 1949) is a Scottish playwright, novelist, producer and theatre director. He has written plays for theatre and radio, original screenplays for television and films, television series, and also novels. His best known ...
, who wrote many of the episodes, and made by STV Studios for the ITV network. It originally ran as the miniseries "Killer" from 6 until 20 September 1983, before a full series was commissioned that ran from 2 July 1985 until 7 November 2010. The series revolved around a group of detectives initially in the Maryhill
CID
CID may refer to:
Film
* ''C.I.D.'' (1955 film), an Indian Malayalam film
* ''C.I.D.'' (1956 film), an Indian Hindi film
* ''C. I. D.'' (1965 film), an Indian Telugu film
* ''C.I.D.'' (1990 film), an Indian Hindi film
Television
* ''CID'' ( ...
of Strathclyde Police, though various storylines were set in other parts of Greater Glasgow and in other areas of Scotland. The team operated out of the fictional John Street police station.
Mark McManus
Mark McManus (21 February 1935 – 6 June 1994) was a Scottish actor.
He has played roles in British television series ''Sam,'' ''Bulman, The Brothers, Strangers,'' and ''Dramarama'' and starred in the feature film ''2000 Weeks''. He was best ...
, who played the title character Jim Taggart, died in 1994. However, the series continued under the same name.
''Taggart'' was one of the UK's longest-running television dramas and the longest-running police drama after the cancellation of ''
The Bill
''The Bill'' is a British police procedural television series, first broadcast on ITV from 16 August 1983 until 31 August 2010. The programme originated from a one-off drama, '' Woodentop'', broadcast in August 1983.
The programme focused o ...
Mark McManus
Mark McManus (21 February 1935 – 6 June 1994) was a Scottish actor.
He has played roles in British television series ''Sam,'' ''Bulman, The Brothers, Strangers,'' and ''Dramarama'' and starred in the feature film ''2000 Weeks''. He was best ...
until his death in 1994), a tough and experienced detective who had worked his way up through the ranks. His original sidekick was
Detective Sergeant
Sergeant ( abbreviated to Sgt. and capitalized when used as a named person's title) is a rank in many uniformed organizations, principally military and policing forces. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and other ...
Peter Livingstone (
Neil Duncan
Alastair Duncan is a Scottish actor and real estate broker. He is best known for his voice-work in video games, such as '' Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, God of War'' and its sequel '' God of War Ragnarök''.
...
). 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 Watson), and his boss after the second episode, "Dead Ringer", was Superintendent Jack McVitie (
Iain Anders
Iain Anders Robertson (8 February 1933 – 5 September 1997) ''
James MacPherson) was introduced.
Neil Duncan
Alastair Duncan is a Scottish actor and real estate broker. He is best known for his voice-work in video games, such as '' Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, God of War'' and its sequel '' God of War Ragnarök''.
...
left the series in 1987 and in 1990 a new female sidekick Jackie Reid ( Blythe Duff) was introduced.
McManus died in 1994 during the filming of an episode. Taggart's absence in the broadcast story was explained by his being in meetings with the Chief Constable throughout. In 1995 the episode "Black Orchid" opened with Taggart's funeral. Despite the death of the title character the series continued. Jardine was promoted to Detective Inspector and DC Stuart Fraser (
Colin McCredie
Colin McCredie (born 8 June 1972 in Dumbarton, Scotland) is a Scottish actor, best known for his role as DC Stuart Fraser in the STV drama ''Taggart'', Nick Morrison in the BBC Scotland Soap Opera ''River City'' and in the films '' Shallow Gra ...
) was introduced, becoming the long-suffering sidekick to Jardine, former long-suffering sidekick to Taggart. Fraser was later revealed to be gay. McCredie had made an early appearance in ''Taggart'' when he played a suspect part of a youth gang. DI Robbie Ross ( John Michie) joined the team in 1998. Michie had made an early appearance in ''Taggart'' in 1990 when 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 Branch, played by Alex Norton, who had previously appeared in the series playing murder suspect George Bryce in 1986 in the episode "Knife-Edge".
Much was made of the platonic love between Jardine and Reid. The two were shown to share a sibling-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 then died. The personal relationships of the police officers in this series were shown as nothing to be envious of: Reid described herself, Burke, Ross and Fraser as "three divorcees and a celibate homosexual" in the episode "Penthouse and Pavement".
