Actor Blythe Duff yesterday made public a substantial part of her career when she presented Taggart scripts and memorabilia to a university archive.

Thanks to her gesture, scripts from 95 episodes of the detective series in which she appeared can now be consulted by members of the public at Glasgow Caledonian University.

As she unveiled the collection Duff also revealed that she recalled her very first day on the Taggart set with crystal clarity.

The scripts are part of a treasure trove of material amassed by Blythe, which includes books, press cuttings, still photographs, awards, and rare Taggart memorabilia.

Students from the university’s MA in TV Fiction Writing, the only master’s course dedicated to writing television drama, will use the scripts as part of their studies.

The actress, who played Detective Inspector Jackie Reid, made her first on-screen appearance in the episode Death Comes Softly, in 1990, and was part of the final cast in the last episode screened by STV, called Ends of Justice, in 2010.

The Herald:

(Photo: Kirsty Anderson)

Yesterday she was joined by her Taggart co-star, John Michie, at the handover of the collection.

“The archive is open to everyone,” she enthused. “The public can come in and spend an afternoon browsing through the scripts.

“There is a real warmth towards Taggart among the public and a fondness for Mark McManus, in particular.

“There are landmark episodes in there, such as the 50th and 100th Taggart, but also ones that had to be rewritten after Mark passed away [in 1994].”

She added: “Everyone has a Taggart story, whether it’s their auntie’s house being used to film in or their street being featured in an episode, and it’s not just in Glasgow, we filmed all over Scotland.

“It would be great, in the future, if the public could add their own papers and photographs to the archive, to collate more evidence of the show.”

Duff, who received an honorary degree from GCU in 2011, is also a Cultural Fellow there, alongside the actor Juliet Cadzow, Jackie Kay, the Scots Makar, and the leading visual artist, Toby Paterson.

Duff said: “I remember my first day on the Taggart set very well. It was in a church in Govan with the chorus from Scottish Opera.

“James MacPherson, who played Mike Jardine, talked me through it. I had worked in theatre for years and no idea about the basics, like hitting a mark.

“The old studios used to be up in Port Dundas, which is close to Glasgow Caledonian, so it seems fitting that the archive will be here.”

She added: “The fact that students from the MA TV Fiction Writing course will also be able to benefit from having access to the scripts is brilliant. TV is changing so quickly and, as everything goes digital, it’s important to retain a link with the past.”

Carole McCallum, Glasgow Caledonian University’s archivist, said: “The collection tells the story of Taggart but it also tells the story of Blythe Duff, of a female breaking into a male-dominated industry.

“Taggart and Glasgow go hand in hand. Having the archive here brings the scripts to life and returns the show to the people.”

The Herald:

(Photo: Kirsty Anderson)

Chris Dolan, programme leader of the MA TV Fiction Writing course, added: “Taggart is in the DNA of every modern cop show.

“Jackie Reid was an iconic creation and Blythe’s portrayal is part of television history.

“To have the scripts here is a phenomenal resource for our students.”

The handover of the Taggart scripts came shortly before the university marks the 10th anniversary of its MA TV Fiction Writing course at an event, presented by Scots actor David Hayman, at Oran Mor in Glasgow tonight.

Graduates from the course have worked on some of Britain’s most popular long-running shows, including EastEnders, Casualty, and Holby City.

MA TV alumna Lorna Martin recently became the first graduate to devise and write her own series, Women on the Verge, which is currently being screened on channel W.

Though Duff herself is perhaps best-known to the general public for her role in Taggart, she has built up a considerable career on the stage.

A GCU description of her in relation to her role as Cultural Fellow notes that she has performed for, amongst others, The National Theatre of Scotland, The National, Frantic Assembly, The Traverse, The Citizens, Paines Plough, The Donmar Warehouse, Oran Mor, The Royal Lyceum, Volcanic Productions NZ, and Scottish and English National Operas.

She was a double winner, in 2013 and 2014, of the Critics Award for Theatre in Scotland, for her role as Fay Black in Iron, Rona Munro’s psychological drama set within a women’s prison.

Her other roles have included that of Gitta Sereny, the author and investigative journalist, in Into That Darkness, Robert David MacDonald’s acclaimed adaptation of Sereny’s remarkable journalistic dissection of Nazi death camp commander, Franz Stangl.

Timeline of Taggart

• Taggart began life as Killer, a three-part crime thriller set in Glasgow, the first part of which was broadcast at 9pm on Tuesday, September 6, 1983.

• Mark McManus played a tough city detective, DCI Jim Taggart, and Neil Duncan was his sidekick.

• A full series, Taggart, was commissioned, and began on Tuesday, July 2, 1985, again pairing McManus and Duncan. The show was created by Glenn Chandler.

• The Queen Mother was an early fan of the series. In 1993 it was reported that she had missed the third episode of a three-part Taggart series. An equerry reached out, and a video of the hour-long episode was rushed to Clarence House by Scottish Television.

• McManus died in 1994 while a series was being filmed. Strathclyde Police Superintendent Angus Kennedy, who had been the show’s police liaison officer since it began, said: “His many police friends will miss the sensitive, gentle man behind the gruff on-screen character of DCI Jim Taggart.”

• The much-loved show continued despite the death of its main character. The Herald reported in 2006 that the show sold to more than 80 countries and had even spawned an Italian derivative.

• Taggart also played a part in the careers of such actors as Robert Carlyle, Siobhan Redmond, Iain Glen, Ken Stott and Dougray Scott.

• In September 2013 STV celebrated the 30th anniversary of Taggart with a documentary and a classic episode.

• In 2010 executive producer Eric Coulter, who oversaw the introduction of Matt Burke (played by Alex Norton) as the lead detective, said: “The curious thing about the programme is that newspapers regularly run polls as to who was the best Taggart – James Macpherson [detective Michael Jardine], Alex Norton or Mark McManus. Only Mark was Taggart, of course – but Taggart has become a synonym for the lead detective.”

• In May 2011 it was reported that Taggart would no longer be commissioned for the main ITV network. Said an ITV spokesman: "Taggart has been one of ITV's most enduring dramas but, reflecting the demands of our audience and as part of the ongoing creative renewal of the ITV1 schedule, our priority is to invest in new and original drama for the channel.”