Blythe Duff
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Blythe Duff (born 25 November 1962) is a Scottish actress best known for her role as Jackie Reid in the ITV
television series A television show, TV program (), or simply a TV show, is the general reference to any content produced for viewing on a television set that is broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, and cable, or distributed digitally on streaming plat ...
drama ''
Taggart ''Taggart'' is a Scottish detective fiction television programme created by Glenn Chandler, 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 Septe ...
''.


Background

Duff was born and raised in
East Kilbride East Kilbride (; ), sometimes referred to as EK, is the largest town in South Lanarkshire in Scotland, and the country's sixth-largest locality by population. Historically a small village, it was designated Scotland's first "new town" on 6 Ma ...
. Her love of acting started with youth theatre. On leaving
Hunter High School Hunter High School is a public high school located at 4200 South 5600 West, West Valley City, Utah, United States. It was opened in 1990 with its first graduating class graduating in 1991. During the first school year (1990–1991), the enrol ...
she joined The Company, a youth opportunities theatre company, based at the Glasgow Arts Centre in Washington Street and spent her summers with the
Scottish Youth Theatre Scottish Youth Theatre is a national young artists' development organisation. It designs projects that offer artistic development opportunities for aspiring and early career artists, age 14 to 25. The company was established in 1976 and has a free- ...
. She entered the profession in 1983 with her first job at the Young Playwrights Festival (Scottish Youth Theatre/The Traverse).


Career

Duff's career began in the theatre, starting with the Scottish Youth and Community Theatre in Glasgow. She worked in theatre for seven years, appearing with Scottish Opera in ''Street Scene'' as Shirley Kaplan in 1989, and at the
Coliseum Theatre The London Coliseum (also known as the Coliseum Theatre) is a theatre in St Martin's Lane, Westminster, built as one of London's largest and most luxurious "family" variety theatres. Opened on 24 December 1904 as the London Coliseum Theatre ...
in London with the
English National Opera English National Opera (ENO) is a British opera company based in London, resident at the London Coliseum in St Martin's Lane. It is one of the two principal opera companies in London, along with The Royal Opera. ENO's productions are sung in E ...
. She also performed on the soundtrack album which was released on Decca Records in 1989. She was working for
Scottish Opera Scottish Opera is the national opera company of Scotland, and one of the five national performing arts companies of Scotland. Founded in 1962 and based in Glasgow, it is the largest performing arts organisation in Scotland. History Scottish Op ...
when she landed the role of Jackie Reid in the sixth series of ''Taggart'' in 1990. Her first appearance was a community
police officer A police officer (also called policeman or policewoman, cop, officer or constable) is a Warrant (law), warranted law employee of a police, police force. In most countries, ''police officer'' is a generic term not specifying a particular rank. ...
in the second episode of the sixth series, "Death Comes Softly", on 3 December 1990, in which she is credited as playing WPC Reid. In the third episode, which first aired on 31 December 1990, she was credited as playing Jackie Reid and her character was seconded to CID as DC Reid. By series eight in 1993 her character was promoted to
Detective Sergeant Sergeant (Sgt) is a rank in use by the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and in other units that draw their heritage from the Brit ...
. She became the longest-serving member of the ''Taggart'' cast after
James Macpherson James Macpherson ( Gaelic: ''Seumas MacMhuirich'' or ''Seumas Mac a' Phearsain''; 27 October 1736 – 17 February 1796) was a Scottish writer, poet, literary collector, and politician. He is known for the Ossian cycle of epic poems, which he ...
left the show in 2002. The last ''Taggart'' episode was shown in 2011, seeing Jackie Reid finally reach Detective Inspector. On 28 November 2003, she was a guest on the daytime talk show '' Today with Des and Mel''. On 23 June 2004 she was a contestant on the celebrity comedy game show '' Win, Lose or Draw Late''. She has also appeared twice as a guest on the daytime talk show ''
Loose Women ''Loose Women'' (known as ''Live Talk'' from 2000 to 2001) is a British talk show that broadcasts on ITV weekdays from 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm. The show focuses on a panel of four female presenters who interview celebrities, talk about aspects of ...
'' on 24 September 2004 and 15 September 2005. On 26 April 2006, Duff appeared in the documentary ''There's Been a Murder: A Celebration of Taggart''. In October 2008 she attended the Mipcom television festival in
Cannes Cannes (, ; , ; ) is a city located on the French Riviera. It is a communes of France, commune located in the Alpes-Maritimes departments of France, department, and host city of the annual Cannes Film Festival, Midem, and Cannes Lions Internatio ...
, France, along with the other three main cast members,
John Michie John Michie (born 25 October 1956) is a Scottish television and film actor, known for his roles as DI Robbie Ross in the STV detective drama series ''Taggart'', as Karl Munro in ''Coronation Street'' from 2011 to 2013 and his role as CEO Guy ...
,
Alex Norton Alex Norton is a Scottish actor. He is known for his roles as DCI Matt Burke in the STV detective drama series ''Taggart'', Eric Baird in BBC Two sitcom '' Two Doors Down'', DCS Wallace in '' Extremely Dangerous'', Gerard Findlay in '' Waterlo ...
and
Colin McCredie Colin McCredie (born 8 June 1972 in Dumbarton, Scotland) is a Scottish actor, best known for his roles as DC Stuart Fraser in the STV drama ''Taggart'' and Nick Morrison in ''River City''. His film appearances include ''Shallow Grave'' (1994) ...
to highlight the 25th anniversary of ''Taggart''.