After filming was completed on series 26 in December 2009,
Colin McCredie
Colin McCredie (born 8 June 1972 in Dumbarton, Scotland) is a Scottish actor, best known for his role as DC Stuart Fraser in the STV drama ''Taggart'', Nick Morrison in the BBC Scotland Soap Opera ''River City'' and in the films '' Shallow Gra ...
was informed that he and his character would not be returning for filming of the next series.
ITV/STV dispute
ITV plc
ITV plc is a British media company that holds 13 of the 15 regional television licences that make up the ITV network (Channel 3), the oldest and largest commercial terrestrial television network in the United Kingdom.
ITV plc is listed on th ...
, the company that operates the ITV network franchises in England, Wales and southern Scotland, failed to announce whether it planned to show any new episodes of ''Taggart'', prompting STV to suspend production of the programme in September 2009. STV announced in November 2009 that it would produce new episodes of ''Taggart'' for broadcast in 2010 regardless of whether
ITV plc
ITV plc is a British media company that holds 13 of the 15 regional television licences that make up the ITV network (Channel 3), the oldest and largest commercial terrestrial television network in the United Kingdom.
ITV plc is listed on th ...
decided to screen it.
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 got to see first. The two broadcasters co-commissioned a six-part series of the show;
UKTV
UKTV Media Limited, simply known as UKTV, is a British multi-channel broadcaster, which, since 2019, has been wholly owned by BBC Studios (formerly BBC Worldwide), a commercial subsidiary of the BBC. It was formed on 1 November 1992 throug ...
also invested 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. The UKTV Channel Alibi showed the episodes in 2013. Online catch-up of the new series was not available to users of STV Player until the show had been broadcast on ITV and UTV.
Format and broadcast information
The format of the show changed over the years. Originally the show ran with three one-hour episodes to each story. This was later changed starting with the last transmitted story in 1998 to a regular pattern of two-hour stand-alone stories and beginning in July 2002 these were shortened to 60 minutes. After a two-hour special episode in January 2003 episodes were again lengthened starting in October this time to 90 minutes continuing through the 2008 New Year special "Genesis". After this the show became a series of one-hour stand-alone stories for the first time since 2003.
Fans of the show were often frustrated by the erratic scheduling of the show. Although blocks or series of the show were filmed together, they were often not shown together as with other series. Instead, they were fitted into the schedule whenever there was a gap, meaning that they were often not shown in consecutive weeks or on one set night of the week. Often months passed between episodes of the same series being shown. This was very much the case in Australia with ABC TV showing episodes featuring the three lead actors in haphazard order with current or recent shows. This made it very difficult to understand the history of the show.
DVD releases
The DVD rights in the UK for many ''Taggart'' episodes the earlier series in particular are held by Clearvision. However, some episodes in particular those from 2002 onwards have been released on DVD in the UK by
Acorn Media UK
RLJE International Ltd, d/b/a Acorn DVD, a British company that publishes and distributes DVDs, as well as selling home-video products and streaming videos with a particular focus on British television.
History
Launched in 1997, Acorn Media U. ...
. There are also Region 1 and Region 4 releases for
North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and th ...
n and
Australasia
Australasia is a region that comprises Australia, New Zealand and some neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term is used in a number of different contexts, including geopolitically, physiogeographically, philologically, and ecologic ...
n markets. Some of the DVD releases are now quite rare and deleted and there has been no
Blu-ray
The Blu-ray Disc (BD), often known simply as Blu-ray, is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released on June 20, 2006 worldwide. It is designed to supersede the DVD format, and capable of st ...
release at present.
Cast
Main
*
Mark McManus
Mark McManus (21 February 1935 – 6 June 1994) was a Scottish actor.
He has played roles in British television series ''Sam,'' ''Bulman, The Brothers, Strangers,'' and ''Dramarama'' and starred in the feature film ''2000 Weeks''. He was best ...
as DCI Jim Taggart (1983–1995)
*
Neil Duncan
Alastair Duncan is a Scottish actor and real estate broker. He is best known for his voice-work in video games, such as '' Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, God of War'' and its sequel '' God of War Ragnarök''.
