Taggart
| Taggart | |
|---|---|
| File:TaggartTeam.png 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 | |
| Producer | SMG Productions |
| Running time | 60 - 90 minutes |
| Original release | |
| Network | ITV |
| Release | 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.
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.
The programme is considered in France as part of the 'film noir' genre due to its dark and grim storylines.
History
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.
In 1987 the character of Mike Jardine (James MacPherson) was introduced, and when Neil Duncan left the series in 1989, a new female sidekick, Jackie Reid (Blythe Duff) was introduced. 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.
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.
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.
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."
Theme music
The programme's theme music is No Mean City by Maggie Bell, formerly a member of Stone the Crows.