Rumpole of the Bailey

Rumpole of the Bailey is a British television

British television

Public television broadcasting started in the United Kingdom in 1936, and now has a collection of free and subscription services over a variety of distribution media, through which there are over 480 channelsTaking the base Sky EPG TV Channels. A breakdown is impossible due to a) the number of...

series created and written by the British

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

writer and barrister John Mortimer

John Mortimer

Sir John Clifford Mortimer, CBE, QC was a British barrister, dramatist, screenwriter and author.-Early life:...

which starred Leo McKern

Leo McKern

Reginald "Leo" McKern, AO was an Australian-born British actor who appeared in numerous British and Australian television programmes and movies, and more than 200 stage roles.-Early life:...

as Horace Rumpole, an ageing London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

barrister

Barrister

A barrister is a member of one of the two classes of lawyer found in many common law jurisdictions with split legal professions. Barristers specialise in courtroom advocacy, drafting legal pleadings and giving expert legal opinions...

who defends any and all clients. It has been spun off into a series of short stories, novels, and radio programmes.

Character sketch

While certain biographical details are slightly different in the original TV series and the subsequent book series, Horace Rumpole has a number of definite character traits that are constant. First and foremost, Rumpole loves the courtroom. Despite attempts by his friends and family to get him to move on to a more respectable position for his age, such as a Queen's Counsel

Queen's Counsel

Queen's Counsel , known as King's Counsel during the reign of a male sovereign, are lawyers appointed by letters patent to be one of Her [or His] Majesty's Counsel learned in the law...

(QC) or a Circuit Judge (referred to as Queer Customers and Circus Judges by Rumpole), he only enjoys the simple pleasure of defending his clients (who are often legal aid cases) at the Old Bailey

Old Bailey

The Central Criminal Court in England and Wales, commonly known as the Old Bailey from the street in which it stands, is a court building in central London, one of a number of buildings housing the Crown Court...

, London's Central Criminal Court: "the honour of being an Old Bailey Hack," as he describes his work. A devotee of Arthur Quiller-Couch

Arthur Quiller-Couch

Sir Arthur Thomas Quiller-Couch was a Cornish writer, who published under the pen name of Q. He is primarily remembered for the monumental Oxford Book Of English Verse 1250–1900 , and for his literary criticism...

's Oxford Book of English Verse

Oxford Book of English Verse

The Oxford Book of English Verse most commonly means the Oxford Book of English Verse 1250–1900 edited by Arthur Quiller-Couch, an anthology of English poetry that had a very substantial influence on popular taste and perception of poetry for at least a generation...

, he often quotes Wordsworth

William Wordsworth

William Wordsworth was a major English Romantic poet who, with Samuel Taylor Coleridge, helped to launch the Romantic Age in English literature with the 1798 joint publication Lyrical Ballads....

(and other poets less frequently, e.g. Shakespeare

William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...

). He secretly calls his wife Hilda "She Who Must Be Obeyed", a reference to the novel She

She (novel)

She, subtitled A History of Adventure, is a novel by Henry Rider Haggard, first serialized in The Graphic magazine from October 1886 to January 1887. She is one of the classics of imaginative literature, and with over 83 million copies sold in 44 different languages, one of the best-selling books...

by H. Rider Haggard

H. Rider Haggard

Sir Henry Rider Haggard, KBE was an English writer of adventure novels set in exotic locations, predominantly Africa, and a founder of the Lost World literary genre. He was also involved in agricultural reform around the British Empire...

.

His skill at defending his clients is legendary among the criminal classes. The Timson clan of "minor villains" (primarily thieves) regularly rely on Rumpole to get them out of their latest bit of trouble with the law. Rumpole is proud of his successful handling of the Penge

Penge

Penge is a suburb of London in the London Borough of Bromley. It is located south east of Charing Cross.-History:Penge was once a small town, which was recorded under the name Penceat in a Saxon deed dating from 957...

Bungalow murders "alone and without a leader" (that is, as a "junior" barrister without a QC) early in his career and of his extensive knowledge of bloodstains and typewriters. Cross-examination

Cross-examination

In law, cross-examination is the interrogation of a witness called by one's opponent. It is preceded by direct examination and may be followed by a redirect .- Variations by Jurisdiction :In...

is one of his favourite activities, and he disdains barristers who lack either the skill or courage to ask the right questions. His courtroom zeal gets him into trouble from time to time. More than once, his investigations reveal more than his client wants him to know. Rumpole's most chancy encounters stem from arguing with judges, particularly those who seem to believe that being on trial implies guilt or that the police

Police

The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...

are infallible.

Rumpole enjoys smoking inexpensive cigars (cheroot

Cheroot

The cheroot or stogie is a cylindrical cigar with both ends clipped during manufacture. Since cheroots do not taper, they are inexpensive to roll mechanically, and their low cost makes them particularly popular. Typically, stogies have a length of 3.5 to 6.5 inches, and a ring gauge of 34 to...

s), drinking cheap red wine, and indulging in a diet of fried foods, overboiled vegetables, cheese-and-tomato sandwiches, and steak and kidney pudding

Steak and kidney pudding

Steak and kidney pudding is a savoury pudding made by enclosing diced steak and beef, lamb's or pig's kidney pieces in gravy in a suet pastry....

. Every day he visits "Pommeroy's", a wine bar

Wine bar

A wine bar is a tavern-like business focusing on selling wine, rather than liquor or beer. A typical feature of many wine bars is a wide selection of wines available by the glass. Some wine bars are profiled on wines of a certain type of origin, such as Italian wine or Champagne...

located on Fleet Street

Fleet Street

Fleet Street is a street in central London, United Kingdom, named after the River Fleet, a stream that now flows underground. It was the home of the British press until the 1980s...

within walking distance of both the Old Bailey and his law office at Equity Court, and at which he contributes regularly to an ever-increasing bar tab by purchasing glasses of red wine of a questionable quality, to which he refers as either "Cooking Claret", "Pommeroy's Plonk

Plonk (wine)

Plonk is an unspecific and derogatory term in British and Australian English for wine that is notably inexpensive or judged to be of poor quality. It is believed to come from Australian slang, in reference to blanc , before it became naturalised in Britain...

