The BEST episodes of Taggart season 20

Every episode of Taggart season 20, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of Taggart season 20!

In the early eighties, Robert Love, Controller of Drama at Scottish Television, and Glenn Chandler, pathologist turned writer, created a Glaswegian police detective named Jim Taggart. A creation which resulted in a world-wide successful television drama that has lasted for over twenty years. With over eighty episodes currently in the can the series, which follows the exploits of Maryhill CID, continues to win over viewers old and new despite major changes in the cast which caused most in the business to write it off. Since the pilot episode "Killer", the only installment to not carry the trade mark name, to the most recently aired episode, the show has presented more grizzly murders and plot twists than even the most ardent of fans can remember. Its film noir quality along with the stunning setting of Glasgow, the second city of the empire, that helps it remain a success even after all these years. The excellent cast, both present and past, have provided characters which have become much loved and remain in the hearts of fans even after their departure. This guide is dedicated to the memories of Mark McManus, Iain Anders, Robert Robertson, and Tom Watson. Taggart is now 20 years old becoming the longest running police drama on television the show is still as popular as it was when Mark McManus was at the helm. Taggart is made by SMG Productions and broadcast on the ITV network over the UK.

Last Updated: 3/31/2024Network: STV (UK)Status: Ended
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Atonement
star
8.13
31 votes

#1 - Atonement

Season 20 - Episode 2 - Aired 12/3/2003

When Billy McCree is found dead in his workshop with his severed hand by his side, recently-released prisoner Jim Naysmith is the prime suspect for his murder - as the dead man's testimony had put Naysmith behind bars twenty years before. While Burke and Reid investigate another member of Naysmith's gang, Ross is flattered when law student Mary Cullen asks to shadow him, but Gemma becomes suspicious of Mary's motives.

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Penthouse and Pavement
star
8.12
33 votes

#2 - Penthouse and Pavement

Season 20 - Episode 1 - Aired 10/7/2003

The months since Taggart's last outing have done nothing for DCI Burke's temper or his people skills. He's still a gruff so-and-so who shouts far more than is really necessary. Soon, though, he and his loyal detectives unearth some nasty goings-on. A famous horror novelist is found murdered in an alley the morning after a prestigious book launch. While attempting to quell the ensuing media frenzy, Burke and the team start to piece together the author's last movements, but initally their only lead is a drugged and confused prostitute with a memory problem. Soon evidence emerges that disputes the author's image as an upstanding citizen.

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Saints and Sinners
star
8.00
34 votes

#3 - Saints and Sinners

Season 20 - Episode 4 - Aired 12/30/2004

Top lawyer Richard Fleet is shot in the head in his car after a late business dinner with his partner Charlie Muir and client Simon Turner, the MD of building company Arcadia. Despite the gun being left at the scene there are few clues for the team to go on. Reid and Burke visit Fleet's widow, Adele, and are shocked to discover that not only are they faced with a less than sympathetic wife but that she is also having an affair with his business partner Muir. Neither have alibis for the time of the murder and fail to mention Fleet's £5m life insurance policy. Residents Betty McGoldrick and Martha Ramsay are protesting against the new phase of housing development. They believe that a pharmaceutical company once stood on the site and that chemical contamination has already caused a spate of illnesses, including Martha's son Ben who has leukemia. The women inform them that the case was thrown out of court and to Burke's surprise he discovers that Fleet and Muir represented the residents and not Arcadia – despite being on Arcadia's payroll. When Muir is shot on the Arcadia site and another identical gun is found near the body, Burke begins to suspect Turner. However, his suspicions are without cause when Turner is later found shot dead in the Fleet's home, again with a gun at his side. As the team start to unravel the mystery, an unnamed fourth man is discovered to have been at the restaurant on the night of the first murder. But can a paralysed Muir help them find the guns, the killer and the identity of the fourth man?

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Compensation
star
7.97
33 votes

#4 - Compensation

Season 20 - Episode 3 - Aired 4/30/2004

DCI Burke's personal life comes to the fore as the team are called to the countryside of Fenmore after a farmer is killed in a suspicious fire. With few clues and no villager prepared to offer information, Burke feels they have stepped into a private war.

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