TAGGART star Colin McCredie is relieved to be making his Beacon Arts Centre debut next week heading up a star-studded cast in a thrilling new spy drama.

The actor was due to perform in the play ‘I, Tommy’ based on former MSP

Tommy Sheridan in one of the first professional shows at the venue prior to its opening in January 2013.

But delays to work on the purpose-built £10 million venue meant the show was switched to the old Arts Guild instead.

Now McCredie, who starred as DC Stuart Fraser in police drama Taggart for 15 years, is relishing the chance to step on stage at its replacement when he leads a stellar cast in ‘Democracy’.

It heads to the Beacon on Tuesday and is a gripping tale of spying, politics and espionage based on a true story about the relationship between 1970’s West German Chancellor Willy Brandt and his personal assistant Gunther Guillaume, whose exposure as an East German spy led to Brandt’s resignation.

The award-winning play, which was written by Michael Frayn in 2003, also stars Scottish acting legend Sean Scanlan who will star alongside American movie actor Tom Hodgkins and Brookside’s Neil Caple.

McCredie, who is married to Kilmacolm Primary head teacher Simone, takes on the role of spy-catcher Gunter Nollau and is excited about performing at the Beacon. 

He told Showbuzz: “It’s kind of relevant to what’s going on. We’re pulling out of Europe and Brandt was all about opening Europe up so it’s quite ironic.

“It’s a cast of 10 which is really unusual to get so many actors on stage. It’s been a good few years since I was in a play with so many people. 

“Coming to the Beacon for the first time will be fantastic.

“I was meant to play it just when it opened I did the ‘I, Tommy’ play about

Tommy Sheridan and it was booked to go into the Beacon – I think we were to be one of the very first professional shows – and the building didn’t open on time and we got punted back to the Arts Guild.”

The play has been likened to a combination between a John Le Carre thriller such as Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy and The Night Manager with the dynamism of modern favourites like  The West Wing and House of Cards.

He says it is ‘serious’ but that there are ‘laughs in it’.

Scottish touring company Rapture Theatre presents Democracy at the Beacon on Tuesday at 7.30pm.

For tickets, priced £10/£12, visit www.beaconartscentre.co.uk or call the box office on 723723.