Taggart
Current Cast
Genre	Drama
Created by	Glenn Chandler
Starring	Mark McManus, Blythe Duff, Colin McCredie, John Michie, Alex Norton
Country of origin	Scotland
No. of series	23
No. of episodes	87
Production
Produced by	SMG Productions
Running time	60 - 90 minutes
Broadcast
Original channel	ITV
Original run	6 September 1983 – present

Taggart is a long-running Scottish detective television programme, created by Glenn Chandler (who has written many of the episodes), and made by SMG Productions (STV) for the ITV network. Taggart is a Glaswegian detective television programme, originally set and filmed in the area of Maryhill police station in Glasgow, Scotland, but is internationally famous and is now translated into many languages including Dutch, French and Japanese. The series revolves around a group of detectives in the Maryhill CID. It is the world's longest continually running Police drama [1], though the pilot of another ITV police drama, The Bill, aired one month before the first episode of Taggart. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... This does not cite any references or sources. ... A promotional picture of Mark McManus as TAGGART Mark McManus (born February 21, 1935 in Hamilton, Scotland; died June 6, 1994 in Glasgow) was a Scottish actor best known for his portrayal of Detective Chief Inspector Jim Taggart in the long-running ITV television series Taggart. ... Blythe Duff (born 25 November 1962 in East Kilbride, Scotland) is a Scottish actress, best known for her role as Jackie Reid in the ITV drama, Taggart. ... Colin McCredie (born 8 June 1972 in Dumbarton, Scotland) is a Scottish actor, best known for his role as Stuart Fraser in the ITV drama, Taggart. ... John Michie (born October 25, 1956 in Burma) is a British television and film actor, best known for his role as DI Robbie Ross on the Scottish detective television series Taggart. ... Alex Norton (born January 27, 1950 in Glasgow, Scotland) is a Scottish actor who played the role of Dennis Cooley in the Tom Clancy movie, Patriot Games. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Scotland. ... Motto (Latin) No one provokes me with impunity Cha togar mfhearg gun dioladh (Scottish Gaelic)1 Wha daur meddle wi me?(Scots)1 Anthem (Multiple unofficial anthems) Scotlands location in Europe Capital Edinburgh Largest city Glasgow Official languages English, Gaelic, Scots Government Constitutional monarchy  -  Queen Queen Elizabeth II... SMG Productions is the network television production arm of the Scottish media group SMG plc, and incorporates Ginger Productions. ... It has been suggested that Channel 3 (UK) be merged into this article or section. ... September 6 is the 249th day of the year (250th in leap years). ... 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Motto (Latin) No one provokes me with impunity Cha togar mfhearg gun dioladh (Scottish Gaelic)1 Wha daur meddle wi me?(Scots)1 Anthem (Multiple unofficial anthems) Scotlands location in Europe Capital Edinburgh Largest city Glasgow Official languages English, Gaelic, Scots Government Constitutional monarchy  -  Queen Queen Elizabeth II... Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes Detective fiction is a branch of crime fiction that centers upon the investigation of a crime, usually murder, by a detective, either professional or amateur. ... Television series redirects here. ... SMG Productions is the network television production arm of the Scottish media group SMG plc, and incorporates Ginger Productions. ... The correct title of this article is . ... It has been suggested that Channel 3 (UK) be merged into this article or section. ... Maryhill is a residential district in the northwest of the City of Glasgow. ... Glaswegian redirects here. ... Motto (Latin) No one provokes me with impunity Cha togar mfhearg gun dioladh (Scottish Gaelic)1 Wha daur meddle wi me?(Scots)1 Anthem (Multiple unofficial anthems) Scotlands location in Europe Capital Edinburgh Largest city Glasgow Official languages English, Gaelic, Scots Government Constitutional monarchy  -  Queen Queen Elizabeth II... Maryhill is a residential district in the northwest of the City of Glasgow. ... Charles Vincent, founder of the Metropolitan Police CID The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) is the branch of all British Police and many other Commonwealth police forces to which plain clothes detectives belong. ... The Bill is a long-running British television police procedural first shown on ITV1, at 8pm on Wednesdays and Thursdays. ...

