''Taggart'' is a

Scottish Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...

detective fiction Detective fiction is a subgenre of crime fiction and mystery fiction in which an investigator or a detective—whether professional, amateur or retired—investigates a crime, often murder. The detective genre began around the same time as s ...

television programme created by

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 ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...

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 ...

, who played the title character Jim Taggart, died in 1994. However, the series continued under the same name. ''Taggart'' is one of the UK's longest-running television dramas.

History

The Scottish BAFTA-winning

pilot episode A television pilot (also known as a pilot or a pilot episode and sometimes marketed as a tele-movie), in United States television, is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell a show to a television network or other distri ...

"Killer", directed by

Laurence Moody Laurence Moody (born 28 January 1948) is an English people, 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 I ...

and broadcast in 1983, introduced the character

Detective Chief Inspector Chief inspector (Ch Insp) 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 (CIP). Usage by country Australia The rank of chief inspector is use ...

Jim Taggart (played by

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 uni ...

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.

left the series in 1987 and in 1990 a new female sidekick Jackie Reid (

Blythe Duff Blythe Duff (born 25 November 1962) is a Scottish actress best known for her role as Jackie Reid in the ITV television series drama, ''Taggart''. Background Duff was born and raised in East Kilbride. Her love of acting started with youth theat ...

) 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 Gr ...

) 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 Special Branch is a label customarily used to identify units responsible for matters of national security and Intelligence (information gathering), intelligence in Policing in the United Kingdom, British, Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth, ...

, played by Alex Norton, who had previously appeared in the series playing murder suspect George Bryce in 1986 in the episode "Knife-Edge". 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,

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 the ...

, the company that operates the

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

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 through ...

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 STV Player is a video on demand service owned by STV Group and available free-of-charge across the UK, online, on mobile and on all major TV platforms, including Sky Glass, Amazon Fire TV, Roku, Apple TV, Android TV, Freeview Play and Virgin Me ...

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 the Car ...

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 ecologica ...

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 sto ...

release at present.

Cast

Main

as DCI Jim Taggart (1983–1995) *

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) *

as WPC/DC/DS/DI Jackie Reid (1990–2010) *

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) * Stuart Hepburn as DS Kenny Forfar (1986-1987) * 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 Gray O'Brien (born Gerard O'Brien, 11 August 1968) is a Scottish television and film actor, best known for his portrayal of the villainous Weatherfield businessman Tony Gordon in the popular ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'' from 2007–2010 ...

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 ...

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 Davood Ghadami ( fa, داوود قدمی; born 7 August 1982) is an English actor. Following his appearances in ''Taggart'' in 2010, he appeared in the BBC medical programmes ''Doctors'' and ''Casualty'' in recurring roles. In 2014, he began po ...

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)

Guest appearances

Actors appearing on ''Taggart'' episodes over the years include: * Dave Anderson (Episodes: Knife-Edge, Instruments of Justice, Ghost Rider & Compensation) *

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 ...

* Paul Barber (Episode:

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 fo ...

) * Johnny Beattie (Episode: Evil Eye) *

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 w ...

(Episodes: Murder in Season & Hellfire) * David Bradley * Susan Brown *

Mark Bonnar Richard Mark Bonnar (born 19 November 1968) is a Scottish actor. He is known for his roles as Max in ''Guilt'', Duncan Hunter in ''Shetland'', Bruno Jenkins in ''Casualty'', Detective Finney in ''Psychoville'', DCC Mike Dryden in ''Line of Duty ...

(Episodes: An Eye for an Eye & Ends of Justice) * Billy Boyd (Episode:

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 ...

) * Ewen Bremner (Episode: Love Knot) *

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 For ...

(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 ide ...

, The Ties That Bind & Bad Medicine) * Brian Capron (Episode: A Fistful of Chips) * Robert Carlyle (Episode:

Hostile Witness A hostile witness, also known as an adverse witness or an unfavorable witness, is a witness at trial (law), trial whose testimony on direct examination is either openly antagonistic or appears to be contrary to the legal position of the party ...

