PhD student to interrogate Blythe Duff Archive

The hunt for a PhD student to investigate an archive of Taggart scripts and memorabilia donated by Dr Blythe Duff is over.

Karen Dickinson, whose writing credits include Have I Got News for You and The Mash Report, will study a treasure trove of material from the Taggart star's career over the next three years.

Blythe, an honorary graduate and a Cultural Fellow of Glasgow Caledonian, donated scripts from 95 Taggart episodes to the University in 2018, along with rare books, press cuttings, awards and photographs.

Karen, a freelance copywriter, said: "My background is in TV writing and I've recently finished a scriptwriting course with the National Film and Television School.

"I also love Taggart, so all these things have come together perfectly.  I'm very excited to start."

Carole McCallum, the University’s Archivist, said: "It's great because we're working on a PhD that relies on a collection and records that we hold in the Archive as the primary source material.

"PhD students have come in and dipped into different things in the past but here we have a PhD attached to the GCU Archive Centre."

Professor John Cook, supervisor of the PhD, added: "It was a long search but we're delighted our Media and Journalism team have finally found their person.

"Karen showed the right combination of writing talent and people skills for the new post and we can’t wait to find out what she uncovers."