", "Pommeroy's Very Ordinary", "Chateau Thames Embankment

Thames Embankment

The Thames Embankment is a major feat of 19th century civil engineering designed to reclaim marshy land next to the River Thames in central London. It consists of the Victoria and Chelsea Embankment....

", or "Chateau Fleet Street". (The last two terms are derogatory: the subterranean Fleet river, over which Fleet Street was built, served as the main sewer of Victorian London, while the Thames Embankment in central London was a reclamation of marshy land which, until the 1960s, was notably polluted.) His cigar smoking is often the subject of debate within his chambers. His peers sometimes criticise his attire, noting his old hat, imperfectly aligned clothes, cigar ash trailing down his waistcoat and faded barrister's wig, "bought second hand from a former Chief Justice of Tonga

Tonga

Tonga, officially the Kingdom of Tonga , is a state and an archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean, comprising 176 islands scattered over of ocean in the South Pacific...

" (or the Windward Islands

Windward Islands

The Windward Islands are the southern islands of the Lesser Antilles, within the West Indies.-Name and geography:The Windward Islands are called such because they were more windward to sailing ships arriving in the New World than the Leeward Islands, given that the prevailing trade winds in the...

: Rumpole is occasionally an unreliable narrator

Unreliable narrator

An unreliable narrator is a narrator, whether in literature, film, or theatre, whose credibility has been seriously compromised. The term was coined in 1961 by Wayne C. Booth in The Rhetoric of Fiction. This narrative mode is one that can be developed by an author for a number of reasons, usually...

).

Despite his affection for the criminal classes, Rumpole's character is marked by a firm set of ethics. He is a staunch believer in the presumption of innocence

Presumption of innocence

The presumption of innocence, sometimes referred to by the Latin expression Ei incumbit probatio qui dicit, non qui negat, is the principle that one is considered innocent until proven guilty. Application of this principle is a legal right of the accused in a criminal trial, recognised in many...

, the "Golden Thread of British Justice".
Accordingly, Rumpole's credo is "I never plead guilty", although he has qualified that credo by stating on several occasions that he is morally bound to enter a guilty plea if he knows for a fact that the defendant is actually guilty of the crime of which he/she is accused. (In fact, he enters a plea of guilty on behalf of his clients in "Rumpole's Last Case".) However, if there is any doubt whatsoever in Rumpole's mind about the facts surrounding the commission of the crime – even if the defendant has personally confessed to the deed (having stated, and proved, on one occasion that "there is no piece of evidence more unreliable than a confession!") – Rumpole feels equally honour-bound to enter a plea of "not guilty" and offer the best defence possible. Rumpole's "never plead guilty" credo also prevents him from making deals that involve pleading guilty to lesser charges.

Rumpole also refuses to prosecute, feeling it more necessary to defend the accused than to work to imprison them. (There was one exception where Rumpole took on a private prosecution, working for a private citizen rather than for the crown, but he proved that the defendant was innocent and then reaffirmed, "from now on, Rumpole only defends".)

Some of Rumpole's clients feel that things would have been better for them if they had been found guilty and resent him for getting them off.

Mortimer confirmed on a number of occasions that Rumpole was, in part, based on a chance meeting in court with James Burge QC. Mortimer's obituary in The Daily Telegraph

The Daily Telegraph

The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...

runs as follows: "In the early 1970s Mortimer was appearing for some football hooligans when James Burge, with whom he was sharing the defence, told him: 'I’m really an anarchist

Anarchy

Anarchy , has more than one colloquial definition. In the United States, the term "anarchy" typically is meant to refer to a society which lacks publicly recognized government or violently enforced political authority...

at heart, but I don’t think even my darling old Prince Peter Kropotkin

Peter Kropotkin

Prince Pyotr Alexeyevich Kropotkin was a Russian zoologist, evolutionary theorist, philosopher, economist, geographer, author and one of the world's foremost anarcho-communists. Kropotkin advocated a communist society free from central government and based on voluntary associations between...

would have approved of this lot.' 'And there,' Mortimer realised, 'I had Rumpole.'"

Television

In the television series, where Rumpole first appeared, there is some consistency with regard to Rumpole's backstory. While his exact age is never revealed, certain dates that have been mentioned are suggestive: his Oxford Book of English Verse

Oxford Book of English Verse

is inscribed "Horace Rumpole, Little Wicks School 1923"; he bought his barrister's wig in 1932; first appeared in court in 1937; first met Hilda on 14 August 1938; served in the RAF

Royal Air Force

The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...

Ground Staff in WWII; and won the Penge Bungalow Murder case in 1947. The series itself takes place between 1967 and 1992, when Rumpole is getting on in years. All this would seem to indicate that Rumpole was born sometime between 1910 and 1915, although Leo McKern, the actor who played Rumpole, was born in 1920.

Books

Within the context of the books, facts are harder to pin down. He mentions buying his wig in 1932, and another time to proposing to Hilda in 1938, and is "sixty-eight next birthday" at the publishing of the first book in 1978. As well, in "Rumpole and the Fascist Beast", it is mentioned that Rumpole was born sometime before the outbreak of World War I

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

. These last two pieces of information would indicate a birth year of 1911, although later books would seem to contradict this. "Rumpole and the Primrose Path", for instance, appeared in 2003 and was set in the present day; however, Rumpole was not 92 but somewhere in his seventies. Nonetheless, when in "Rumpole and the Primrose Path" Erskine-Brown asks Rumpole what he sings to himself when he's alone, Rumpole replies, "A ballad of the war years".