) * Tom Chadbon *

Jimmy Chisholm Jimmy Chisholm (born 16 September 1956 in Inverness) is a Scottish actor in film, theatre and television. He trained as an actor at Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh. He currently plays the part of Sonny Caplan in the BBC Scotland productio ...

(Episode: Puppet on a String) *

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 (British TV series), Wallander'', ''Taggart'' and ''New Tricks'' Born in ...

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 Ca ...

(Episode: Point of Light) *

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 ...

* James Cosmo (Episode: Dead Giveaway) *

Annette Crosbie Annette Crosbie (born 12 February 1934) is a Scottish actor.Annette Crosbie fil ...

(Episode: Funeral Rites) *

David Crellin David Crellin (born 1961) is an English actor. Crellin, who was born in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, is known for roles in ''Emmerdale'' as Billy Hopwood, BBC 2's BAFTA award-winning series '' The Cops'' as Alan Wakefield, and ''Coronation Stree ...

Alan Cumming Alan Cumming (born 27 January 1965) is a British actor. His London stage appearances include ''Hamlet'', the Maniac in ''Accidental Death of an Anarchist'' (for which he received an Olivier Award), the lead in '' Bent'', The National Theatre o ...

(Episode: Death Call) * Henry Ian Cusick (Episode:

Fatal Inheritance Fatal may refer to: * ''Fatal'' (album), by Hussein Fatal, 2002 * ''Fatal'' (film), a 2010 French film starring Michaël Youn and Stéphane Rousseau * '' F.A.T.A.L.'', a tabletop role-playing game released in 2003 * Fatal Recordings, a record ...

) *

Jake D'Arcy John Paterson Sinclair (2 December 1945 – 30 May 2015), better known as Jake D'Arcy, was a Scottish actor. He appeared in a number of television series, including as "Pete the Jakey" in the comedy programme ''Still Game'' from 2002 until 2007 ...

(Episode: Dead Ringer) *

Iain De Caestecker Iain De Caestecker ( ; born 29 December 1987) is a Scottish actor. He is best known for portraying Leopold Fitz/The Doctor in the television series ''Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.''. He is also known for his roles in Coronation Street as Adam Barlow ...

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 ...

(Episode:

Penthouse and Pavement ''Penthouse and Pavement'' is the debut studio album by English new wave and synth-pop band Heaven 17, released in September 1981 by Virgin Records. "(We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thang" was released as a single, but did not achieve char ...

) * Barbara Dickson (Episode: Legends) *

Reece Dinsdale Reece Dinsdale (born 6 August 1959) is an English actor and director of stage, film and television. He is a Huddersfield Town fan. In 2017 he became a patron of the Square Chapel, an arts centre in Halifax. He is also an honorary patron of The ...

(Episode: Bad Medicine) *

Ron Donachie Ronald Eaglesham Porter (born 26 April 1956), known professionally as Ron Donachie, is a Scottish actor. He is known for starring as DI John Rebus in the BBC Radio 4 dramatisations of the Ian Rankin "Rebus" detective novels and for his supporti ...

(Episodes: Funeral Rites, Death Benefits, Dead Reckoning,

Falling in Love Falling in love is the development of strong feelings of attachment and love, usually towards another person. The term is metaphorical, emphasizing that the process, like the physical act of falling, is sudden, uncontrollable and leaves the ...

& Law) *

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:

) * John Duttine (Episode:

Devil's Advocate The (Latin for Devil's advocate) is a former official position within the Catholic Church, the Promoter of the Faith: one who "argued against the canonization ( sainthood) of a candidate in order to uncover any character flaws or misrepresent ...

) *

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 ...

(Episode: Death Comes Softly) * James Faulkner *

Fish Fish are aquatic, craniate, gill-bearing animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish as well as various extinct related groups. Approximately 95% of li ...