Theatre work

Away from filming ''Taggart'', Duff enjoys live performance and has said that she prefers to work in theatre: "I love working on ''Taggart''. I like my character and I like all the people I work with. I have been in ''Taggart'' since 1990 so I can't imagine my life without it, but I really like working on stage. That is where I feel very comfortable and I like the response of an audience good or bad." In 1995 she played Rhona Clay in ''Swing Hammer Swing'' at the
Citizens Theatre The Citizens Theatre, in what was the Royal Princess's Theatre, is the creation of James Bridie and playwright in residence Paul Vincent Carroll is based in Glasgow, Scotland, as a principal producing theatre. The theatre includes a 500-seat ...
in Glasgow. She starred in the European premiere of ''Mum's the Word'' in Spring 2002, which toured around Scotland and included a four-week run at the King's Theatre in Glasgow. She later reprised her role for Volcanic Productions for a tour of New Zealand. At the Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh, Duff has appeared in "Good With people", ''Intolerance'', ''King of the Fields'', ''Sharp Shorts'', "Tally's Blood", "Sheila", and "The Young Playwright's Festival". In February 2006 she appeared with the
National Theatre of Scotland The National Theatre of Scotland, established in 2006, is the national theatre company of Scotland. The company has no theatre building of its own; instead it tours work to theatres, village halls, schools and site-specific locations, both at h ...
in their first production "Home, Glasgow"
Cranhill Cranhill is an inner city district and housing scheme in the north east of Glasgow, Scotland. Cranhill was developed from public funding in the early 1950s and was originally, chiefly composed of four-storey tenement blocks surrounding a patc ...
, Glasgow. In January 2009 she appeared in a
National Theatre of Scotland The National Theatre of Scotland, established in 2006, is the national theatre company of Scotland. The company has no theatre building of its own; instead it tours work to theatres, village halls, schools and site-specific locations, both at h ...
/Donmar Warehouse tour of Scotland and England of the play ''Be Near Me'' adapted by
Ian McDiarmid Ian McDiarmid ( ; born 11 August 1944) is a Scottish actor and director of stage and screen. Making his stage debut in ''Hamlet'' in 1972, McDiarmid joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1974, and has since starred in a number of Shakespeare's ...
from the novel of the same name by
Andrew O'Hagan Andrew O'Hagan (born 1968) is a Scottish novelist and non-fiction author. Three of his novels have been nominated for the Booker Prize and he has won several awards, including the ''Los Angeles Times'' Book Prize. His most recent novel is ''C ...
. She has won Best Female Performance twice at the
Critics' Awards for Theatre in Scotland The Critics' Awards for Theatre in Scotland (CATS) are an annual event awarding performances "substantially produced in Scotland, or developed, rehearsed and premiered in Scotland". Awards ceremony The ceremony is itinerant in terms of location, sw ...