In general, in the book series, it would seem that Rumpole has been frozen at an age of around 70 years old for the duration of the series, and past events in his life have been retconned in order to fit the time-frame of each specific story. Thus, despite an early story indicating he proposed to Hilda in 1938, in most of his reminiscences it appears that he neither became a barrister nor met Hilda until after World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

ended in 1945. Rumpole and the Penge Bungalow Murders, containing his first unled case and his engagement to Hilda, takes place in the early 1950s. Since 1988, when Phyllida Erskine-Brown became a QC and Soapy Sam Ballard became Head of Chambers, the other characters seem to be similarly frozen in time. In the story Rumpole and the Reign of Terror, Rumpole was still practising in 2006, and Judge Bullingham was still in post. Or perhaps this is a different Judge Bullingham, though this is never stated explicitly. In the 1990 story "Rumpole at Sea," Rumpole says of Judge Bullingham, "But now we have lost him." The prior "Mad Bull" was Judge Roger Bullingham, and this Bullingham's name is Leonard.

Rumpole attended "Linklater's" (a fictional minor public school) and studied law at either Keble College or the fictional "St Joseph's College", Oxford, coming away with "a dubious fourth". He would not be eligible to be called to the Bar in England today, as a lower second is the minimum degree requirement. He was called to the Bar

Call to the bar

The Call to the Bar is a legal term of art in most common law jurisdictions where persons must be qualified to be allowed to argue in court on behalf of another party, and are then said to have been "called to the bar" or to have received a "call to the bar"...

at the "Outer Temple" (a fictional Inn of Court, named on the analogy of the Inner Temple

Inner Temple

The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court in London. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wales, an individual must belong to one of these Inns...

, where John Mortimer

John Mortimer

Sir John Clifford Mortimer, CBE, QC was a British barrister, dramatist, screenwriter and author.-Early life:...

was called, and the Middle Temple

Middle Temple

The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, commonly known as Middle Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court exclusively entitled to call their members to the English Bar as barristers; the others being the Inner Temple, Gray's Inn and Lincoln's Inn...

.).

Rumpole's family

Apart from the legal drama

Legal drama

A legal drama is a work of dramatic fiction about crime and civil litigation. Subtypes of legal dramas include courtroom dramas and legal thrillers, and come in all forms, including novels, television shows, and films. Legal drama sometimes overlap with crime drama, most notably in the case of Law...

, Rumpole also has to deal with his relationships with family and friends. His wife Hilda was proud of her daddy (as she calls him), C.H. Wystan, who was Rumpole's head of chambers, and pushes for Rumpole to achieve more: head of chambers, QC, judge. The Rumpoles reside in a cavernous, underheated mansion flat at 25B Froxbury Court (sometimes called Froxbury Mansions), Gloucester Road, London

Gloucester Road, London

Gloucester Road is a street in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea of London. It runs north-south between Kensington Road and Old Brompton Road at the south end...

.

Rumpole raises tensions with his American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

daughter-in-law Erica because of their differing views (such as her disapproval of him cross-examining a rape

Rape

Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...

victim whom he believed to be lying). His associates' dynamic social positions contrast with his relatively static one, which causes feelings between him and the others to shift over time.

Rumpole retired for a short period of time, moving to Florida

Florida

Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...

to be near his son Nick, a sociology professor and now department head

Academic department

An academic department is a division of a university or school faculty devoted to a particular academic discipline. This article covers United States usage at the university level....

at the University of Miami

University of Miami

The University of Miami is a private, non-sectarian university founded in 1925 with its main campus in Coral Gables, Florida, a medical campus in Miami city proper at Civic Center, and an oceanographic research facility on Virginia Key., the university currently enrolls 15,629 students in 12...

Origins: Play for Today

The origins of Rumpole of the Bailey lie in “Infidelity Took Place”, a Wednesday Play

The Wednesday Play

The Wednesday Play was an anthology series of British television plays which ran on BBC1 from October 1964 to May 1970. Every week's play was usually written for television, although adaptations from other sources also featured...

written by John Mortimer and broadcast by the BBC on 18 May 1968. This satirical

Satire

Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...

play – a comment on newly enacted English divorce

Divorce

Divorce is the final termination of a marital union, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties...

laws – told the story of a happily married couple who decide to get divorced to take advantage of the more beneficial tax situation they would enjoy were they legally separated. The play features a character, Leonard Hoskins (played by John Nettleton

John Nettleton (actor)

John Nettleton is an English actor.One of his most notable roles was that of Sir Arnold Robinson, the Cabinet Secretary in Yes Minister and President of the Campaign for Freedom of Information in the follow-up Yes, Prime Minister...

), a divorce lawyer with a domineering mother, who can be seen as an early prototype of Horace Rumpole. In the mid 1970s, Mortimer approached Play for Today

Play for Today

Play for Today is a British television anthology drama series, produced by the BBC and transmitted on BBC1 from 1970 to 1984. During the run, more than three hundred programmes, featuring original television plays, and adaptations of stage plays and novels, were transmitted...

producer Irene Shubik

Irene Shubik

Irene Shubik is a British television producer, notable for her contribution to the development of the single play in British television drama. Beginning her television career at ABC Television, she worked on Armchair Theatre as a story editor where she devised the science fiction anthology series...

, who had overseen “Infidelity Took Place”, with a new idea for a play, titled “My Darling Prince, Peter Kropotkin”, that centred around a barrister called Horace Rumbold. Rumbold would have a particular interest in nineteenth-century anarchists

Anarchy

, especially the Russia

Russia

Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...

n Peter Kropotkin

Peter Kropotkin

from whom the title of the play was drawn. The character's name was later changed to Horace Rumpole when it was discovered that there was a real barrister called Horace Rumbold. The title of the play was briefly changed to “Jolly Old Jean Jacques Rousseau” before settling on the less esoteric “Rumpole of the Bailey”.

Mortimer was keen on Michael Hordern

Michael Hordern

Sir Michael Murray Hordern was an English actor, knighted in 1983 for his services to the theatre, which stretched back to before the Second World War.-Personal life:...

for the role of Rumpole. When Hordern proved unavailable, the part went to Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

n-born actor Leo McKern. Mortimer was initially unenthusiastic about McKern's casting but changed his opinion upon seeing him at rehearsal. Cast as Hilda was Joyce Heron

Joyce Heron

Elizabeth Joyce Heron was a British film and television actress. She was married to the actor Ralph Michael.-Selected filmography:* Premiere * Women Aren't Angels * The Agitator * Don Chicago Elizabeth Joyce Heron (1916–1980) was a British film and television actress. She was married to the actor...

, who played the character as a much tougher individual than that later seen in the eventual series. Rumpole of the Bailey made its television debut on 17 December 1975 to good reviews by the critics.

The series

Aware of the potential for further stories centred on Rumpole, Irene Shubik approached the BBC's Head of Plays, Christopher Morahan

Christopher Morahan

Christopher Thomas Morahan CBE is an English stage and television director and producing manager.-Training and career:Morahan was born in London in 1929, and was educated at Highgate School...

, and obtained permission from him to commission a further six Rumpole of the Bailey scripts from John Mortimer. However, Morahan left his post at the BBC a short time later and his successor was not interested in turning Rumpole of the Bailey into a series. At around this time, Shubik was contacted by Verity Lambert

Verity Lambert

Verity Ann Lambert, OBE was an English television and film producer. She is best known as the founding producer of the science-fiction series Doctor Who, a programme which has become a part of British popular culture, and for her association with Thames Television...

, Head of Drama at Thames Television

Thames Television

Thames Television was a licensee of the British ITV television network, covering London and parts of the surrounding counties on weekdays from 30 July 1968 until 31 December 1992....

, who was looking for ideas for an up-market drama series. Impressed with Rumpole of the Bailey, Lambert offered Shubik the opportunity to bring the series to Thames. John Mortimer readily agreed, since it would mean more money, and Shubik (and Rumpole) duly left the BBC in late 1976.

Rumpole of the Bailey made its Thames Television debut on 3 April 1978 in a season of six episodes. These introduced and established the supporting characters including Guthrie Featherstone (Peter Bowles

Peter Bowles

-Early life:Bowles was born in London, England, the son of Sarah Jane and Herbert Reginald Bowles. His father was a chauffeur and butler at a stately home in Warwickshire; but, upon the outbreak of World War II, he was seconded to work as an engineer at Rolls-Royce and moved the family to Nottingham...

), Claude Erskine-Browne (Julian Curry

Julian Curry

Julian Curry is a British actor best known for playing Claude Erskine-Browne in ITV's comedy-drama Rumpole of the Bailey....

) and Phyllida Trant (Patricia Hodge

Patricia Hodge

Patricia Ann Hodge is an English actor.-Early life:The daughter of the Royal Hotel owner/manager Eric and his wife Marion , Hodge attended Wintringham Girls' Grammar School on Weelsby Avenue in Grimsby and then St...

). The role of Hilda was recast, with Peggy Thorpe-Bates

Peggy Thorpe-Bates

Peggy Thorpe-Bates was an English actress who appeared in the first three series of Rumpole of the Bailey as his fearsome wife. She also appeared in numerous other supporting roles on both stage and screen. She was married to fellow actor Brian Oulton.-Notes:...

taking on the part. Other than McKern, David Yelland

David Yelland (actor)

David William Yelland is an English actor of stage and screen.-Education:Yelland was educated at Magdalene College at the University of Cambridge, where he read English.-Life and career:...

(who played Rumpole's son Nick) was the only cast member from the BBC "Play For Today" pilot who also became a regular in the series.

Rob Page's title sequence, featuring amusing caricature

Caricature

A caricature is a portrait that exaggerates or distorts the essence of a person or thing to create an easily identifiable visual likeness. In literature, a caricature is a description of a person using exaggeration of some characteristics and oversimplification of others.Caricatures can be...

s of Rumpole, was inspired by the nineteenth-century cartoonist George Cruikshank

George Cruikshank

George Cruikshank was a British caricaturist and book illustrator, praised as the "modern Hogarth" during his life. His book illustrations for his friend Charles Dickens, and many other authors, reached an international audience.-Early life:Cruikshank was born in London...

, who had illustrated the works of Charles Dickens

Charles Dickens

Charles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...

. The music was composed by Joseph Horovitz

Joseph Horovitz

Joseph Horovitz is a British composer and conductor. Horovitz's family emigrated to England in 1938. He studied music and modern languages at New College, Oxford, and later attended the Royal College of Music in London, studying composition with Gordon Jacob. He then undertook a year of further...

, whose extensive use of the bassoon

Bassoon

The bassoon is a woodwind instrument in the double reed family that typically plays music written in the bass and tenor registers, and occasionally higher. Appearing in its modern form in the 19th century, the bassoon figures prominently in orchestral, concert band and chamber music literature...

for Rumpole's theme complemented Leo McKern's portly stature and sonorous voice. Mortimer continued to work as a barrister while writing the series, rising at 5:30am to write scripts before going to work at the Old Bailey. The series was critically acclaimed (“Not to be missed. Leo McKern is superb as the wild and witty barrister Rumpole” - The Times

The Times

The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...

; “I wouldn't say the BBC threw away a pearl richer than all its tribe but it has mislaid a tasty box of kippers

KIPPERS

KIPPERS is a term to describe individuals in their late twenties or early thirties that are living in their parent's homes. They may or may not be earning an income. Similar terms include Parasite single and Boomerang Generation.The term has been used by a variety of news groups such as BBC News...