(Episode: Skin Deep) * Hugh Fraser (Episode:

Gingerbread Gingerbread refers to a broad category of baked goods, typically flavored with ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and cinnamon and sweetened with honey, sugar, or molasses. Gingerbread foods vary, ranging from a moist loaf cake to forms nearly as crisp as ...

) * Laura Fraser (Episode:

) * Ronald Fraser (Episode: Violent Delights) *

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 included ...

(Episodes:

Killer A killer is someone or something that kills, such as a murderer or a serial killer. Killer may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional characters * Killer (''Home and Away''), a character from ''Home and Away'' * Killer Kane, ...

, Funeral Rites,

Secrets Secrecy is the practice of hiding information from certain individuals or groups who do not have the "need to know", perhaps while sharing it with other individuals. That which is kept hidden is known as the secret. Secrecy is often controvers ...

Bloodlines Bloodline most commonly refers to heredity. Bloodline, bloodlines, blood line or blood lines may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Comics * Bloodlines (comics), ''Bloodlines'' (comics), a 1993 DC Comics crossover * ''Colossus: Blood ...

) * Frank Gallagher (Episodes: Death Comes Softly & Fire, Burn) *

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 19 ...

(Episode: Evil Eye) *

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' ...

* Iain Glen (Episode: Knife-Edge) * Julian Glover (Episode: Black Orchid) * Michelle Gomez * Hannah Gordon (Episode:

) *

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� ...

* Frances Grey * Sheila Grier (Episodes: The Killing Philosophy &

) *

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 ...

Clare Grogan Claire Patricia Grogan (born 17 March 1962), known professionally as Clare Grogan or sometimes as C. P. Grogan, is a Scottish actress and singer. She is best known as the lead singer of the 1980s new wave music group Altered Images, as well as ...

(Episode: The Hit Man) *

Margo Gunn Margo Gunn (born 8 February 1956) is an English actress and a teacher of drama and theatre studies. Born in Doncaster, West Riding of Yorkshire, England, Gunn attended Doncaster Grammar School for Girls where she was head girl. She appeared in ...

* John Hannah (Episode: Evil Eye) * Diana Hardcastle *

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 ...

(Episode: Do or Die) *

Lorna Heilbron Lorna Heilbron (born 8 June 1948) is a Glasgow-born Scottish actress. She appeared in television series such as '' Ace of Wands'', ''Van der Valk'', ''Blake's 7'', ''Taggart'', ''Lovejoy'' and '' Hazell''. She also starred in the horror film ...

(Episodes:

Nest of Vipers ''Nest of Vipers'' ( it, Ritratto di borghesia in nero, lit=Portrait of a Bourgeois in Black) is a 1978 Italian drama film directed by Tonino Cervi. Based on the 1949 short story ''La maîtresse de piano'' (''The Piano Teacher'') by Roger Peyre ...

Apocalypse Apocalypse () is a literary genre in which a supernatural being reveals cosmic mysteries or the future to a human intermediary. The means of mediation include dreams, visions and heavenly journeys, and they typically feature symbolic imager ...

) *

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 ...

(Episode:

) *

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 Inspecto ...

(Episode: Love Knot) * Ian Hogg (Episode: The Hit Man) *

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 si ...

(Episode: Death Comes Softly) * Celia Imrie (Episode: Root of Evil) *

Kenny Ireland George Ian Kenneth "Kenny" Ireland (7 August 1945 – 31 July 2014) was a Scottish actor and theatre director. Ireland was best known to television viewers for his role in '' Victoria Wood: As Seen on TV'' in the 1980s, and for playing Donald ...

(Episode: Root of Evil) * Jason Isaacs (Episode:

) * Meg Johnson *

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 ...

* Ashley Jensen (Episode: A Taste of Money) *

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 19 ...

(Episode: Cold Blood) *

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, includin ...

(Episodes:

Mind Over Matter "Mind over matter" is a phrase that has been used in several contexts, such as mind-centric spiritual doctrines, parapsychology, and philosophy. Merriam Webster Dictionary defines mind as "the element or complex of elements in an individual t ...