in 2013
for her portrayal of Fay Black in
Rona Munro Rona Munro (born 7 September 1959) is a Scottish writer. She has written plays for theatre, radio, and television. Her film work includes Ken Loach's '' Ladybird, Ladybird'' (1994), '' Oranges and Sunshine'' (2010) for Jim Loach and '' Aimée ...
's prison drama 'Iron'; an
in 2014 for the titular role
in David Harrower's 'Ciara'. Duff has also appeared on radio, including the
BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station replaced the BBC Home Service on 30 September 1967 and broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasti ...
comedy panel game ''
Just a Minute ''Just a Minute'' is a BBC Radio 4 radio comedy panel game. For more than 50 years, with a few exceptions, it was hosted by Nicholas Parsons. Following Parsons' death in 2020, Sue Perkins became the permanent host, starting with the 87th ser ...
''. On the concert platform she has narrated with numerous orchestras; the RSNO, the BBC Symphony Orchestra and the Scottish Opera Orchestra. She has recorded Hansel and Gretel by Savourna Stevenson with the Scottish Opera Orchestra, and recorded an audio book of "44 Scotland Street" by Alexander McCall Smith. In 2011, she made her New York debut, playing Carlotta Burns in "Beautiful Burnout" (Frantic Assembly/NTS) a
St Ann's Warehouse
Brooklyn, and reprised the role for the Sydney, Perth and Wellington Festivals in 2012. In 2010, Blythe formed Datum Point Productions to capitalise on the wealth of talent in the theatre, film and TV industry in Scotland. The company filmed ''Sarajevo'', a 20-minute monologue set in an empty classroom, which follows Rachael Lewis as she prepares a farewell speech for the retiring head teacher. In Feb 2011 ''Just Checking'' successfully played at the Tron Theatre, Glasgow to full houses. The company brought the critically acclaimed production of David Harrower's ''Good With People'' to the Traverse Theatre for the 2012 Edinburgh Festival. In May 2019, Duff joined the cast of ''Harry Potter and the Cursed Child'' in the London West End production, appearing as Professor
Minerva McGonagall Professor Minerva McGonagall is a fictional character in the ''Harry Potter'' series of novels by J. K. Rowling. McGonagall is a professor at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where she is also the head of Gryffindor House and the d ...
and the Trolley Witch in the multi award-winning show.


Personal life

Duff is married to former police officer Tom Forrest and became stepmother to his two daughters, Sarah and Katie. She met Forrest, a widower, when she bought her sister's house in Burnside in
Rutherglen Rutherglen (; , ) is a town in South Lanarkshire, Scotland, immediately south-east of the city of Glasgow, from its centre and directly south of the River Clyde. Having previously existed as a separate Lanarkshire burgh, in 1975 Rutherglen lo ...
in 1997 and became his neighbour. They were engaged in October and married on 22 March 1998 at
Culzean Castle Culzean Castle ( , see yogh; ) is a castle overlooking the Firth of Clyde, near Maybole, Carrick, in South Ayrshire, on the west coast of Scotland. It is the former home of the Marquess of Ailsa, the chief of Clan Kennedy, but is now owned by ...
, Maybole. He left the police force and set up the property company, Blue Door Property. In Dec 2000, Duff was made a patron of Scottish Youth Theatre, continuing her link with the company having been a student in the '80s, and on the board in the '90s. Scottish Youth Theatre had also provided Blythe with her first professional job in 'The Young Playwright's Festival', a joint production with The Traverse Theatre. Duff was one of a number of Scottish women who, at an event to publicly recognise the outstanding work of women from across Scotland, received a personal "thank you" from the then
Secretary of State for Scotland The secretary of state for Scotland (; ), also referred to as the Scottish secretary, is a Secretary of State (United Kingdom), secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, with responsibility for the Scotland Office. The incum ...
,
Helen Liddell Helen Lawrie Liddell, Baroness Liddell of Coatdyke PC (' Reilly; born 6 December 1950) is a British politician and life peer who served as Secretary of State for Scotland from 2001 to 2003 and British High Commissioner to Australia from 2005 t ...
, at
Edinburgh Castle Edinburgh Castle is a historic castle in Edinburgh, Scotland. It stands on Castle Rock (Edinburgh), Castle Rock, which has been occupied by humans since at least the Iron Age. There has been a royal castle on the rock since the reign of Malcol ...
on 6 March 2003. In November 2005 she helped launch ScotsCare, a charity aimed at helping Scottish people living in London who have money or health problems. She was asked to be an Ambassador of
The Prince's Trust The King's Trust (formerly the Prince's Trust) is a United Kingdom-based charity founded in 1976 by Charles III, King Charles III (then Prince of Wales) to help vulnerable young people get their lives on track. It supports 11-to-30-year-olds w ...
, having benefited from the charity in the 1980s. In May 2007, she presented an evening in
Holyrood Palace The Palace of Holyroodhouse ( or ), commonly known as Holyrood Palace, is the official residence of the British monarch in Scotland. Located at the bottom of the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, at the opposite end to Edinburgh Castle, Holyrood has s ...
in the presence of HRH The Prince Charles, Duke of Rothesay, to help celebrate the 30th anniversary of the trust. Blythe was Chieftain of Bute Highland Games in 2009 and Chieftain of the Cowal Games in 2011. She was given an Honorary Doctorate in June 2011 from
Glasgow Caledonian University Glasgow Caledonian University, informally GCU, Caledonian or Caley (), is a public university in Glasgow, Scotland. It was formed in 1993 by the merger of The Queen's College, Glasgow (founded in 1875) and Glasgow Polytechnic (originally Glasg ...
for her outstanding contribution to the performing arts.Website of Glasgow Caledonian University
/ref> and in 2012 was made a Cultural Fellow.


