Hostile Witness (22 Feb. 1990)

A by-election is taking place in Glasgow and one of the candidates represents the Referendum for the Return of Capital Punishment party. When the candidate and her agent are murdered, Taggart is pressed for a quick solution to the crime.

Director:

Haldane Duncan

Writers:

Glenn Chandler (creator), Glenn Chandler

Stars:

Mark McManus, James MacPherson, Neil McKinven

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
Mark McManus	...	DCI Jim Taggart
James MacPherson	...	DS Mike Jardine
Neil McKinven	...	John Greeney
Robert McIntosh	...	James Little
Carol Holmes	...	Jeannette Little
Aline Mowat	...	Lesley Hay
James Carroll Jordan	...	Sam Paris
Jan Carey	...	Joanna Gillan
Ian McCulloch	...	Donald Gillan
Joe Dunlop	...	George Hay
Harriet Buchan	...	Jean Taggart
Iain Anders	...	Supt. Jack McVitie
Robert Robertson	...	Dr. Stephen Andrews
Campbell Morrison	...	Willie Jamieson
James Telfer	...	Kenneth Rose

Storyline

A by-election is taking place in Glasgow and one of the candidates represents the Referendum for the Return of Capital Punishment party. When the candidate and her agent are murdered, Taggart is pressed for a quick solution to the crime.

---

Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery

---

Details

Release Date:

22 February 1990 (UK)

Company Credits

Technical Specs

Runtime:

180 min 180 min

User Reviews

Taggart does politics.

This is a very typical episode of Mark McManus' Taggart. The opening scene is the sound of a woman being strangled. Then we cut to a political meeting discussing capital punishment. The murdered woman turns out to be the wife of an unemployed man who has reached breaking point. Taggart immediately solves the murder and it is obvious this is not the main story.

Then we see a business man leaving a pub and running over a cyclist. He panics and bludgeons the victim to death. Just when Taggart is at a dead end a phone call causes the murderer to outsmart himself and before Taggart can arrest him he commits suicide.

Meanwhile Taggart is being hampered by a psychiatric patient who continues to confess after each murder.

The story line does not really take off until half way through the episode when the candidate for election and her agent are found murdered after leaving a rally. The episode has a political theme with Taggart's wife running for the Disabled Party.

Watch out for Robert Carlyle who plays the candidate in waiting. It is amazing how many stars kick started their careers with an appearance on Taggart. Carlyle is best remembered for "The full Monty" and "Hamish Macbeth." This is not the best episode of Taggart. However, McManus is Taggart and that is a good enough reason to watch it.