) * Simone Lahbib (Episodes:

Prayer for the Dead Religions with the belief in a future judgment, a resurrection of the dead or a purgatory often offer prayers on behalf of the dead to God. Buddhism For most funerals that follow the tradition of Chinese Buddhism, common practices include chantin ...

) * Larry Lamb * Caroline Langrishe * Phyllida Law (Episode: Forbidden Fruit) * Gary Lewis (Episodes:

& Homesick) *

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 ...

Jimmy Logan James Allan Short, OBE, FRSAMD (4 April 1928 – 13 April 2001), known professionally as Jimmy Logan, was a Scottish performer, theatrical producer, impresario and director. Family Logan was born in Dennistoun, Glasgow, a member of a famil ...

(Episode: Flesh and Blood) * Phyllis Logan (Episode:

Trust Trust often refers to: * Trust (social science), confidence in or dependence on a person or quality It may also refer to: Business and law * Trust law, a body of law under which one person holds property for the benefit of another * Trust (bus ...

) * Richard Madden *

Dominic Mafham Dominic Mafham (born 11 March 1968) is an English stage, film and television actor. He trained at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. Career Dominic Mafham trained at the National Youth Theatre and then the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. Ma ...

* Francis Matthews (Episode:

) * Murray McArthur *

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 ...

(Episodes:

, Bad Blood, Homesick & Silent Truth) *

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), a film starring Harry Carey * ''Blood Money'' (1921 film), a British-Dutch film * ''Blood Money'' (1933 ...

) *

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'' ...

(Episodes: Root of Evil &

) *

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; angli ...

* John McGlynn (Episodes: Dead Ringer, Evil Eye,

Long Time Dead ''Long Time Dead'' is a 2002 British horror film, co-written and directed by Marcus Adams in his directorial debut. Set in the United Kingdom, the film follows a group of college students in which they experiment with an Ouija board and inadv ...

& The Friday Night Event) *

Stuart McGugan Stuart McGugan (born 2 March 1944) is a Scottish actor. He played the roles of Gunner 'Atlas' Mackintosh in the BBC sitcom ''It Ain't Half Hot Mum'' and Bomba MacAteer in ''Tutti Frutti''. McGugan was a presenter on BBC's '' Play School'' fr ...

(Episode: Dead Giveaway) * Lorraine McIntosh (Episodes:

, Halfway House &

Safer In cryptography, SAFER (Secure And Fast Encryption Routine) is the name of a family of block ciphers designed primarily by James Massey (one of the designers of IDEA) on behalf of Cylink Corporation. The early SAFER K and SAFER SK designs share ...

) *

Neve McIntosh Neve McIntosh (born Carol McIntosh; 9 April 1972) is a Scottish actress. Early life Born in Paisley, Renfrewshire, McIntosh grew up in Edinburgh, where she attended Boroughmuir High School. She was a member of Edinburgh Youth Theatre in the l ...

* Pollyanna McIntosh * Allison McKenzie (Episode:

) *

Una McLean Una McLean MBE (born 12 January 1930 in Strathaven, Scotland) is a Scottish actress and comedian. She is best known for appearing in pantomimes. She was married to Scottish stage and film actor Russell Hunter from 1991 until his death in 20 ...

(Episode: Death Trap) * Graham McTavish (Episode:

) *

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 ...

(Episode:

) *

Glen Michael Glen Michael (born Cecil Buckland, 16 May 1926) is a British former children's television presenter and an entertainer. His career at Scottish Television spanned 26 years with the popular children's show ''Glen Michael's Cartoon Cavalcade''. E ...

(Episode: Legends) *

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 writte ...

(Episode:

) * Gavin Mitchell (Episodes: Fire, Burn & The Hit Man) *

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, tro ...

) * Alexander Morton (Episodes: Dead Ringer, Death Benefits &

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 ...

