Taggart (TV Series) Dead Ringer, Part 1 (1985) User Reviews

Surprisingly good

[bethwilliam · 8/10 · 11 February 2006]

The skeletal remains of a dismembered body are discovered beneath the floorboards of a house in Glasgow. The drama takes an unexpected twist when a nine month old baby is kidnapped from a multi-story car park and a ransom note demanding 50,000 pounds is sent to the parents.

Inspector Taggart and Peter Livingstone soon discover that the two investigations may be linked.

This is the second episode of the Taggart series and introduces the music that became familiar to us for the next 2 decades! As usual the story line is complex and original and will keep you guessing right to the end. Mark McManus is Taggart and fans of the series will enjoy his extra dry wit and understated acting.

'Taggart' begins

[TheLittleSongbird · 8/10 · 26 July 2018]

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.

"Dead Ringer" is a very good start for 'Taggart'. There is a sense of things still settling and not yet found its groove understandably, with it dragging slightly occasionally and the characterisation is not quite as interesting here as it became later, but what made 'Taggart' such a good show when it was in its prime is evident here.

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.

As to be expected, "Dead Ringer" is thoughtfully scripted with nothing ridiculous happening and things being taken seriously without being too morose. The story is involving in its complexity 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.

Good acting helps, with Mark McManus being a commanding presence throughout and the supporting cast and chemistry not undermining him in any way.

Overall, very good. 8/10 Bethany Cox

A solid 1985 start to the franchise

[hindsonevansmike · 8/10 · 2 January 2020]

Viewed on New Year's Day of 2020 - some 35 years after filming - this two-parter has all the bones of later Taggart episodes.

There are red herrings, disguised motives, personality clashes and several stereotypes in the mix. I had not seen these episodes before, but several Scottish acting faces were employed in this story - several of whom subsequently went on to bigger and better roles over the subsequent decades.

The procedural elements were well-handled, with a morose coroner, an irascible boss for Taggart and a bright sergeant who looks at things differently.

This was a worthwhile trip back to the mis-1980s

A very strong start to the main series.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 8/10 · 26 June 2023]

Workmen discover the remains of a body when renovating a house, the discovery coincides with the release of a Prisoner named, who goes into the care of Josephine Peebles.

After a successful pilot episode, Taggart is back, almost two years on, it's amazing to see how many of the original lineup are back, all the main case returned, there wasn't a single replacement, it's quite something.

One thing that definitely worked in the pilot was the uneasy relationships between Taggart and Livingstone, rather than have the pair easy with one another, they established that this is the first time they've worked together since The Strangler. Once again there's no love lost.

It's a very interesting start, Dead Ringer is a cracking episode, it's gritty, intriguing, features some fascinating characters, it feels as if the show had been established for some time.

It's the first time viewers got to see those wonderful opening credits, featuring an animation of McManus, and also the first time they'd have heard that iconic, hard hitting music.

What a wonderful cast, the likes of Colette O'Neil, Valerie Lush and the wonderful JG Devlin, well known for appearing in Steptoe and Son episode 'The Desperate hours,' one of the best things ever made.

8/10.