...
as DS Peter Livingstone (1983–1987, 1994)
*
Iain Anders
Iain Anders Robertson (8 February 1933 – 5 September 1997) ''
James MacPherson as DS/DI/DCI Michael Jardine (1987–2002)
* Blythe Duff as WPC/DC/DS/DI Jackie Reid (1990–2010)
*
Colin McCredie
Colin McCredie (born 8 June 1972 in Dumbarton, Scotland) is a Scottish actor, best known for his role as DC Stuart Fraser in the STV drama ''Taggart'', Nick Morrison in the BBC Scotland Soap Opera ''River City'' and in the films '' Shallow Gra ...
as DC Stuart Fraser (1995–2010)
* John Michie as DI Robbie Ross (1998–2010)
* Alex Norton as DCI Matt Burke (2002–2010)
* Robert Robertson as Pathologist Dr Stephen Andrews (1983–2001)
* Harriet Buchan as Jean Taggart (1983–1995)
Other
* Tom Watson as Superintendent Robert Murray (1983–1985)
* Gavin Brown as Sgt Blackman (1983–1985)
* Patricia Ross as DS/Sgt Laura Campbell (1987–1988)
* Anthony Cochrane as Dr Colin Crawford (1987–1993)
* Leigh Biagi as Alison Taggart (1988–1993)
* Gray O'Brien as DC Rob Gibson (1993–1995)
* Yasmin Marley as WPC Heather McIntyre (1999–2001)
* Brian Cowan 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 (born 10 July 1980) is a Scottish actress and CBeebies presenter 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 E ...
as Pathologist Dr Ellis Sinclair (2008–2010)
*
Alan McHugh
Alan McHugh is a Scottish actor, comedian and writer. He is best known for his roles in television shows such as ''Taggart (series), Taggart'' (as Assistant Chief Constable Strathairn), ''Take the High Road'', ''Limmy's Show'', and ''Rab C. Nes ...
as Assistant Chief Constable Strathairn (2008–10)
* Davood Ghadami as Pathologist Duncan Clark (2010)
*
Siobhan Redmond
Siobhan Redmond, ( ; born 27 July 1959) is a Scottish actress, a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, and known for various stage, audio and television roles.
Early life
Siobhan Redmond was born on 27 July 1959 in the Tollcross area of ...
as Chief Supt. Karen Campbell (2010)
* Anneika Rose as DC/DS Mita Rahim (2010)
Lucy Akhurst
Lucy Akhurst (born 18 November 1970) is an English actress, writer and director who has been working mainly in television since the 1990s. She starred alongside Neil Morrissey in ''The Vanishing Man'' and then came to prominence in a lead role in ...
Football Crazy
"Football Crazy" is a song written by James Curran, originally titled as "The Dooley Fitba' Club", in the 1880s. The song is the earliest-known song that references association football, and it later became a minor hit in the 1960s for Scottish f ...
Isla Blair
Isla Blair Glover (born 29 September 1944) is a British actress and singer. 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''.
Early life and education
Isla Blair wa ...
Dead Man's Chest
"Dead Man's Chest" (also known as "Fifteen Men on the Dead Man's Chest" or "Yo, Ho, Ho (And a Bottle of Rum)") is a fictional''Fictional sea-song'' - in this sense means a sea-song that first appeared in a work of fiction, and not an authentic se ...
Love Knot
The term true lover's knot, also called true love knot, is used for many distinct knots. The association of knots with the symbolism of love, friendship and affection dates back to antiquity. Because of this, no single knot can be labeled t ...
)
*
Tam Dean Burn
Tam Dean Burn (born 1958 in Leith, Scotland) is a Scottish actor who has played a wide range of roles on stage and screen. On television this includes multiple roles on long-running detective series ''Taggart'', youth sci-fi thriller ''Life Forc ...
(Episodes:
Double Exposure
In photography and cinematography, a multiple exposure is the superimposition of two or more exposures to create a single image, and double exposure has a corresponding meaning in respect of two images. The exposure values may or may not be i ...
Hostile Witness
A hostile witness, also known as an adverse witness or an unfavorable witness, is a witness at trial whose testimony on direct examination is either openly antagonistic or appears to be contrary to the legal position of the party who called ...
Pandora Clifford
Pandora Clifford (born 13 December 1972) is an English actress who has appeared in various roles on stage and screen including ''Agatha Christie's Poirot'', '' Wallander'', ''Taggart'' and ''New Tricks''
Born in 1972 in London, brought up nea ...
*
Ian Colquhoun
Ian Alexander Colquhoun (8 June 1924 – 26 February 2005) was a New Zealand cricketer who played two Test matches for his country in the 1950s.
Early life and family
Born in Wellington on 8 June 1924, Colquhoun was the son of Gladys and C ...