) * Peter Mullan (Episodes: Love Knot and

Rogues Gallery A rogues' gallery (or rogues gallery) is a police collection of mug shots or other images of criminal suspects kept for identification purposes. History In 1855, Allan Pinkerton, founder of the Pinkerton National Detective Agency, established a ...

) * Joe Mullaney (Episode: Dead Ringer) *

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 sec ...

(Episode: Death without Dishonour) *

Alec Newman Alec Newman (born 27 November 1974) is a Scottish actor best known for portraying Paul Atreides in the Sci Fi Channel's 2000 miniseries adaptation of Frank Herbert's ''Dune''. Early life Newman was born in Glasgow, Scotland. His father is San ...

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 televisi ...

(Episode: Point of Light) * Peter O'Brien (Episode: Death without Dishonour) *

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; includi ...

(Episode: Evil Eye) *

Dorothy Paul Dorothy Paul (born 1937 as Dorothy Pollock) is a Scottish stage and screen actress, comedian, and entertainer. She performed onstage often at the Pavilion Theatre in Glasgow. Acting career Originating from the Dennistoun area of Glasgow, she ...

(Episodes: Murder in Season & Flesh and Blood) * James Anthony Pearson *

Julie Peasgood Julie May Peasgood (born 28 May 1956 in Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire) is an English actress, television presenter, author and voiceover artist known for her distinctive voice. She is best known for her role as Fran Pearson in the television soap ' ...

(Episode: Death without Dishonour) * Carmen Pieraccini (Episodes:

& An Eye for an Eye) *

Andrew Lee Potts Andrew-Lee Potts (born 29 October 1979) is an English actor and director. He is best known for his role as the quirky Connor Temple on ITV Network, ITV's British Science fiction on television, science fiction programme ''Primeval (TV series), P ...

(Episode: Law) *

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 life ...

(Episode:

IOU An IOU (Abbreviation, abbreviated from the phrase "I owe you") is usually an informal document acknowledging debt. An IOU differs from a promissory note in that an IOU is not a negotiable instrument and does not specify repayment terms such as th ...

) * Amanda Redman (Episode: Black Orchid) * Annabel Reid (Episode: A Fistful of Chips) *

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 ...

(Episodes:

and

) *

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 Che ...

* David Rintoul (Episode: Death Comes Softly) *

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'' (2001� ...

(Episodes: Violent Delights & Legends) * Christian Rodska *

William Ruane William Ruane (born 1985) is a Scottish actor. He is best known for his roles in the films '' Sweet Sixteen'' (2002) and '' The Angels' Share'' (2012), and in the soap opera ''River City''. Career Ruane was born in Glasgow and raised in the ...

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 ...

* Sean Scanlan (Episodes: Death Benefits, Puppet on a String &

) * David Schofield * Dougray Scott (Episode:

) * Morag Siller * Jamie Sives *

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 London ...

(Episode: Bad Medicine) * Sharon Small (Episode: Forbidden Fruit) *

Hugo Speer Hugo Alexander Speer (born 17 March 1968) is an English actor and director. Early life and education Hugo Speer was born in Harrogate in the then West Riding of Yorkshire and educated at Harrogate Grammar School. He studied acting at the Arts E ...

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 ...

Gerda Stevenson Gerda Stevenson (born 10 April 1956 in Peeblesshire, Scotland) is a Scottish actress, director and writer, described by ''The Scotsman'' in 1999 as "Scotland's finest actress". She has played many parts in the theatre, including the title role ...

* Ewan Stewart (Episode:

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, ...

) * Sara Stewart (Episodes: Ring of Deceit & A Death Foretold) * Ken Stott (Episode: Murder in Season) *

Donald Sumpter Donald Sumpter (born 13 February 1943) is an English actor who has appeared in film and television since the mid-1960s. Career One of his early television appearances was the 1968 ''Doctor Who'' serial ''The Wheel in Space'' with Patrick Troug ...

