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Taggart
S9.E1
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IMDbPro

Death Benefits Part One

  • Episode aired Feb 16, 1993
  • TV-14TV-14
  • 2h 7m
IMDb RATING
8.0/10
53
YOUR RATING
Blythe Duff, James MacPherson, and Mark McManus in Taggart (1983)
  • Crime
  • Drama
  • Mystery
Julia Fraser, wife of a police sergeant, is brutally murdered whilst he is on duty. During a search of the house a list of names is found. It appears that the names on the list are rapidly m... Read allJulia Fraser, wife of a police sergeant, is brutally murdered whilst he is on duty. During a search of the house a list of names is found. It appears that the names on the list are rapidly meeting with a series of accidents - and yet the only connection between them is the list.Julia Fraser, wife of a police sergeant, is brutally murdered whilst he is on duty. During a search of the house a list of names is found. It appears that the names on the list are rapidly meeting with a series of accidents - and yet the only connection between them is the list.
IMDb RATING
8.0/10
53
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Alan J.W. Bell
  • Writers
    • Glenn Chandler
    • Barry Appleton
  • Stars
    • Mark McManus
    • James MacPherson
    • Blythe Duff
Top credits
  • Director
    • Alan J.W. Bell
  • Writers
    • Glenn Chandler
    • Barry Appleton
  • Stars
    • Mark McManus
    • James MacPherson
    • Blythe Duff
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 2User reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Photos

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    Top cast

    Edit
    Mark McManus
    • DCI Jim Taggartas DCI Jim Taggart
    James MacPherson
    • DSas DS…
    Blythe Duff
    Blythe Duff
    • DCas DC…
    Iain Anders
    Iain Anders
    • Supt. Jack McVitieas Supt. Jack McVitie
    Robert Robertson
    • Dr. Stephen Andrewsas Dr. Stephen Andrews
    Anthony Cochrane
    • Dr. Crawfordas Dr. Crawford
    Harriet Buchan
    • Jean Taggartas Jean Taggart
    Ken Hutchison
    Ken Hutchison
    • George Donaldsonas George Donaldson
    Alexander Morton
    Alexander Morton
    • John Fraseras John Fraser
    Susie McKenna
    • Julie Fraseras Julie Fraser
    Sean Scanlan
    • Bob McKendrickas Bob McKendrick
    Caroline Paterson
    • Cindy McKendrickas Cindy McKendrick
    Ron Donachie
    Ron Donachie
    • Marco Cellinias Marco Cellini
    Frederick Warder
    Frederick Warder
    • Langfordas Langford
    Siobhan Stanley
    • Christineas Christine
    Elizabeth Sinclair
    • Art Gallery Directoras Art Gallery Director
    Seamus Gubbins
    • Danny Robertsonas Danny Robertson
    Fiona Chalmers
    • Sonia Cummingsas Sonia Cummings
    • Director
      • Alan J.W. Bell
    • Writers
      • Glenn Chandler
      • Barry Appleton
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

    Storyline

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    Did you know

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    • Trivia
      Towards the end when the character George Donaldson is showing Sergeant John Fraser on his computer, the list of policy holders for the insurance policies he has purchased the name of Ian Rankin can be seen, of course Ian Rankin is the name of the writer for another famous Scottish Detective called Rebus.

    User reviews2

    Review
    Top review
    9/10
    List of death
    Have always adored detective dramas/mystery series. This has been apparent from an early age, half my life even, when getting into Agatha Christie through Joan Hickson's Miss Marple and David Suchet's Poirot and into 'Inspector Morse'.

    Whether it's the more complex ones like 'Inspector Morse' (and its prequel series 'Endeavour') and anything Agatha Christie. Whether it's the grittier ones like 'A Touch of Frost' (though that is balanced brilliantly with comedy too). And whether it's the light-hearted ones like 'Murder She Wrote'. 'Taggart' is one of the biggest examples of the grittier ones, especially the Mark McManus years and the earlier James MaPherson episodes.

    "Death Benefits" is an excellent episode, and nearly one of my favourite 'Taggart' episodes though the pace could have been tighter in spots. What made 'Taggart' such a good show when it was in its prime is evident here. The characterisation here is meatier than seen pre-Jardine era, therefore more interesting with more development to Taggart and everything here just works.

    Really like the slick, gritty look and Glasgow is like an ominous character on its own. The music matches the show's tone and has a good amount of atmosphere while the theme song/tune is one that stays in the memory for a long time. Really like Taggart and Jardine's chemistry here, which sees some priceless exchanges with them, and have always found it more interesting and settled than with Taggart and Livingstone. The relationship between Jardine and Reid was always blossoming nicely and had blossomed by this point, showing promising signs as to why it was one of the best things about the era when Jardine was in charge.

    As to be expected, "Death Benefits" is thoughtfully scripted with nothing ridiculous happening and things being taken seriously without being too morose. The story is involving in its complexity and intricacy with nothing being what it seems, making the most of the long length (have generally found the 2000s episodes too short and rushed) without padding anything out. Some parts are not for the faint hearted, but nothing feels gratuitous and the investigations are compelling and with enough twists to stop it from being obvious. The ending is unexpected and clever.

    Good acting helps, with Mark McManus being a suitably tough and blunt presence throughout and James MacPherson being every bit his equal. Blythe Duff continues to impress and Iain Anders is suitably hard-edged. Robert Robertson as ever steals scenes. Alexander Morton and Ken Hutchison are very good in supporting roles.

    In conclusion, excellent. 9/10 Bethany Cox
    helpful•4
    1
    • TheLittleSongbird
    • Sep 21, 2018

    Details

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    • Release date
      • February 16, 1993 (United Kingdom)
    • Country of origin
      • United Kingdom
    • Language
      • English
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

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    • Runtime
      2 hours 7 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Stereo

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