Credits


Television

*''Taggart'' – Jackie Reid – Scottish Television for ITV (1984–2011) *"Songs of Praise" (self) Narrator *"This Morning" (self) 1997, 2008, 2009, 2011. *"All Star Family Fortunes" (self) 2010 *"Loose Women" (self) *"GMTV (self) *"Lorraine Kelly (self) *''Win, Lose or Draw'' (self) (2004) *''There's Been a Murder: A Celebration of Taggart'' (self) (2006) *''Taggart: 25 Years of Murder'' (self) (2008) *''Taggart: 30 Years of Taggart'' (self) (2013) *''The Bank That Almost Broke Britain'' – BBC Documentary (2018) (self) Narrator


Radio

''Includes:'' *"The Complete Works of Robert Burns" – various poems – BBC Scotland (2009) *''Just a Minute'' – Radio 4 (1997) *"The Young Persons Guide to the Orchestra" Narrator – BBC Symphony Orchestra- live BBC Radio 3 *''Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk'' – Katrina
BBC Radio 3 BBC Radio 3 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It replaced the BBC Third Programme in 1967 and broadcasts classical music and opera, with jazz, world music, Radio drama, drama, High culture, culture and the arts ...
*''Morning Story'' – Iphiginia BBC Radio Scotland *''Blending In'' – Irene (BBC Radio 3) *''Sheila'' – title role (BBC Radio Scotland)


Theatre

''Includes:'' *"Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" – Minerva McGonnigal/Trolley Witch – Sonia Freidman Productions/London West End (2019) *"Locker Room Talk" – Traverse Theatre Company – Traverse Theatre/Scottish Parliament (2017/2018) *"Romeo and Juliet" – Nurse – Shakespeare's Globe(2017) *"Grain in the Blood" – Mother –Traverse Theatre Company/Tron Theatre Company – Traverse Theatre/Tron Theatre (2016) *"The James Plays" – Isabella Stewart/Annabella – National Theatre of Scotland – Australia/New Zealand/UK/Canada (2016) *"Into that Darkness" – Gitta Sereny – Citizens Theatre Company (2015) *"The James Plays" – Isabella Stewart/Annabella – National Theatre of Scotland/Edinburgh International Festival/National Theatre of Great Britain (2014) *"Ciara" – Ciara – Traverse Theatre/Datum Point Productions /Traverse Theatre/Citizens Theatre (2013) *"Iron" – Fay – Firebrand (2013) *"Good With People" – Helen – Datum Point/Paines Plough/The Traverse – The Traverse Theatre (Festival 2012/New York 2013) *"Beautiful Burnout" – Carlotta-National Theatre of Scotland/Frantic Assembly – St. Annes Warehouse NYC (2011) Sydney/Perth/Wellington Festival (2012) *"Just Checking" – Izzy Grant – Datum Point Productions – The Tron Theatre (2010) *"Good With People" – Helen Hughes – Oran Mor/Paines Plough UK/Irish Tour (2010) *"Be Near Me" – Mrs Poole – Donmar Warehouse /UK Tour – National Theatre of Scotland (2009) *"Home, Glasgow" – National Theatre of Scotland (2006) *"Intolerance" – Ravenhill at Breakfast – The Traverse (2006) *"Mum's the Word" – Deborah – European Premiere (2002)/Volcanic Production New Zealand (2003) *"King of the Fields" – Jean – The Traverse (1999) *"Sharp Shorts" – various – The Traverse (1996) *"Swing Hammer Swing" – Rhona Clay – The Citizens Theatre (1995) *"To" – Landlady – Cumbernauld Theatre (1993) *"Street Scene" – Shirley Kaplan – Scottish Opera/English National Opera (1989) *"Three Sisters" – Masha – rehearsed reading (Tron Theatre) *"Tally's Blood" – Lucia – (Traverse Theatre) (1990) *"Sheila" – Sheila – (Traverse) *"Checking Out" – Pauline – (Cumbernauld Theatre) *"Beauty and the Beast" – Hazel – (Royal Lyceum Theatre) *"Shakers" – Mel (Cumbernauld Theatre) (1987) *"Beggar's Opera" – Lucy Lockett – Wildcat TC (Lyceum Theatre) (1986) *"Across The Barricades" – Sadie – TAG Theatre Company (1986) *"The Lucky Ones" – Debbie – TAG Theatre Company – (1985)


References


External links

*
2015 Interview with ''The Scotsman''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Duff, Blythe 1962 births Living people Actors from East Kilbride Actresses from Glasgow Actors from Rutherglen Scottish television actresses Scottish stage actresses Actresses from South Lanarkshire