George A. Cooper
George Alphonsus Cooper (7 March 1925 – 16 November 2018)
was an English actor and voice artist. He died in November 2018 at the age of 93.
Early life
Cooper was born in Leeds, the son of William and Eleanor (née Dobson) Cooper. His father ...
Kate Dickie
Kate Dickie (born 1971) is a Scottish actress who has appeared in television series, stage plays and films. She is known for her television roles as Lex in the BBC series '' Tinsel Town'' (2000–2001) and Lysa Arryn in the HBO series '' Game of ...
Duncan Duff
Duncan Duff (born 1964 in Edinburgh, Scotland, UK) is a British stage, television and film actor who trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London 1985 - 1987. He is best known for His role in Not Going out as Pete and for A Quiet Pas ...
(Episode:
Hostile Witness
A hostile witness, also known as an adverse witness or an unfavorable witness, is a witness at trial whose testimony on direct examination is either openly antagonistic or appears to be contrary to the legal position of the party who called ...
Norman Eshley
Norman Eshley (born 30 May 1945) is an English actor best known for his television roles.
Biography
Eshley attended Bristol Grammar School and worked in a bank, before training as an actor at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. He played many ...
Fish
Fish are Aquatic animal, aquatic, craniate, gill-bearing animals that lack Limb (anatomy), limbs with Digit (anatomy), digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and Chondrichthyes, cartilaginous and bony fish as we ...
Vincent Friell
Vincent Friell (born 7 January 1960 in Glasgow, Scotland) is a Scottish actor, whose most memorable role was that of Will Bryce in the Scottish crime comedy film ''Restless Natives'' (1985).
Friell's other cinematic appearances have inclu ...
Jill Gascoine
Jill Viola Gascoine (11 April 1937 – 28 April 2020) was an English actress and novelist. She portrayed Detective Inspector Maggie Forbes in the 1980s television series '' The Gentle Touch'' and its spin-off series '' C.A.T.S. Eyes''. In the ...
Alexandra Gilbreath
Alexandra Gilbreath (born 28 March 1969) is an English actress, born in Chalfont St Giles, Buckinghamshire and trained at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.
Widely known for her role as depressed author Lucy Moss in ''Not Going Out' ...
Julie Graham
Julie Graham (born 24 July 1965) is a Scottish television and film actress.
Career
Graham has appeared in the Channel 4 ''Blood Red Roses'' (1986, filmed in East Kilbride). She also appeared in 1986 in an episode of ''Taggart'', “Death Call ...
John Grillo
John Martin Grillo (born 29 November 1942, in Watford, Hertfordshire) is an English actor.
Biography
Grillo was educated at Watford Grammar School for Boys and Trinity Hall, Cambridge, and while there was actively involved in student theatre. H ...
Daniel Healy
Daniel Healy (born 3 May 1974) is a former Australian rules footballer, who played for St Kilda in the Australian Football League and for Central District in the South Australian National Football League. Healy was taken in the first round, ...
Vivien Heilbron
Vivien Heilbron (born 13 May 1944) is a Scottish actress.
Career
Heilbron, who was born in Glasgow, was a member of the company at Dundee Repertory Theatre in the mid-1960s. She achieved fame in her homeland when she appeared in the 1971 BBC ...
Douglas Henshall
Douglas “Dougie” James Henshall (born 19 November 1965) is a Scottish television, film and stage actor. He is best known for his roles as Professor Nick Cutter in the science fiction series '' Primeval'' (2007–2011) and Detective Inspect ...
(Episode:
Love Knot
The term true lover's knot, also called true love knot, is used for many distinct knots. The association of knots with the symbolism of love, friendship and affection dates back to antiquity. Because of this, no single knot can be labeled t ...
Russell Hunter
Adam Russell Hunter (18 February 1925 – 26 February 2004) was a Scottish television, stage and film actor. He played Lonely in the TV thriller series '' Callan'', starring Edward Woodward, and shop steward Harry in the Yorkshire Television ...
Double Exposure
In photography and cinematography, a multiple exposure is the superimposition of two or more exposures to create a single image, and double exposure has a corresponding meaning in respect of two images. The exposure values may or may not be i ...
Robert Jezek
Robert Jezek (born 6 April 1955) is a Canadian stage, film and television actor based in the United Kingdom.
Career
In 1989, Jezek appeared as Sergeant Zbrigniev in the ''Doctor Who'' television serial ''Battlefield''.