The Scottish English used by the characters in the show have been the subject of a number of skits, including a long running Tennents lager advert where CG-animated pints of Tennents played Taggart characters. A common one-line parody of the entire show is the word "murder" pronounced with an extremely thick Glasgow accent rolling the 'r' in murder. Scottish English is usually taken to mean the standard form of the English language used in Scotland, often termed Scottish Standard English. ... Tennents is a popular Scottish lager brewed at the Wellpark Brewery (EST.1556) in Glasgow. ... Computer animation is the art of creating moving images via the use of computers. ... Wellpark Brewery was founded in 1785 in Glasgow, Scotland. ...

The programme is considered in France as part of the 'film noir' genre due to its dark and grim storylines.

History

A promotional picture of Mark McManus as "TAGGART"

The pilot episode, "Killer", broadcast in 1983, introduced the character of Detective Chief Inspector (DCI) Jim Taggart (played by Mark McManus 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 (DS) Peter Livingstone (Neil Duncan), who represented the new breed of young graduates entering the police force. Taggarts' boss was Superintendent Jack McVitie (Iain Anderson), nicknamed the biscuit as a play on his surname and a popular brand of biscuits. Image File history File linksMetadata Mark_McManus_Taggart. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Mark_McManus_Taggart. ... A television pilot is the first episode of an intended television series. ... 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Chief Inspector (Ch Insp) is a rank in British Police forces. ... A promotional picture of Mark McManus as TAGGART Mark McManus (born February 21, 1935 in Hamilton, Scotland; died June 6, 1994 in Glasgow) was a Scottish actor best known for his portrayal of Detective Chief Inspector Jim Taggart in the long-running ITV television series Taggart. ... Sergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organisations around the world. ... McVities is a biscuit brand owned by United Biscuits. ...

In 1987 the character of Mike Jardine (James MacPherson) was introduced, and when Neil Duncan left the series in 1989, his character was replaced by a new female sidekick, Jackie Reid (Blythe Duff). Jardine became the central character following McManus' death in 1994. Much was made of the platonic relationship between Jardine and Reid, with the two being shown to share a brother/sister-like bond. 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... James MacPherson (born 1959 in Hamilton, Scotland) is a Scottish actor, best known for his role as Michael Jardine in the ITV drama, Taggart. ... Blythe Duff (born 25 November 1962 in East Kilbride, Scotland) is a Scottish actress, best known for her role as Jackie Reid in the ITV drama, Taggart. ... Platonic love in its modern popular sense is an affectionate relationship into which the sexual element does not enter, especially in cases where one might easily assume otherwise. ...

When MacPherson left the series in 2002, his character was killed off, and replaced with DCI Matt Burke (Alex Norton, who had previously appeared in the series playing a murder suspect in the 1986 episode, Knife Edge), though by this time the series had become more of an ensemble piece, following the addition of Colin McCredie as DC Stuart Fraser in 1994 and John Michie as DI Robbie Ross in 1998. Alex Norton's Matt Burke character has gained widespread critical acclaim, many believing him to be the first credible successor to McManus's original Taggart character. Alex Norton (born January 27, 1950 in Glasgow, Scotland) is a Scottish actor who played the role of Dennis Cooley in the Tom Clancy movie, Patriot Games. ... Colin McCredie (born 8 June 1972 in Dumbarton, Scotland) is a Scottish actor, best known for his role as Stuart Fraser in the ITV drama, Taggart. ... 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated as the International Year of the Family and the International Year of the Sport and the Olympic Ideal by United Nations. ... John Michie (born October 25, 1956 in Burma) is a British television and film actor, best known for his role as DI Robbie Ross on the Scottish detective television series Taggart. ...

