- The discovery of a skeleton under the floorboards of a house leads to the release of a man Taggart arrested for the murder of his wife 9 years prior.
- The skeletal remains of a dismembered body are discovered beneath the floorboards of a house in Glasgow. The drama takes an unexpected twist when a nine-month-old toddler is kidnapped from a multi-storey car park, followed by a ransom demand of £50,000.—Anonymous
- The drama is set in the Glasgow of the early eighties, and the extensive use of location shooting adds authenticity, which may be unfamiliar to those who know modern Glasgow. This was an era before DNA and cellphones. The story is complicated, but one should keep Chekov's revolver in mind. The story opens with the discovery of human remains in an old building being worked on. A wedding ring leads to the body being identified as Margaret Balfour, whose husband, David, was convicted of her murder, although the body was never found. Taggart was responsible for his conviction. We then see philanthropic Jo Peebles collecting a released convict, Norman Burt, from Barlinnie prison in Glasgow. The discovery of the body negates the circumstantial evidence and confession on which David Balfour was convicted, and he is accordingly released from prison, qualifying for substantial compensation. We are introduced to David's brother Mike, who runs a towing business, and his mother-in-law. David Balfour finds accommodation in a halfway house run by Jo Peebles, and it turns out that the previous location of the Peebles halfway house was the old building in which the body was found. Suspicion now falls on the ex-prisoners who were staying in the house at the time of the apparent murder, one of whom might be considered a "homicidal maniac". Taggart is convinced that the body had been transported in a trunk, as the spine was severely curved, yet healthy. Mike Balfour's baby boy is stolen from a supermarket car park, and held for ransom. The police search for the baby turns up our old friend, Norman Burt. Eventually, a trunk is found in the river Clyde, with a skull inside. Taggart wonders at the effort put into making the body hard to identify, and eventually works out the plot, which involves insurance fraud and cold blooded murder. This feature, lasting just over 2 hours, was broadcast in three separate parts. This synopsis covers the whole feature as available on DVD.
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What is the broadcast (satellite or terrestrial TV) release date of Dead Ringer, Part 1 (1985) in Australia?
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