He is known for playin ...
Berwick Kaler
Berwick Kaler (born 31 October 1946) is a British actor most famous for playing the dame in York Theatre Royal's annual pantomime, which he also wrote and directed. He has been awarded the freedom of the city, and in 2002 received an honorary de ...
*
Diane Keen
Diane Keen (born 29 July 1946) is an English actress, known for her portrayal of Fliss Hawthorne in the Granada sitcom ''The Cuckoo Waltz'' and Julia Parsons on the BBC soap opera '' Doctors''. She also appeared in Nescafé advertisements from ...
Sinéad Keenan
Sinéad Keenan (born 27 December 1977) is an Irish actress with a wide range of television, film and stage credits. Keenan is best known for playing Farrah Phelan in ''Fair City'' and for playing the role of werewolf Nina Pickering on BBC Three ...
*
Gerard Kelly
Gerard Kelly (born Paul Kelly; 27 May 1959 – 28 October 2010) was a Scottish actor who appeared in many comedies, including '' City Lights'', '' Rab C Nesbitt'', '' Scotch and Wry'' and '' Extras''. He had more serious roles as well, includ ...
Richard Lintern
Richard Charles Lintern (born 8 October 1962) is an English stage, voice and screen actor.
Early life
Lintern was born in Taunton, Somerset. He studied English Literature at Durham University. He subsequently won a scholarship to the Royal A ...
Brian McCardie
Brian McCardie is a Scottish actor and writer.
Early life
Brian McCardie attended St. Brendan’s, then St. Athanasius Primary Schools. He went on to Our Lady's High School in Motherwell. His parents moved from Motherwell to Carluke while h ...
Maimie McCoy
Mary McCoy, professionally known as Maimie McCoy is an English actress. She portrayed Milady de Winter in ''The Musketeers'' (2014–2016), and is the female lead in the ITV reboot series ''Van der Valk'' (2020–).
Early life
McCoy was born in ...
*
Kathleen McDermott
Kathleen McDermott (born 21 May 1977) is a Scottish actress, singer, model, and make-up artist. She is best known for her roles in the feature film '' Morvern Callar'' (2002), the television film '' Wedding Belles'' (2007), and the miniseries ...
(Episode:
Blood Money
Blood money may refer to:
* Blood money (restitution), money paid to the family of a murder victim
Films
* Blood Money (1917 film), ''Blood Money'' (1917 film), a film starring Harry Carey
* Blood Money (1921 film), ''Blood Money'' (1921 film ...
)
*
Joe McFadden
Joseph McFadden (born 9 October 1975) is a Scottish actor best known for his roles in ''The Crow Road,'' '' Sex, Chips & Rock n' Roll, Heartbeat'' and ''Holby City.'' McFadden won the 2017 series of the BBC One series '' Strictly Come Dancing ...
Sean McGinley
Sean, also spelled Seán or Séan in Irish English, is a male given name of Irish origin. It comes from the Irish versions of the Biblical Hebrew name ''Yohanan'' (), Seán (anglicized as ''Shaun/ Shawn/ Shon'') and Séan (Ulster variant; anglici ...
Football Crazy
"Football Crazy" is a song written by James Curran, originally titled as "The Dooley Fitba' Club", in the 1880s. The song is the earliest-known song that references association football, and it later became a minor hit in the 1960s for Scottish f ...
Jill Melford
Jill Melford (23 November 1931 – 21 February 2018) was an English actress.
Early career
Born in 1931, she was the daughter of the actor Jack Melford. She attended the Ballet Arts School in New York and made her theatre debut in 1949 as a ...
Ann Mitchell
Ann Mitchell (born 22 April 1939) is a British stage and television actress. She came to prominence in the 1980s when she starred as Dolly Rawlins in the crime series ''Widows'' as well as the sequels '' Widows 2'' and '' She's Out'', all writt ...
Jon Morrison
Jon Morrison is a Scottish actor who has appeared in many plays, films and television series since the early 1970s, including ''The Bill'', '' Bergerac'', ''Taggart'' and '' Vera''.
His best-known parts have been in the Peter McDougall plays ...
(Episode:
Wavelength
In physics, the wavelength is the spatial period of a periodic wave—the distance over which the wave's shape repeats.
It is the distance between consecutive corresponding points of the same phase on the wave, such as two adjacent crests, tr ...
