Taggart: the lowdown
Published:
Tuesday, 22 May 2007, 10:36AM
First broadcast: 1983
Starring: Mark McManus, James MacPherson, Iain Anderson, Neil Duncan, Blythe Duff, Alex Norton
Episodes: 83
The low-down: A team of hard-bitten Glasgow detectives solve a huge variety of murders in the city’s Northern Division.
Show history: Writer Glenn Chandler got the inspiration for the characters’ names from headstones in the city’s Maryhill cemetery and the drama was originally set and filmed at the Maryhill police station. Former boxer Mark McManus was cast in the lead role with DS Peter Livingstone (Neil Duncan) as his sidekick. Jim Taggart’s boss was Supt Jack McVitie who was known as ‘biscuit’ by his officers.
In 1987 tee-totaller Mike Jardine (James MacPherson) was introduced, and when Neil Duncan left the series in 1989, his character was replaced by a new female officer, DS Jackie Reid (Blythe Duff).
Jardine became the central character following McManus' death in 1994. He passed away aged 59 from pneumonia. Jardine became the central character and formed a strictly non-sexual relationship with DS Reid, sharing a brother/sister-like bond.
When MacPherson left the series in 2002, his character was killed off, and replaced with DCI Matt Burke (Alex Norton).
By this time the series had become more of an ensemble piece, following the casting of Colin McCredie as DC Stuart Fraser in 1994 and John Michie as DI Robbie Ross in 1998.
Catchphrases: “It’s murrr-der.” “Wimmin polise!” “Oh my goad.”
Memorable quotes: Jim Taggart (looks down into a quarry at a dead body): "Well, that's the easy part of it."
Michael Jardine: "Easy?"
Jim Taggart (smiles): "Now I have to go home and tell Jean she needs a new hairdresser.”
Trivia: Taggart achieved its best audience ever of an astonishing 18.3 million viewers with the 1992 episode Violent Delights. It is the longest running of any current drama on ITV and it remains consistently successful.
