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| Name | Michael Jardine |
| Portrayed by | James MacPherson |
| Rank | Detective Chief Inspector |
| Duration | 1987 - 2002 |
| Relationships | |
| Family | Ian Jardine (brother) |
| Hometown | |
Biography[]
Detective Chief Inspector Michael Jardine joined the Taggart team in 1987 in the episode The Killing Philosophy as a young DC working alongside Jim Taggart and Taggart's then right-hand man, DS Peter Livingstone. After DS Livingstone left the area, Jardine became Taggart's new neighbour working with him on all of his cases up until Jim's death in 1994. Taggart was always very fond of Michael, saying that they 'were from the same drawer' which was referring to the fact that DS Livingstone was a graduate policeman whereas both Taggart and Jardine had worked their way up the ranks. Jackie Reid was a policewoman assisting CID on a case in the episode 'Death Comes Softly'. Mike and Jackie seemed attracted to each other until Taggart noticed and put a stop to it. They didn't ever get together but became firm friends. Michael had a series of failed relationships with women, who always seemed to be involved in the cases somehow, apart from one woman who was a legal advocate. They all ended up letting him down in some way apart from later in the series when he finally seemed to have found someone suitable, this was in the form of policewoman Heather McIntyre. After Jackie got married to Brian Holmes we didn't see Heather again so nothing seemed to have come of that relationship after all. In the 2002 episode Death Trap, DCI Matthew Burke was put onto a murder case and Michael got suspended, leaving Burke in charge of the case. Michael was later lured to the edge of the Clyde at night by a recently released prisoner who blamed Michael for sending him to prison, knocking him unconscious and into the water below, leaving him to drown to death. Jackie Reid, Robbie Ross and Stuart Fraser were all devastated by his death. In 1994 after Mike was promoted to DI, Stuart Fraser took over his job as the long-suffering sidekick. In 1998 after Jack McVitie's death Robbie Ross joined the team, taking on the role of Jardine's former position as Detective Inspector and Michael was promoted to Detective Chief Inspector. Michael died on 14 January 2002 aged 41. The plaque on his gravestone shows that he was born in 1961. In the episode Apocalypse, Michael Jardine's brother Ian shows up and is revealed to be part of a religous cult group; in a conversation he once had with Jim Taggart, he mentions his brothers, so we know that he had more than one besides him. In Gingerbread, it was revealed by an old flame of his, Gemma Normanton, that he used to bring half a bottle of vodka to school and keep it in his desk. This was a surprise as Michael had been teetotal as far as we knew, the main reason for this was that his father, who was also a policeman, had his career ruined by alcoholism. The only time we ever saw Michael have an alcoholic drink, was when Taggart insisted he have a whisky with him in the episode 'Ring of Deceit' and when Michael had a drink after being suspended in the episode 'Death Trap', but ended up throwing the rest of the contents of the whisky bottle down the sink. Gemma also revealed that he was going to be an airline pilot. DCI Jardine was played from 1987 to 2002 by James MacPherson.
Personality and appearance[]
In the episode Devil's Advocate, DI Jardine had a disastrous bout in the witness box, and the press described him as puritanical and prudish. He has also been described as being rigid and hierarchial by fellow officer Jackie Reid. In the episode Angel Eyes he was told to unbutton it a little by Superintendent McVitie when he found out that DC Stuart Fraser was gay and his homophobic attitude threatened the progress of the investigation they were working on. In that episode, Jardine is also seen moving into a new flat and the wallpaper that he decides on reflects his tastes and personality. Michael usually liked to work by-the-book. Sometimes, Michael even went too far, like when in Berserker, he punched a fellow detective who comments on his relationship with Jackie. He had blonde hair, blue eyes and sculpted cheekbones and was always smartly dressed, whereas Robbie Ross always looked as though he had just got out of bed and often wore the same shirts he had on the day before. In the episode Wavelength, he is described as working too hard and used to getting his own way. In the episode Death Trap, his personality and attitude is shown at his worst when he is taken off a murder investigation. He doesn't get on well with Burke or Patterson at all. But there was no denying that he had charm and used in the same episode to try and charm Sheenagh. It works, although later on he is given a lecture by DSI Valerie Patterson about the sensitivity of the case.
