Taggart star's emotional tribute to Glasgow show as it turns 40

However, as Blythe Duff - the actor who played her for more than 20 years - officially opened a ‘people’s archive’ dedicated to the famous Glasgow series, she was fighting to hold back the tears.

“I’m an emotional wreck,” she admitted, just before the launch of Taggart: The People’s Archive in Glasgow Caledonian University on Wednesday (September 6).

“I’m already feeling quite overwhelmed. Everyone has a Taggart story and some have a real need to share those stories and memories because of what they mean to them and to their loved ones.

“There have been so many lovely, precious stories and that’s what this is all about.”

Blythe as no-nonsense WPC Jackie Reid on Taggart (Image: Newsquest)

Taggart: The People’s Archive opened to the public on the 40th anniversary of the iconic detective show’s pilot episode, Killer, created by Glenn Chandler and produced by STV.

Cutting the police tape to declare the archive open was 90-year-old Fay Macluskie, whose home in Balmaha was used for a location shoot for the 2005 episode A Taste of Money.

The university is encouraging members of the public, whether they were extras, involved in location shoots or even played a corpse, to come forward with their own memories of one of the world’s longest-running police dramas.

A team of retired detectives is hosting drop-in sessions in a mock police station on campus over the next few days to take “witness statements” to add to the archive.

Archivist Kirsty Menzies (Image: Mark Gibson)

Blythe, who has donated boxes of her own memorabilia, including scripts and costumes, has fond memories of her “scary” first day on set, for the 1990 episode Death Comes Softly.

“It was my first TV job, my first time on a set, with a huge crew and all the lights and it was quite scary,” she said. “But James [MacPherson, who played DCI Michael Jardine] walked and talked me through it all.”

Blythe with Taggart co-star Colin McCredie (Image: Mark Gibson)

Taggart helped put Glasgow on the map, Blythe explains.

“From the social history side of things, we caught the city at a point when it looked beautiful,” she added. “The Garden Festival had just happened, café culture was growing, it felt European. It looked amazing, and the city became the extra cast member.”

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Asked if she would love to revive her role and do it all again, Blythe replies without hesitation.

“I’ve done it, I loved it - but I’ve done it,” she says, firmly. “There was a time when Jackie could jump out a police car, run round the side and hit a mark, jump back in and start the car, all with her handbag neatly in place on her shoulder the whole time.”

She adds, with a laugh: “Now, when the photographers are asking me to crouch down for the picture all I’m thinking is - that’s fine, but how do I get back up….?”

Drop in sessions will be held at GCU’s Sir Alex Ferguson Library until 4pm on September 6, between 11am and 7pm on September 7 and between 10.30am and 3pm on September 8. If you cannot make it along, you can submit your evidence online. For more information email archives@gcu.ac.uk.