Hunt launched for Taggart treasure investigator
Glasgow Caledonian University has launched a hunt for a PhD student to investigate an archive of Taggart scripts and memorabilia donated by Blythe Duff.
The actress, who played Jackie Reid in the iconic detective show, donated scripts from 95 episodes to the university in 2018, along with a treasure trove of material from her career, including books, press cuttings, awards and rare photographs.
Now academics are searching for a PhD candidate to research the archive as part of a three-year studentship.
Possible research themes include the contribution of the archive to understanding the history of Scottish TV drama production and scriptwriting and the wider history of television and theatre in Scotland, from the perspective of a female actress breaking into a male-dominated industry.
Professor John Cook, of Glasgow Caledonian's Department of Media and Journalism, said: "It is a really significant cultural archive. Blythe kept everything throughout her long and successful acting career.
"The archive gives us a new window not only into the history of Taggart and Scottish TV drama but wider Scottish culture, including tartan noir.
"We are delighted to offer the right student the opportunity to investigate this previously unexplored full archive."
Blythe Duff, an honorary graduate and a Cultural Fellow of Glasgow Caledonian, made her first on-screen appearance in Taggart in the episode Death Comes Softly in 1990 and was part of the final cast in the last episode screened by STV, called Ends of Justice in 2010.
Students from Glasgow Caledonian's MA TV Fiction Writing, the only postgraduate course in the UK dedicated to writing television drama, use the scripts as part of their studies.
Applicants for the fully-funded studentship, which is due to start in the autumn, are being asked to provide a detailed research proposal before the closing date of April 21.
To find out more and apply visit Find a PhD.
From October 2018. Blythe Duff donates archive to Glasgow Caledonian: