Taggart is a gritty Scottish detective drama with 29 feature-length editions available for purchase from the U.K. on-line.  Written by Glen Chandler, the pilot premiered on UK television in 1983.  The pilot was a hit, but no additional episodes were produced until 1985. The title character, Detective Chief Inspector James Taggart, was played by Mark McManus until his death in 1994.  In 1987, actor James MacPherson was added to the show as Detective Sergeant Michael Jardine, who took over as lead detective on the series after McManus’ death.  Blythe Duff joined the show in 1990 as Detective Constable Jackie Reid.  All three actors are featured in Taggart: Nest of Vipers.  After 18 years, the series is still being produced, with the latest episode airing in February 2000.  UK cable viewers can still catch reruns of the series on Sunday and Thursday nights at 9 p.m. on ITV.

Two skulls are found at the construction site of a new bypass, but no one is sure whether they are from a nearby Roman archaeological dig or from unsolved murders of two women on file at Taggart’s office. The story centers on whether there is a connection between the murders and the theft of poisonous snakes from a local research laboratory.