Guest appearances

Actors appearing on Taggart episodes over the years include Isla Blair, Billy Boyd, Robert Carlyle, Linda (Muchan) Carmichael Annette Crosbie, Alan Cumming, Henry Ian Cusick, Barbara Dickson, Jill Gascoine, Hannah Gordon, Clare Grogan, John Hannah, Jason Isaacs, Diane Keen, Ann Mitchell, Peter Mullan, Ashley Jensen, Amanda Redman, Dougray Scott, Morag Hepburn, Celia Imrie, and Ken Stott. Isla Blair (born 29 September 1944, Bangalore, India) is a British actress, best known for her television roles. ... Billy Boyd (born 28 August 1968 in Glasgow) is a Scottish actor most widely known for playing Peregrin Took (Pippin), in the film adaptations of The Lord of the Rings (2001-2003) and Barrett Bonden in Peter Weirs film Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003). ... Robert Carlyle OBE (born April 14, 1961) is a Scottish movie actor. ... Annette Crosbie, OBE (born 12 February 1934) is a Scottish character actress, best known for her many television appearances. ... Alan Cumming (born 27 January 1965) is a Scottish actor known for his film roles in GoldenEye, as Boris Grishenko; in X2: X-Men United, as Kurt Wagner/Nightcrawler; and on the stage with his Tony Award-winning performance as the Emcee in the highly successful revival of Cabaret. ... Henry Ian Cusick (born April 17, 1967) is an Emmy nominated actor of stage, television, and motion pictures. ... Barbara Dickson is a Scottish actress and singer, known for her work on stage (Blood Brothers) and television (Band of Gold). ... Jill Gascoine (born April 11, 1937 in Lambeth, London, England) is a British actress. ... Hannah Gordon (born 9 April 1941 in Edinburgh) is a Scottish-born British actress. ... Clare Grogan as Kristine Kochanski in Red Dwarf Clare Grogan (born March 17, 1962, Glasgow) is a Scottish actress (often credited as C. P. Grogan) and singer. ... John Hannah (born April 23, 1962) is a Scottish actor from East Kilbride. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Born on July 29, 1946, Diane Keen was a regular on TV screens during the 1970s, starring in sitcoms such as The Cuckoo Waltz and The Sandbaggers. ... Ann Mitchell (born April 22, 1939 in Stepney, East London, England) is one of Britains leading stage and television actresses. ... Peter Mullan (born in 1959 in Peterhead, Scotland) is a Scottish actor who has been appearing in films since 1990. ... Ashley Jensen (born August 11, 1969) is a Scottish actress, best known for her roles in Extras and Ugly Betty. ... Amanda Redman, James Bolam, Dennis Waterman and Alun Armstrong in New Tricks Amanda Redman (born 12 August 1959 in Brighton) is a British actress. ... Dougray Scott (born Stephen Scott on November 25, 1965) is a Scottish television and film actor best known in America for playing Ian Hainsworth in Desperate Housewives. ... Celie Imrie (born 15 July 1952 in Guildford England) is a British actress. ... Ken Stott is a Scottish film and television actor, particularly known in the United Kingdom for his many roles in the latter medium. ...

Quotes

• From the episode "Cold Blood" (1987):

Taggart: "Yer brains'll be oan the pavement unless ye help us!!!" (Taggart dealing with jovial remarks made by a hot dog seller who is reluctant to co-operate)

• From the episode "Violent Delights" (1990):

Taggart: "Oh my goad (God)........wimmen polis!!!" (shortly after DC Reid has mistakenly boarded a London-bound train and ended up in the middle of nowhere [it turned out to be Carstairs Junction])

• From the episode "Funeral Rites" (1987)

Taggart: "You trying to make his day?" (looks down into the quarry) "Well, that's the easy part of it."

Jardine: "Easy?"

Taggart: (smiles) Now I have to go home and tell Jean she needs a new hairdresser."

• From the episode "Babushka" (1998)

Reid: "These were bought recently." (after finding women's clothes while looking for evidence.)

Jardine: "How do you know?"

Reid: "It's called fashion, Michael."

Carstairs railway station Serves the town of Carstairs in South Lanarkshire. ...

Theme music

The programme's theme music is No Mean City by Maggie Bell, formerly a member of Stone the Crows. Maggie Bell (born January 12th 1945) is a Glaswegian singer. ... Stone The Crows!, shouted legendary manager Peter Grant, when he first heard this splendid young Scottish band roaring into action. ...

External links

• Taggart at itv.com
• Taggart at smgproductions.tv
• Taggart Fan Club
• Taggart at the Internet Movie Database