The Rapture
The rapture is an eschatological position held by some Christians, particularly those of American evangelicalism, consisting of an end-time event when all Christian believers who are alive, along with resurrected believers, will rise "in the c ...
Love Knot
The term true lover's knot, also called true love knot, is used for many distinct knots. The association of knots with the symbolism of love, friendship and affection dates back to antiquity. Because of this, no single knot can be labeled t ...
Daniela Nardini
Daniela Nardini (born 26 April 1968, Largs) is a Scottish actress who played 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. She won a se ...
Julie Wilson Nimmo
Julie Wilson Nimmo is a Scottish actress and dancer. She is known for portraying the roles of Miss Hoolie in the BBC Children's series ''Balamory'', Mrs Sawdust in CBeebies show 'Olga Da Polga' and DC Megan Squire in the BBC Scottish televisio ...
David O'Hara
David Patrick O'Hara (born 9 July 1965) is a Scottish stage and character actor. A graduate of the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in London, he is best known to audiences for his numerous supporting roles in high-profile films; includ ...
Football Crazy
"Football Crazy" is a song written by James Curran, originally titled as "The Dooley Fitba' Club", in the 1880s. The song is the earliest-known song that references association football, and it later became a minor hit in the 1960s for Scottish f ...
Richard Rankin
Richard Rankin (born Richard Harris on 4 January 1983) is a Scottish film, television and theatre actor. He is best known for the Scottish sketch show '' Burnistoun'' and as Roger Wakefield MacKenzie in the Starz drama '' Outlander''.
Early li ...
Mary Riggans
Mary Riggans (19 July 1935 – 2 December 2013) was a Scottish actress and singer. She was best known for playing the role of Susie Sweet in the BAFTA award winning children’s show ''Balamory''. and Effie Macinnes in Take the High Road. She ...
Double Exposure
In photography and cinematography, a multiple exposure is the superimposition of two or more exposures to create a single image, and double exposure has a corresponding meaning in respect of two images. The exposure values may or may not be i ...
)
*
John Ringham
John Henry Ringham (10 February 1928 – 20 October 2008) was a British actor who appeared on both television and stage. Among his roles was that of Norman Warrender in the 1980s sitcom '' Just Good Friends''.
Early life
Ringham was born in Ch ...
Natalie J. Robb
Natalie Joy Robb (born 3 December 1974) is a Scottish actress and singer. She played the roles of Trish McDonald in the Scottish Television soap opera '' Take the High Road'' (1990–1999) and Jude Carlyle in the BBC soap opera '' Doctors'' (2 ...
Jenny Runacre
Jenny Runacre (born 18 August 1946) is a South African-born English actress. Her film appearances include '' The Passenger'' (1975), ''The Duellists'' (1977), ''Jubilee'' (1978), ''The Lady Vanishes'' (1979), and '' The Witches'' (1990).
Caree ...
Steve John Shepherd
Stephen John Shepherd (born 1 August 1973) is an English actor. He is known for his portrayals of Jo in the TV drama '' This Life'' and Michael Moon in the soap opera '' EastEnders'' from 2010 to 2013.
Personal life
Shepherd was born in Lo ...
Rob Spendlove
Rob Spendlove (born 1 May 1953 in London) is a British actor best known for his roles on British television.
He studied drama at Middlesex Polytechnic, worked as a teacher and toured schools with a fringe theatre company.
He has appeared in ma ...
Judgement Day
The Last Judgment, Final Judgment, Day of Reckoning, Day of Judgment, Judgment Day, Doomsday, Day of Resurrection or The Day of the Lord (; ar, یوم القيامة, translit=Yawm al-Qiyāmah or ar, یوم الدین, translit=Yawm ad-Dīn, ...
Meera Syal
Meera Syal FRSL (born Feroza Syal; 27 June 1961) is a English comedian, writer, playwright, singer, journalist and actress. She rose to prominence as one of the team that created '' Goodness Gracious Me'' and portraying Sanjeev's grandmother, ...
(Episode:
Double Exposure
In photography and cinematography, a multiple exposure is the superimposition of two or more exposures to create a single image, and double exposure has a corresponding meaning in respect of two images. The exposure values may or may not be i ...
)
*
Andrew Tiernan
Andrew James Tiernan (born 30 November 1965) is a British actor and director.
Biography
Theatre
Tiernan began acting with the Birmingham Youth Theatre and moved to London in 1984 to study a three-year diploma in acting at the Drama Centre Lo ...