Relationships[]
DCI Jim Taggart[]
DCI Jim Taggart first met Michael Jardine as a Detective Constable in the episode The Killing Philosophy. The two got on well in spite of the fact that he was a teetolling Christian and also drunk mineral water an
A young Michael Jardine with Jim Taggart in The Killing Philosophy (1987)
d Taggart described them as 'being from the same drawer'. Livingstone was clearly jealous when Taggart commented that he used to bounce Michael on his knee and gave the new boy more attention, as Taggart knew Jardine's policeman father. But the good news was that he and Jim got on well despite their differences and his working relationship with Michael was better than it had been with Peter Livingstone's. In Rogues Gallery, the episode that introduces Woman Police Constable Jackie Reid, it is revealed that they sing together in the same choir. When Taggart finds out about this, he says "Oh no, the singing detective." He even rolls his eyes when Jackie reminds him about tonight's choir practice. Michael attends Jim's funeral in the episode Black Orchid and his former long suffering wife, Jean, tells him that he would've stood up for him when Jardine is accused of raping a woman who had been hypnotised to believe this was true when it was not, and ends up being investigated by Complaints and Discipline. Dr Andrews commented that his working relationship with Taggart was nothing like it was with Livingstone's. Jardine said that was because both of them had worked up through the ranks whereas Livingstone had fast-tracked from university, and was from Edinburgh. There were many comical moments involving Taggart and Jardine, echoing their good relationship with each other. In Fearful Lightning, while working at his desk, Jardine got out the old Buddah statue that belonged to Jim, and there is a flashback of him and Jardine talking. At the end of the episode, Jardine is up on the roof and after Jackie leaves, Taggart's boss is heard echoing on the wind. He says, "There are two things you should never try and understand - one is the mind of a murderer, the other is the mind of a woman." In Flesh and Blood, Jim got 'blown up' inside a Custom's building and Jardine dived through the flames but was unable to reach him. Just when they were resigned to the fact that Taggart was dead, he emerged from the side door saying, "Happy New Year". In the episode, Double Exposure, Jim told him to have a drink of whisky he poured for him and did as he was told!
DCI Matthew Burke[]
In Death Trap, Jardine was replaced as Senior Investigating Officer and was forced to work alongside DCI Matthew Burke - a man who was completely the opposite of him. The pair did not hit it off at all and Jardine even accused Burke of corruption. Yet even when the team complained that Burke wasn't doing things properly it was Jardine told Jackie to give him a chance. When the group found him dead on the mudflats at Langbank, Burke appeared to assume it was suicide, but Jackie was unconvinced. Burke was also present at Michael's funeral with DSI Valerie Patterson.
DS Peter Livingstone[]
Livingstone, who was Taggart's first sidekick, was less than pleased when he came back from his holidays to discover that Jardine was part of the team. He seized every opportunity to give Jardine a hard time and on one occasion, Livingstone left Michael alone in a gay bar. Their last appearance together is in Forbidden Fruit.