* Garry Sweeney (Episodes:

Watertight Waterproofing is the process of making an object or structure waterproof or water-resistant so that it remains relatively unaffected by water or resisting the ingress of water under specified conditions. Such items may be used in wet environme ...

& Users and Losers) *

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:

) *

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 ...

(Episode: Black Orchid) * Gareth Thomas * Siân Thomas (Episode: Ring of Deceit) * Kim Thomson (Episode:

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-fi ...

) *

Michael Troughton Michael Troughton (born 2 March 1955) is an English actor, teacher and writer. He is best known for his television roles including Melish in ''Minder'' and Sir Piers Fletcher-Dervish in ''The New Statesman''. He is the son of actor Patrick Tro ...

* Deepak Verma (Episode:

) * Ronan Vibert (Episode: Users and Losers) *

Sara Vickers Sara Louise Vickers (born 1985) is a Scottish theatre, television and film actress best known for playing List of Endeavour characters#Thursday's Family, Joan Thursday in the British television detective drama series ''Endeavour (TV series), End ...

Julian Wadham Julian Neil Rohan Wadham (born 7 August 1958) is an English actor of stage, film and television. He was educated at Ampleforth College and the Central School of Speech and Drama, third son of Rohan Nicholas Wadham DFC and Juliana Wadham, née ...

(Episode: Running Out of Time) *

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 t ...

* Gary Webster (Episode: Evil Eye) *

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 1960 ...

(Episodes: The Hit Man & Ghost Rider) * Jan Wilson (Episode:

) *

Greg Wise Matthew Gregory Wise, born 1966, is an English actor and producer. He has appeared in several British television programmes and feature films. He played the role of John Willoughby in ''Sense and Sensibility'', which also starred Emma Thompson, ...

* Paul Young (Episodes: Funeral Rites & Legends) *

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 Edwa ...

(Episodes:

) 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 popul ...

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 Ce ...

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 Sco ...

. 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 the

University of Strathclyde The University of Strathclyde ( gd, Oilthigh Shrath Chluaidh) is a public research university located in Glasgow, Scotland. Founded in 1796 as the Andersonian Institute, it is Glasgow's second-oldest university, having received its royal chart ...

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

The series began with a miniseries pilot, titled "Killer", followed by 109 episodes of ''Taggart''. Early episodes were split into multiple parts and aired over three weeks while later episodes were self-contained.

International distribution

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

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 count ...

the series aired on Vibe. In

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

the series aired on

RTÉ (RTÉ) (; Irish language, Irish for "Radio & Television of Ireland") is the Public broadcaster, national broadcaster of Republic of Ireland, Ireland headquartered in Dublin. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on RTÉ Television, telev ...

. In

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 = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...

, 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 DR1 (DR Et) is the flagship television channel of the Danish Broadcasting Corporation (DR). It became Denmark's first television station when it began broadcasting in 1951 – at first only for an hour a day three times a week. Besides its ...

from episodes featuring James MacPherson as DCI Jardine. Ever since ''Taggart'' has aired from the 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 Homophobia encompasses a range of negative attitude (psychology), attitudes and feelings toward homosexuality or people who are identified or perceived as being lesbian, gay or bisexual. It has been defined as contempt, prejudice, aversion, h ...

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.

References

External links

* * * {{Taggart 1985 Scottish television series debuts 2010 Scottish television series endings 1980s British crime drama television series 1980s British mystery television series 1980s British workplace drama television series 1990s British crime drama television series 1990s British mystery television series 1990s British workplace drama television series 2000s British crime drama television series 2000s British mystery television series 2000s British workplace drama television series 2010s British crime drama television series 2010s British mystery television series 2010s British workplace drama television series 1980s Scottish television series 1990s Scottish television series 2000s Scottish television series British detective television series British English-language television shows ITV crime dramas ITV mystery shows Maryhill Television shows about murder Television series by STV Studios Television shows produced by Scottish Television Television shows set in Glasgow Television shows set in Scotland