Where are the cast of Taggart now 40 years after show’s debut? From tragic deaths to kids TV
LEGENDARY crime drama Taggart is celebrating its 40th anniversary from the day the show began, and long-time fans will be surprised to hear what some of the cast are up to now.
The STV series followed a group of detectives as they solved grisly crimes around Glasgow.
It became one of the UK's longest-running TV shows ever, airing from 1983 until 2010 and spanning 27 seasons.
What has changed for the cast over the past four decades, and how many of them continued a career on the big screen after Taggart?
Mark McManus
Mark played the titular character, DCI Jim Taggart, from the very start of the show.
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The working class actor insisted that the Detective had to have an authentic Glaswegian accent.
Even after rising to fame while playing DCI Taggart, he stayed humble, and often spoke about how grateful he was for the role that broke him out of working in factories.
Sadly Mark died of pneumonia while filming the series in 1994, aged 59.
Neil Duncan
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The first Taggart sidekick was DS Peter Livingstone, played by Neil Duncan.
He initially rose to fame in his role of DCI Taggart's right-hand man.
However he soon soared to greater heights, ditching Glasgow crime scenes for Hollywood sets.
Neil starred in TV shows such as Mad Men and Buffy The Vampire Slayer, before going on to become a voice actor on video games.
Now the Scots star lives next to Bruno Mars and Charlize Theron, and works as an estate agent selling Hollywood homes.
Iain Anders
Iain joined the Taggart cast in 1985 as Superintendent Jack McVitie, nicknamed 'The Biscuit'.
He started off as a tough nut to crack, often going head to head with Detective Taggart, but over time mellowed out into a jovial boss.
The actor appeared in 40 episodes and passed away in 1997 aged 64.
James MacPherson
James took over as DCI Taggart's new sidekick, DCI Michael Jardine, after Neil left the crime drama for Hollywood.
The pair became so close that Mark McManus became the godfather to his daughter, Katie.
His character later took over the leading role after Mark tragically passed away, but the Detective Chief Inspector had to be killed off in 2002 when James's lung collapsed.
The actor nearly died and had to go through extensive surgery which left him unable to carry on with the TV show.
But nothing could keep him away from performing permanently, and after his recovery James set up an acting company with actress Emma Currie and appeared in a number of theatre productions.
He most recently voiced Sir Alex Ferguson's autobiography.
Blythe Duff
Blythe played DI Jackie Reid for 31 years, and saw the character through three promotions before realising she preferred the stage to the screen.
The actress still cannot go anywhere in Glasgow without being recognised for her role in the show, and looks back fondly on the series that catapulted her to fame in the acting world.
She later told the : "I liked the character. She was straightforward, unfussy and a big part of my life. I had a good amount of input on set and I guarded the character ferociously."
Blythe even married a policeman in real life, before going on to the West End.
The 60-year-old most recently performed in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child as Professor Minerva McGonagall.
Colin McCredie
Colin is another star who landed his breakout role on Taggart when he joined as DC Stuart Fraser in 1995.
The Perthshire actor has since appeared in River City, Outlander - and even Cbeebies kids series Woolly and Tig alongside his daughter Betsy.
He then went on to play a butcher in beloved sitcom Still Game - even though he is vegetarian.
John Michie
John joined Taggart as DI Robbie Ross in 1998 and remained with the show until it ended.
He is the actor who went on to become the most famous in the TV world - swapping Maryhill murders for the cobbles of Coronation Street and hospital wards of Holby City.
In 2017 John faced a family tragedy when his daughter Louella, 24, died at Bestival in Dorset after taking recreational drugs.
Alex Norton
Alex played no nonsense DCI Matt Burke in Taggart from 2002 until the show ended.
He then went on to make appearances in some very high profile films during his career- including Braveheart, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest and Les Miserables.
Alex has also starred in Waterloo Road and the hardy 73-year-old currently plays Eric in Scottish comedy Two Doors Down.
Robert Robertson
Actor Robert was best known for his Taggart role as Dr Stephen Andrews.
Sadly he died at the age of 70 from a heart attack in the most Scottish way possible, while reading a poem written by his namesake Robert Burns on stage in January 2001.
Harriet Buchan
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Harriet played DCI Jim Taggart’s wife, Jean Taggart, who was wheelchair bound after giving birth to their child.
Harriet appeared in a number of other shows including Garnock Way before launching a sound, voice and therapy workshop that takes place all over the world.