” - Nancy Banks-Smith

Nancy Banks-Smith

Nancy Banks-Smith is a British television critic; she began writing for The Guardian in 1969. In 1970 she was recommended for the Order of the British Empire, which she declined.*1951- 1955: Northern Daily Telegraph, reporter...

, The Guardian

The Guardian

The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...

) and Thames quickly commissioned a second season. However, upset to see that her pay had reduced while McKern and Mortimer had received increases for the second season, Shubik's relationship with Verity Lambert deteriorated and, in the end, she quit Thames after commissioning three of the six scripts for the second season. Shubik moved to Granada Television

Granada Television

Granada Television is the ITV contractor for North West England. Based in Manchester since its inception, it is the only surviving original ITA franchisee from 1954 and is ITV's most successful....

where she produced an acclaimed adaptation of Paul Scott

Paul Scott

Paul Mark Scott was a British novelist, playwright, and poet, best known for his monumental tetralogy the Raj Quartet. His novel Staying On won the Booker Prize for 1977.-Early life:...

's Staying On

Staying On

Staying On is a novel by Paul Scott, which was published in 1977 and won the Booker Prize.-Plot summary:Staying On focuses on Tusker and Lucy Smalley, who are briefly mentioned in the latter two books of the Raj Quartet, The Towers of Silence and A Division of the Spoils, and are the last British...

and set up, but did not produce, The Jewel in the Crown, the follow-up adaptation of Scott's Raj Quartet

Raj Quartet

The Raj Quartet is a four-volume novel sequence, written by Paul Scott, about the concluding years of the British Raj in India. The series was written during the period 1965–75. The Times called it "one of the most important landmarks of post-war fiction."The story of The Raj Quartet begins...

. Rumpole of the Bailey continued under a new production team.

When the series returned for its fourth season in 1987, Marion Mathie

Marion Mathie

Marion Mathie is an English actress who appeared in the last four series of Rumpole of the Bailey as his fearsome wife; and many other roles in other productions, including Mrs Susan Wyse in the London Weekend Television adaptation of the Mapp and Lucia books by E. F. Benson.-Notes:...

took over as Hilda when Peggy Thorpe-Bates retired because of poor health.

Series cast

In all, seven series of Rumpole of the Bailey were made from 1978 to 1992, each consisting of six episodes. A two-hour TV movie, "Rumpole's Return", was aired in 1980, between the 2nd and 3rd series.

The series had an exceptionally large cast, and a fair bit of turnover in the supporting roles. The cast list is as follows:

Rumpole and his family:

Horace W. Rumpole: Self-described "Old Bailey hack" who defends any and all clients, and never pleads guilty.
Hilda Rumpole (Peggy Thorpe-Bates
Peggy Thorpe-Bates
Peggy Thorpe-Bates was an English actress who appeared in the first three series of Rumpole of the Bailey as his fearsome wife. She also appeared in numerous other supporting roles on both stage and screen. She was married to fellow actor Brian Oulton.-Notes:...

) (Series 1-3, TVM); (Marion Mathie
Marion Mathie
Marion Mathie is an English actress who appeared in the last four series of Rumpole of the Bailey as his fearsome wife; and many other roles in other productions, including Mrs Susan Wyse in the London Weekend Television adaptation of the Mapp and Lucia books by E. F. Benson.-Notes:...

) (Series 4-7): Also known as "She Who Must Be Obeyed". Would dearly love to see Rumpole become a Q.C., and Head of Chambers – neither of which are honours Rumpole really wants. Played by Joyce Heron
Joyce Heron
Elizabeth Joyce Heron was a British film and television actress. She was married to the actor Ralph Michael.-Selected filmography:* Premiere * Women Aren't Angels * The Agitator * Don Chicago Elizabeth Joyce Heron (1916–1980) was a British film and television actress. She was married to the actor...

in the original BBC Play For Today.
Nicholas Rumpole (David Yelland
David Yelland (actor)
David William Yelland is an English actor of stage and screen.-Education:Yelland was educated at Magdalene College at the University of Cambridge, where he read English.-Life and career:...

) (Series 1-2); (Ian Gelder
Ian Gelder
Ian Gelder is an English actor who appeared in the TV movie of Rumpole of the Bailey as his university lecturer son. He has also played many other roles on stage and screen. His partner is actor Ben Daniels...

) (TVM only): "The brains of the family", as Rumpole calls him, Nick and his father are especially close. Nick eventually moves to the United States (first Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...

, then Miami) to work as a professor of sociology.

Members of Rumpole's Chambers at 3 Equity Court, London:

Guthrie Featherstone (Peter Bowles
Peter Bowles
-Early life:Bowles was born in London, England, the son of Sarah Jane and Herbert Reginald Bowles. His father was a chauffeur and butler at a stately home in Warwickshire; but, upon the outbreak of World War II, he was seconded to work as an engineer at Rolls-Royce and moved the family to Nottingham...

) (Series 1-2, TVM, and as an occasional guest star in series 3-7). The well-connected if occasionally feckless Head of Chambers, he took silk and was elected to Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...

early in the series (and thus is usually mock-reverently referred to by Rumpole as "our learned Head of Chambers, Guthrie Featherstone QC, MP"). He appears to have been a Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...

MP before joining the SDP
Social Democratic Party (UK)
The Social Democratic Party was a political party in the United Kingdom that was created on 26 March 1981 and existed until 1988. It was founded by four senior Labour Party 'moderates', dubbed the 'Gang of Four': Roy Jenkins, David Owen, Bill Rodgers and Shirley Williams...

shortly before his appointment to the High Court. Elsewhere Rumpole says he was an MP "so uninterested in politics that he joined the Social Democrats" "either a left-wing member of a right-wing party, or a right-wing member of a left-wing party – for the life of me, I can't now remember which."
Samuel Ballard (Peter Blythe
Peter Blythe
Peter Blythe was a British character actor, best known as Samuel "Soapy Sam" Ballard on Rumpole of the Bailey.-Early life:...

