Glenn Chandler (including its series "Crown Court") before creating and writing his own series "Taggart" for STV Productions (ITV Network). Chandler created "Taggart" for STV's Controller of Drama, Robert Love, who wanted to set a police series in Glasgow. Chandler was inspired by true crime and real life, and even lifted the names of characters for the series from gravestones in Maryhill Cemetery in Glasgow. The series continued even after the death of the actor Mark McManus, who played the lead role of Jim Taggart, and became the longest-running police drama on British television. Chandler has continued to write for his first
Taggart long-suffering sidekick to Jardine, former long-suffering sidekick to Taggart. Fraser was later revealed to be gay. (McCredie had made an early appearance in Taggart when he played a suspect part of a youth gang). DI Robbie Ross (John Michie) joined the team in 1998 (Michie had made an early appearance in "Taggart" in 1990, when he played a suspect called Robby Meiklejohn in an episode called "Love Knot"). When MacPherson left the series in 2002 his character was killed off and replaced with DCI Matt Burke, formerly of Special Branch (played by Alex Norton, who had previously appeared in the