THE cast and crew of Scottish Television's Taggart are in mourning with the announcement of the death of Iain Anders, who played the part of Superintendent Jack McVitie. He died in hospital in Chichester, Sussex, of complications as a result of an infection following a short illness.

Iain, who had been with the series since 1985, was ''a lovely man with a great sense of humour, a total professional who was very committed to the series'', said executive producer Robert Love. ''He will be greatly missed by his colleagues and the Taggart audience alike.''

Fellow cast members also paid tribute. ''It was very sad and quite unexpected,'' said James Macpherson, who plays DI Jardine. ''He'd been a part of the programme since I joined in 1986, and I'll miss him a lot.''

''I'm deeply saddened by the news of Iain's death,'' said fellow co-star Blythe Duff (DS Jackie Reid). ''Having worked closely with Iain for the last seven years I will miss his friendship and influence both personally and professionally.''

Relative Taggart newcomer Colin McCredie (DC Fraser) said: ''I'm saddened and upset. Iain was very supportive and enthusiastic in the three years I've been in the series.

''He made me feel very much at home on the set when I first joined, and my first thoughts at this difficult time are with his wife.''

Even before his Taggart appearances Iain had an impressive track record in British television drama series, having appeared in Juliet Bravo, Shoestring, and Z Cars among others.

Usually a background character, Iain is a central figure in the current Taggart, titled Babushka, whose second episode will be transmitted on Thursday at 9pm.

He also appears in three further stories in the series currently in various stages of production. Filming, which is taking place at the moment, will continue, as Iain would have wished.

Iain is survived by his wife, Jenny.