) (Series 3-7): Head of Chambers in later series; a very pious and priggish person. Rumpole refers to him as "Soapy Sam
Samuel Wilberforce
Samuel Wilberforce was an English bishop in the Church of England, third son of William Wilberforce. Known as "Soapy Sam", Wilberforce was one of the greatest public speakers of his time and place...

" which is an allusion to a much parodied 19th Century Bishop of Winchester
Samuel Wilberforce
Samuel Wilberforce was an English bishop in the Church of England, third son of William Wilberforce. Known as "Soapy Sam", Wilberforce was one of the greatest public speakers of his time and place...

, and generally addresses him as "Bollard
Bollard
A bollard is a short vertical post. Originally it meant a post used on a ship or a quay, principally for mooring. The word now also describes a variety of structures to control or direct road traffic, such as posts arranged in a line to obstruct the passage of motor vehicles...

". Later became a judge in the ecclesiastical courts, while maintaining his role as head of chambers.
Phyllida (Trant) Erskine-Brown (Patricia Hodge
Patricia Hodge
Patricia Ann Hodge is an English actor.-Early life:The daughter of the Royal Hotel owner/manager Eric and his wife Marion , Hodge attended Wintringham Girls' Grammar School on Weelsby Avenue in Grimsby and then St...

) (Series 1-2, TVM, and as an occasional guest star in series 3-7). The "Portia
Portia (Merchant of Venice)
Portia is the heroine of William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice. A rich, beautiful, and intelligent heiress, she is bound by the lottery set forth in her father's will, which gives potential suitors the chance to choose between three caskets composed of gold, silver and lead...

of our Chambers", Phyllida is a strong advocate with definite opinions of her own. Usually, but not always, sides with Rumpole in Chambers matters. She eventually becomes a Q.C., then a Recorder
Recorder (judge)
A Recorder is a judicial officer in England and Wales. It now refers to two quite different appointments. The ancient Recorderships of England and Wales now form part of a system of Honorary Recorderships which are filled by the most senior full-time circuit judges...

, and then a Judge.
Claude Erskine-Brown (Julian Curry
Julian Curry
Julian Curry is a British actor best known for playing Claude Erskine-Browne in ITV's comedy-drama Rumpole of the Bailey....

): Phyllida's husband, "opera buff and hopeless cross-examiner", and sometime would-be philanderer. Eventually promoted to Q.C. through Phyllida's manoeuverings (upon hearing of his promotion, Judge Graves remarked "They must be handing out silk gowns with pounds of tea nowadays!") He particularly loves the operas of Wagner, and his (and Phyllida's) children are known as Tristan and Isolde.
T.C. Rowley, better known as "Uncle Tom" (Richard Murdoch
Richard Murdoch
Richard Bernard Murdoch was a British comedic radio, film and television performer.Richard Bernard Murdoch attended Charterhouse School. He then appeared in Footlights whilst a student at Pembroke College, Cambridge...

) (Series 1-6, TVM). "The oldest member of chambers, who has not had a brief as long as any of us can remember." He is usually seen happily practising his putting in the clerk's room, or offering cheerfully inappropriate comments in chambers meetings.
George Frobisher (Moray Watson
Moray Watson
Moray Watson is an English actor.Watson's father was killed in Belgium in World War II. He was educated at Eton College and made his first appearance on stage whilst still a student at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art at a matinee performance in memory of Ellen Terry at Hythe, Kent...

) (Series 1-2, TVM and as an occasional guest star in Series 3-5). A sensible if somewhat stiff barrister and Rumpole's closest friend in Chambers. Later a Circuit Judge, at which point their relationship cools.
Percy Hoskins (Norman Ettlinger
Norman Ettlinger
Norman Ettlinger was an English actor who appeared in Rumpole of the Bailey as his colleague Percy Hoskins. He also played many other roles, both on stage and screen.-Notes:...

) (Series 1, Episode 1 only); (Denys Graham) (Series 3-6): A rather minor character, Hoskins seems chiefly concerned with keeping other lawyers from being admitted to Chambers, lest they take away his work. Often prefaces his arguments with the phrase "Speaking as a man with daughters..." Later promoted to a judgeship.
Fiona Allways (Rosalyn Landor
Rosalyn Landor
Rosalyn Landor is an English film, television, and stage actress and audio book narrator.-Early life:Landor was born in London. She began her career at the age of seven, when she appeared in the Hammer Horror film The Devil Rides Out .-Career:In 1970 she appeared with Susannah York in Jane Eyre,...

) (Series 3 only): Originally Phyllida Erskin-Brown's pupil, Rumpole took a liking to her, mentored her, and got her admitted to Chambers. The character left chambers to get married, and was replaced by...
Liz Probert (Samantha Bond) (Series 4); Abigail McKern
Abigail McKern
Abigail McKern is an English actress who appeared, alongside her father Leo, in the last three series of Rumpole of the Bailey, as his younger colleague Liz Probert. She has played many other roles on stage and screen.-Notes:...

(Series 5-7): An outspoken young feminist barrister in Rumpole's chambers, who describes herself as a "young radical" and is known to Rumpole as "Miz Liz". Rumpole's wife Hilda once suspected him of having an affair with Liz.
Dave Inchcape: (Michael Grandage
Michael Grandage
Michael Grandage CBE is a British theatre director and producer, and current Artistic Director at the Donmar Warehouse, London. Grandage won the 2010 Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play for Red.-Early years:...

) (Series 5, Episode 6 only); (Christopher Milburn
Christopher Milburn
Christopher Milburn is an English actor and producer who appeared in the last two series of Rumpole of the Bailey as his handsome colleague Dave Inchcape.-Notes:...

