Murdur she wrote: Taggart star Blythe Duff creates Christmas cards inspired by TV drama

She spent 20 years solving “murdurs” – but now Taggart star Blythe Duff has gone from crime fighting to crafting.

It’s as part of a collective of theatre workers who have drawn on hidden skills to keep their creative juices flowing during lockdown.

Blythe, who was starring in London’s West End production of Harry Potter And The Cursed Child before the pandemic closed theatres, has developed a range of cards punning on the STV show’s catchphrase: “There’s been a murdur!”

Now the actor has joined forces with a group of other crafty types as part of a network of independent sellers. The workers from the theatre industry are selling their wares on the website, Playing At Shops, overseen by Scot Squad actor and theatre director Sally Reid.

Blythe said: “I’ve been daft for crafting for years and always make cards for people. I thought if there was ever a year when we could have a Christmas card or a New Year card saying ‘It’s been murdur!’ then it’s this year.

“I’ve been the keeper of all things Taggart and have used my collection of memorabilia to create bespoke ‘murdur’ cards.”

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Blythe’s cards were hot sellers at £7.50 each and the star, who played Detective Jackie Reid in the police show with Mark McManus, James MacPherson, Colin McCredie and Alex Norton, has been busy making more after the first batch sold out.

Blythe said: “Sally and I had a pop-up shop in Glasgow a couple of years ago, and Sally has been working on other ideas involving recycling theatre sets and things like that.”

Sally intends to raise funds with the online shop to support other artists from theatre to buy materials to make work which they can sell on the online shop.

The Perth actor has already brought together designer and director Kenny Miller and set photographer Tommy Ga-Ken Wan, as well as actors James Young and Robbie Jack.

They’ve designed cards, calendars, lamps, paintings bags and Christmas decorations made from old theatre set backdrops.

Sally said: “I had to learn how to build my own website, which was tedious, but now I’ve done it.

“I wanted it to be a place where people could sell their work at a time when theatres were closed and people were furloughed.”

Meanwhile, Blythe has been getting creative in the recording studio, teaming up with Red Hot Chilli Pipers musician and actor Cammy Barnes for a reworking of Fairytale Of New York.

The pair have released a charity version of the classic 1987 Christmas song, by the Pogues and Kirsty MacColl, for Nordoff Robbins music therapy charity and the Actors’ Children Trust. Last week it was at No 4 on the iTunes chart and No 1 on the singer-songwriter charts.