Fact and Fiction Fact and fiction may refer to:
As a proper term
*'' Fact and Fiction'', 1982 album by Twelfth Night
*''Fiction and Fact'', 2011 album by Beast
*''Facts and Fictions'', 1995 album by Asian Dub Foundation
*'' Fact, Fiction, and Forecast'', 1955 non-f ...
Double Exposure
In photography and cinematography, a multiple exposure is the superimposition of two or more exposures to create a single image, and double exposure has a corresponding meaning in respect of two images. The exposure values may or may not be i ...
Sara Vickers
Sara Louise Vickers (born 1985) is a Scottish theatre, television and film actress best known for playing Joan Thursday in the British television detective drama series '' Endeavour''.
Early life and education
Vickers was born in 1985, in Stra ...
June Watson
June is the sixth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars and is the second of four months to have a length of 30 days, and the third of five months to have a length of less than 31 days. June contains the summer solstice in ...
Tam White
Tam White (12 July 1942 – 21 June 2010) was a Scottish musician, stonemason and actor.
Biography
Born Thomas Bennett Sim White in Edinburgh, Scotland, White was primarily known as a blues vocalist with a trademark gravelly voice. In the 196 ...
Jimmy Yuill
James Evander Munro Yuill (born 13 February 1956) is a Scottish actor.
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 Ed ...
Fact and Fiction Fact and fiction may refer to:
As a proper term
*'' Fact and Fiction'', 1982 album by Twelfth Night
*''Fiction and Fact'', 2011 album by Beast
*''Facts and Fictions'', 1995 album by Asian Dub Foundation
*'' Fact, Fiction, and Forecast'', 1955 non-f ...
)
Note: Where multiple episodes are listed here, a different character is portrayed in each episode. Recurring characters are listed in Cast sections above.
Filming locations
The show was primarily shot in and around
Glasgow
Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popu ...
and its metropolitan area, but the show occasionally ventured further, for example to
Loch Lomond
Loch Lomond (; gd, Loch Laomainn - 'Lake of the Elms'Richens, R. J. (1984) ''Elm'', Cambridge University Press.) is a freshwater Scottish loch which crosses the Highland Boundary Fault, often considered the boundary between the lowlands of ...
,
Edinburgh
Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...
and the
Scottish Highlands
The Highlands ( sco, the Hielands; gd, a’ Ghàidhealtachd , 'the place of the Gaels') is a historical region of Scotland. Culturally, the Highlands and the Lowlands diverged from the Late Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowland S ...
.
The original title card of the show used a panoramic shot of Glasgow taken from the summit of the Cathkin Braes to the south of the city. In the early years live infill shots of the city were also taken from this vantage point. In later years a shot of the city centre taken from The Lighthouse on Mitchell Lane was used.
In later series the buildings of Strathclyde University were extensively used for exterior shots. The entrance level of the Colville Building was used as the police station, for example, and John Street, the name given to the police station in the series, is a real location within the campus.
Episodes
Since 1983 there have been a total of 110 episodes of ''Taggart''. Early episodes were split into multiple parts and aired over three weeks while later episodes were self-contained.
International distribution
In
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...
the series aired on ABC1. In 2011 ABC1 aired episodes on Friday at 8:30pm. ABC1 actually broadcast episodes 101 "IOU", 102 "Local Hero", and 103 "The Rapture" before STV did because of scheduling conflicts. 7TWO airs repeat episodes right back to the first episode.
In
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island coun ...
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George's Channel. Ireland is the s ...
Denmark
)
, song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast")
, song_type = National and royal anthem
, image_map = EU-Denmark.svg
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark
, establish ...
, the series aired on DR, and it was a popular show with Danish subtitles. ''Taggart'' was first broadcast on
DR2
DR2 (DR To) is the second television channel operated by the Danish Broadcasting Corporation (DR) in Denmark. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more "highbrow" programmes than the more mainstream and popular DR1. Like ...
from 2002 to 2006 as six more episodes were then aired. After the digitising of Danish television, ''Taggart'' appeared on DR1 from episodes featuring James MacPherson as DCI Jardine. Ever since ''Taggart'' has aired from the very first miniseries "Killer" until the episode length was cut to 45 minutes. Three-episode stories have aired one after another but have also combined into one long episode.
Analysis
Jim Taggart's homophobia was seen to be representative of the level of bigotry still prevalent in the British police in the 1980s, and was challenged by Peter Livingstone early in the series.