) (Series 6-7): A young lawyer who has a sometimes stormy relationship with Miz Liz.
Charles Hearthstoke: (Nicholas Gecks
Nicholas Gecks
Nicholas Gecks is an actor who appeared in Series Four of Rumpole of the Bailey as his modernising colleague Charles Hearthstoke.Gecks starred as Father Mike in the 1983 film Forever Young.-Notes:...

) (Series 4, Episodes 4, 6; Series 5, episode 4): Called "Hearthrug" by Rumpole. Another young lawyer, brought in by Ballard at least in part to streamline the operations of chambers, a move Rumpole and Henry both opposed for differing reasons. Hearthstoke woos Liz Probert during his stint in chambers, but is ultimately forced out by Rumpole. After departing, he is later tempted to return by the possibility of a romantic "adventure" with Phyllida. Rumpole's intervention prevents this.

Other Staff at 3 Equity Court, London:

Albert Handyside (Derek Benfield
Derek Benfield
Derek Benfield was a British playwright and actor.He was born in Bradford, Yorkshire, and educated at Bingley Grammar School. He was the author of the stage farce Running Riot and the second actor who played Patricia Routledge's character's husband in Hetty Wainthropp Investigates...

) (Series 1-2, TVM): The original clerk of chambers. Fired in episode 3, he remains friendly with Rumpole and gets him the occasional case from the firm of solicitors that he joins as a clerk. Rumpole first met him when he did the Penge Bungalow Murders case, his first major crime case.
Henry Trench (Jonathan Coy
Jonathan Coy
Jonathan Coy is a British actor born in Hammersmith, London on 24 April 1953. He has worked since 1975 largely in television, notably as Henry in the long running legal series Rumpole and as Bracegirdle in the television series Hornblower, adapted from the books by C. S. Forester...

): Albert's successor as the efficient but harried clerk of chambers. Unhappily married, Henry is also an amateur dramatics enthusiast, frequently appearing in works by Noel Coward
Noël Coward
Sir Noël Peirce Coward was an English playwright, composer, director, actor and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what Time magazine called "a sense of personal style, a combination of cheek and chic, pose and poise".Born in Teddington, a suburb of London, Coward attended a dance academy...

. Henry's wife is active in local politics and serves as a member of their local borough
London borough
The administrative area of Greater London contains thirty-two London boroughs. Inner London comprises twelve of these boroughs plus the City of London. Outer London comprises the twenty remaining boroughs of Greater London.-Functions:...

council.
Dianne (Maureen Darbyshire
Maureen Darbyshire
Maureen Darbyshire is an English actress who appeared in six out of the seven series of Rumpole of the Bailey as Chambers Secretary at 1 Equity Court; and also appeared in other roles on television.-Notes:...

) (Series 1-6, TVM): The oft-seen but rarely heard chambers secretary, and Henry's flame.
Dot Clapton (Camille Coduri
Camille Coduri
Camille Coduri is an English actress. She is best known for her role in Doctor Who as Jackie Tyler.-Career:She featured in the film comedies Nuns on the Run and King Ralph...

) (Series 7): The new Chambers secretary after Dianne leaves. A friendly chatterbox, especially in contrast to the quiet Dianne.

Frequent courtroom allies and adversaries:

Mr. Bernard (Edward de Souza
Edward de Souza
Edward James de Souza is a British character actor and graduate of RADA with ethnic Portuguese Indian and English origins.-Early life:...

) (Series 1); (Denis Lill
Denis Lill
Denis Lill is a New Zealand-born British actor.Some of his many film and television roles include Fall of Eagles , Edward the Seventh , Survivors , The Scarlet Pimpernel , as William Knox d-Arcy, the Australian oil pioneer in Persia, in Reilly: Ace of Spies , Rumpole of the Bailey , Mapp &...

) (Series 3-7): An instructing solicitor
Solicitor
Solicitors are lawyers who traditionally deal with any legal matter including conducting proceedings in courts. In the United Kingdom, a few Australian states and the Republic of Ireland, the legal profession is split between solicitors and barristers , and a lawyer will usually only hold one title...

who frequently presents Rumpole with clients – often a hapless member of the Timson clan. Known to Rumpole as "Bonny Bernard".
Judge Roger Bullingham (Bill Fraser
Bill Fraser
-External links:* *...

) (Series 1-4, TVM): "The Mad Bull", Rumpole's most notorious courtroom enemy. Noted for his intense dislike of defending barristers in general, and of Rumpole in particular.
Mr. Justice Vosper (Donald Eccles
Donald Eccles
Donald Eccles was a British character actor.Born in Nafferton, East Yorkshire, he made his stage debut in New York City in 1930, and later became known as a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company...

) (Series 2): A humourless, elderly judge who is not fond of Rumpole.
Detective Inspector Brush (Struan Rodger
Struan Rodger
Struan Rodger is a British actor who has appeared widely in a range of supporting roles. His first feature film role was as Eric Liddell's friend and running coach Sandy McGrath, in the Oscar-winning 1981 film, Chariots of Fire....

) (Series 2-5): A police officer intent on seeing accused criminals put away. Rumpole is generally contemptuous of D.I. Brush and his "unreliable notebook".
Mr. Justice Gerald Graves (Robin Bailey
Robin Bailey
Robin Bailey was an English actor. He was born in Hucknall, Nottinghamshire.Although often chosen for upper class and tradition-bound roles such as Judge Graves in Thames Television's Rumpole Of The Bailey, Bailey is perhaps most fondly remembered for his portrayal of Uncle Mort in I Didn't Know...

) (Series 4-7): Another in a long line of judges who are not fond of Rumpole's courtroom theatrics. Known privately to Rumpole as Mr. Justice Gravestone, and once referred to as Mr. Injustice Death's Head. Originally merely Judge Graves, elevated to high court status in the series 6 episode "Rumpole at Sea."
Mr. Justice Oliver Oliphant (James Grout
James Grout
James Grout is an English actor of radio and television.Grout was born in London, the son of Beatrice Anne and William Grout...

