The Singing Detective! Taggart star Blythe Duff returns to the No Mean City in new music video
- Actress, who played DI Jackie Reid in long-running STV drama, plays cop investigating a murder on streets of Glasgow
- Video is for song called Glasgow Town, written by JJ Gilmour formerly of The Silencers, a version of which Duff recorded for her husband’s 60th birthday
She fought the bad guys the hard way for 30 years.
Now Taggart star Blythe Duff is back in a crime-fighting role on the streets of Glasgow – as the singing detective.
Blythe, who played DI Jackie Reid in the long-running STV drama, has returned to the No Mean City streets in a new music video based on the role which made her a household name for 21 years.
The stage and screen actor, who most recently appeared in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child in London’s west end, appears in a role familiar to millions, playing a cop investigating a murder on the backstreets of Glasgow.
Former Taggart star Blythe Duff has recorded a new music video for her song ‘Glasgow Town’ where she reprises her role as a grizzled detective working on the back streets and alleyways of the no mean city.
Former Taggart star Blythe Duff looking over Glasgow in a scene from music video ‘Glasgow Town’
https://youtube.com/watch?v=LTe8XKk7jZE%3Frel%3D0
A scene from the new music video ‘Glasgow Town’ starring Blythe Duff
The Taggart crime fighters left to right: Colin McCredie as DC Stuart Fraser, Alex Norton as DCI Matt Burke, John Michie as DI Robbie Ross and Blythe Duff as DS Jackie Reid.
Described as ‘an homage to Taggart, and a love letter to Glasgow’, the film echoes the opening credits and gritty underworld scenes of the long-running cop show which made her a household name longside Mark McManus, Colin McCredie and Alex Norton until its demise in 2011.
It sees the actor crouched over a dead body behind police lines in a back alley, surrounded by rubberneckers and the dead boy’s devastated mother.
And just like any episode of Taggart, the story features a devastating twist.
Her cover of Glasgow Town, a song penned by songwriter JJ Gilmour formerly of Glasgow pop band The Silencers, came after the 60 year old actor recorded a version of it for her husband’s 60th birthday last year.
Encouraged by fellow musician and actor Cameron Barnes, she rerecorded a new version of the track in London and filmed the video with Glasgow production company Blazing Griffin earlier this year.
Still Game star Matt Costello also features in the video.
Blythe said: ‘Cammy kept on at me to record a version of it with a video and set it in Glasgow.
‘So this is the first time I’ll have been seen as a detective on Glasgow’s streets for 13 years.
‘The director Michael J Ferns was too young when Taggart finished, but he was a fan of the programme, and would have loved to direct one.
So when we talked about doing a video for the song, he said he could see Taggart written all over it. I think it exudes the energy of an episode of Taggart in six minutes.
40 years of Taggart reunion left to right Colin McCredie, Blythe Duff, James MacPherson and John Michie
‘I’ve been long enough away from Taggart now, doing other things in theatre, that I feel okay about coming full circle like this.
‘It’s been the 40th anniversary of the series this year, which has been really emotional, reuniting with the cast for different events.
In some ways this video is part of that. Taggart was really successful partly because Glasgow was the backdrop and we’ve managed to capture that outside the Blazing Griffin headquarters off the M8, and filming from their rooftop.’
In 2021 Blythe recorded a well-received cover of The Pogues’ Christmas hit Fairytale of New York, as a duet with fellow actor and musician Cameron Barnes.
The song was released during lockdown, accompanied by a tear-jerker video.
She said: ‘I love singing and this has been a chance for me to have my cake and eat it.’
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