DS Jackie Reid[]
Michael and Jackie first met in the episode Death Comes Softly, which was also the one when they sung in the same choir. There was some initial attraction between the two but they remained good friends even when Robbie Ross came onto the scene. Taggart warned Jardine about getting any more friendly with Jackie and that he would be transferred to another station and he wouldn't be able to work with him again. In the episode Dead Reckoning, Jackie goes undercover at an outward bounds activity course in the Highlands, and Michael comes to her rescue when the murderer, Peter Lesser, unclips the rope and she falls in the water below towards the end of the episode. Michael saved Jackie's life by jumping off the cliff into the rushing waterfall below after punching the murderer to the ground. In the episode, Fearful Lightning, when Martin Strange (Larry Lamb) claims to communicate with the ghost of their old boss, Jim Taggart, Michael is showing to appear to be sceptic about this. As an apology for an earlier argument, Jardine gave her a bar of chocolate which she took with her later. Jardine didn't seem to like the fact that Jackie was growing closer to DI Robbie Ross and so she lied to him on the night that Robbie had invited her round for a meal. She said that was simply going out with some friends. In Long Time Dead, Jackie's friend Elaine, who was a computer consultant was Michael's partner for the annual Strathclyde Police Dinner and their relationship ended after it was revealed she'd had an affair with the first victim and she became a suspect. It seemed that Jardine wasn't really sure if he wanted Jackie for himself or not, as he was never particularly backward with women in the past, it seemed that he just didn't want Robbie to have her. In Gingerbread, Jackie was clearly concerned about him when it was revealed that Jardine's former girlfriend, Gemma, was already engaged to someone else. Michael himself desribed her to Gemma as just a colleague although he himself was probaby not sure if it was something more.
DI Robbie Ross[]
Michael Jardine and Robbie Ross were first introduced in the episode A Few Bad Men, by which point Michael had been promoted to Detective Chief Inspector. He marked Robbie down as a troublemaker, while Robbie thought that Michael's idea of a wild goose chase was investigating a counterfeit money scam. Robbie, already on his first day at Maryhill CID, was causing trouble in the horseracing industry - which Michael had been informed of by the Chief Constable.
Michael initally appeared to be threatened by Jackie's growing relationship with Robbie and so she lied to Jardine on the night she was to go round for a meal at his place. She said that she was going to have dinner with some friends, but unknown to him, Robbie had asked her round for dinner.
Michael was also furious with Robbie for interfering in his love life, particularly when he sent some flowers to WPC Heather McIntyre on Jardine's behalf - but at least it allowed Michael to take his relationship with the WPC one step further.
In Skin Deep, DCS Brian Holmes arrived to inform Michael that he was investigating Robbie Ross for corruption, which caused a minor rift in their relationship when Jardine gave no sign of support for Robbie. He was later proved innocent and the two mended their differences eventually.
The pair later attended Jackie and Brian's wedding where Ross told Jardine he was going to be late and was seen rushing to get to the registry office on time while carrying a statue under his arm. In Death Trap, it was Robbie who arrived at Michael's flat to suspend him from the Johnny Innes case, and he was devastated at Mike's death later in the episode. Ross later attended Michael's funeral.
DC Stuart Fraser[]
Mike found it difficult to adjust the fact that his young colleague. DC Stuart Fraser was gay. They met in the episode Black Orchid but Jardine didn't find out about Fraser's sexuality until the episode Angel Eyes. He eventually came to respect him and fortunately the two worked well together. Later, it was Fraser who would get a call from Langbank telling him that Michael's body had been found there. Naturally enough, Fraser was devastated by the sudden loss.
WPC Heather McIntyre[]
Towards the end of his time on the show, it was shown that Jardine appeared to be about to start a relationship with Woman Police Constable Heather McIntyre who worked on CID, and admiring glances had passed between them for a few episodes. It seemed obvious to everyone that they liked each other but Jardine seemed unsure of making a move. In Football Crazy, he wanted to order some flowers for her but changed his mind on the phone, worried that it might be taken as sexual harrassment in the workplace, only to be overheard outside his office by Robbie. Heather did receive some flowers from Michael to his surprise which Robbie had rather cheekily sent for him on his behalf, insisting that he was trying to help him out. Michael was initially furious with Robbie for his interference but was secretly glad Robbie had stepped in. In Skin Deep, when she brings a cup of tea to his office, Michael says "You never give up do you?" In Falling in Love, Michael went round to Heather's to bring Jackie and Brian's wedding present - a statue - that she'd left in the car and she even invited him in for some cocoa, what happened after that we do not know. Towards the end of the episode you can see Heather looking up at Michael on the balcony with Robbie and him looking down at her, something obviously between them whilst they are present at Jackie and Brian's wedding as they take their vows. We didn't see Heather again in the new series after that, and no explanation was given as to where she went, so obviously any relationship between them didn't last long!
Dr Stephen Andrews[]
Jardine met Dr Stephen Andrews in the episode The Killing Philosophy. Their last appearance together was in the episode, Falling in Love. The character disappeared soon afterwards and it is unknown whether he was alive around the time of Michael's death or if he attended the latter's funeral in Death Trap. If he had, then he would have no doubt been devastated to hear that Michael had died.
Relationships with women[]
Jardine was hopeless when it came to women and for some reason he didn't have much luck despite initially attracting quite a few ladies. In the episode, Gingerbread, Michael was reunited with a
Michael Jardine and Gemma Normanton in Gingerbread
n old flame, Gemma Normanton who he was engaged to when he was 17, and re-proposed to her. He got turned down again and found that she already had a fiancée in London whom she'd been with for 5 years. She was a crime novelist who was just using him to get information on past murder cases. Michael was devastated as he'd genuinely fallen in love with her again, and after getting a hard time from Taggart about not having his mind on the case as a result, left Jackie to pick up the pieces. "Don't you think you were a bit hard on him?" she says. At the end of the episode Jim says, "Michael? Life isn't always a fairytale." Michael goes off and does not reply. While in Long Time Dead, Mike faced a dilemma when his girlfriend Elaine appeared to be one of the chief suspects. Elaine revealed that she and Michael had been going out for a couple of months. In the episode Rogues Gallery, Mike is seduced by the art dealer Valerie Sinclair, but of course that also doesn't work out either. In Angel Eyes, Jardine gets closer to the sister of one of the victims - until it turns out that she is HIV positive. Due to the fact that Taggart was a whodunnit, the programme only very rarely offered glimpses of Jardine's private life. In the episode Root of Evil, Jardine started a relationship with a women called Julie, when he and Jim Taggart investigated a murder at the Glasgow Garden Festival. Again in Flesh and Blood he is two timed by social worker Fern McCulloch (Hilary Maclean). He also had a fling with an advocate called Tessa Innes in the episode Devil's Advocate. He went to see her only to find her entertaining another man she worked with, clearly willing to sleep her way to the top.
Suspension and death[]
In 2002 DCI Michael Jardine investigated the murder of a young chemistry studen
Jardine just before he is pushed into the Clyde
t, Johnny Innes, who had been shot dead through his bedroom window. It turned out that Johnny was the son of a powerful local politician, Malcolm Innes and because of the sensitivity of the case, it had to be wrapped up quickly and well. Michael was taken off the case due to some past conflict with Malcolm Innes to be replaced by DCI Matt Burke as Senior Investigating Officer, much to his anger. Neither of the two officers got on well and when Michael was banished to a dark office below to go through filing, he started interfering and began to pursue his own line of inquiry. When it was later found out that the killer was still after Innes and Jardine, Robbie arrived at his flat to suspend him permanently. After getting bored just listening to music and reading, Michael became depressed and tried drowning himself with alchohol. Later on, Jardine was lured to the edge of the River Clyde at night where he was pushed into the dark water below, causing him to drown to death leaving his colleagues, Robbie Ross, Stuart Fraser and Jackie Reid in particular, distraught. After Michael's body is taken away, the pair are left sitting on a bench looking totally lost. Burke of course, seemed to think it was suicide; Jackie forgot to mention the bottles back at Michael's flat. Burke said that maybe they didn't know him as well as they thought they did. He later attended Jardine's funeral along with DSI Valerie Patterson. It took Jackie a long time to get over his death and at the funeral she was the one who did the euology, saying at the end that she loved him, although it was unclear whether this was actually more than just platonic. It seemed Jackie only realised herself what she meant after Jardine had died. She also added that he leaves behind hundreds of friends and any enemies he had, he deserved it. It is unknown whether Jardine's brother, Ian, attended the funeral too. Michael's suspension and later death were both reported in the paper.