) (Series 6-7): A judge whose affectations of Northern bluntness and "common sense" drive Rumpole to distraction.

Others in Rumpole's life:

Marigold Featherstone (Joanna Van Gyseghem
Joanna Van Gyseghem
Joanna Van Gyseghem is an English actress, educated at Malvern Girls' College and Trinity College, Dublin....

): Guthrie's social-climbing wife.
Fred Timson (Peter Childs
Peter Childs (actor)
Peter Childs was a British character actor who shot to fame playing Cockney Detective Sergeant Ronnie Rycott, nemesis of Arthur Daley in the top rated ITV series, Minder....

) (Series 1-2); (John Bardon
John Bardon
John Bardon, is an English stage and screen actor. He was awarded the Laurence Olivier Award in 1988 as 'Best Actor in a Musical' for Kiss Me, Kate, sharing the award with co-star Emil Wolk.-Acting career:Bardon is best known for playing Jim Branning in the popular British soap opera EastEnders...

) (Series 4-7): Head of the Timson clan, a family of "minor South London villains". The Timsons, who specialize in non-violent petty theft, often turn to Rumpole to defend them from their latest brush with the law. Although many Timsons are seen through the course of the series, only Fred and Dennis (below) are series regulars.
Dennis Timson (Ron Pember
Ron Pember
Ron Pember is a British actor, best known for his role as Alain Muny in the 1970s BBC drama series Secret Army.Pember played the part of the psychopathic taxman in the Red Dwarf episode "Better Than Life"...

) (Series 4-7): Another member of the Timson clan who frequently requires Rumpole's services, either for himself or for a family member.
Peter "Peanuts" Molloy (David Squire
David Squire
David Squire is an English actor who appeared in several series of Rumpole of the Bailey as a South London villain, Peanuts Molloy. David Squier lived in Adak, Alaska for over a year. He has also appeared in many other roles.-Notes:...

) (Series 1, Episode1; Series 4, Episode 6; Series 5, Episode 4): Member of the Molloy family, archrivals of the Timsons. This legume-lover has frequent run-ins with the law. Also known to date April Timson, wife of Tony Timson.
Jack Pommeroy (Peter Whitaker
Peter Whitaker
Peter Whitaker was an English actor who appeared as bar owner Jack Pomeroy in the first series of Rumpole of the Bailey. He also appeared in many other roles. He is the grandfather of actor/director/writer David Shopland, soon to be appearing in a national tour of Lord of The Flies.-Notes:...

) (Series 1); (Eric Dodson
Eric Dodson
Eric Dodson was an English actor born in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire. He appeared as bar owner Jack Pomeroy in Series Three to Five of Rumpole of the Bailey. He also appeared in the Doctor Who story The Visitation and many other roles.He died in 2000 at age 79.-External links:...

) (Series 3-5): Owner of Pommeroy's Wine Bar, to which Rumpole often repairs for a glass of "Pommeroy's Plonk".
Keith (Peter Cartwright
Peter Cartwright (actor)
Peter Cartwright is an actor who has made hundreds of appearances in television, film and on radio and has worked extensively in the theatre, both in the provinces and London's West End....

) (Series 2 & 5): Almost invariably referred to as "Old Keith from the Lord Chancellor's office". Has the ear of the Lord Chancellor, and is largely responsible (it seems) for determining who will be promoted to Queen's Counsel, or to judgeships.
Dodo Mackintosh (Ann Way
Ann Way
Ann Way was an English character actress in film and television. Born in Wiveliscombe, she began her career in repertory in Dundee in the 1960s....

) (Series 3-5): A school friend of Hilda's who is often mentioned. Barely tolerated by Rumpole, she stops by to visit the Rumpoles on several occasions.
F. I. G. "Fig" Newton (Jim Norton
Jim Norton (actor)
Jim Norton is an Irish character actor.-Performances:Jim Norton has been acting for over forty years in theatre, television, and movies, and frequently plays clergymen, most notably Bishop Brennan in the sitcom Father Ted, as well as in The Sweeney , Peak Practice , Sunset Heights , A Love Divided...

) (Series 3); (Frank Mills) (Series 5-6): Rumpole's favourite private investigator, who is usually battling a cold as he's often called on to tail suspects through the pouring rain. In his first appearance, when played by Norton, he introduces himself as Ferdinand Ian Gilmour Newton. All later appearances were by Mills, and in these appearances Rumpole refers to him as Ferdinand Isaac Gerald Newton.
Marguerite "Matey" Ballard (Rowena Cooper
Rowena Cooper
Rowena Cooper is an actress who appeared in the last three series of Rumpole of the Bailey as the wife of Chambers Head Sam Ballard; and also appeared in other roles on television. She is married to actor Terrence Hardiman.-Notes:...

) (Series 5-7): The matron of the Old Bailey and widow of Mr Plumstead, who later becomes "Soapy Sam" Ballard's incongruously blunt wife.

Each season (seven in all, plus a one-off two-hour episode) was accompanied by a book adaptation, also written by John Mortimer. Although the television series ended on 3 December 1992, the books have continued, now containing original stories.

The series aired in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

as part of the Mystery!

Mystery!

Mystery! is an episodic television series that debuted in 1980 in the USA. It airs on PBS and is produced by WGBH...

anthology program on PBS.

All 44 episodes are available on DVD

DVD

A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....

in both Region 1 and Region 2 formats.

The BBC One Play for Today and the second television series were adapted for BBC Radio 4

BBC Radio 4

BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...

in 1980 along with seven new stories. Rumpole: The Splendours and Miseries of an Old Bailey Hack starred Maurice Denham

Maurice Denham

Maurice Denham OBE was an English character actor who appeared in over 100 television programmes and films throughout his long career.-Life and career:...

as Rumpole and Margot Boyd

Margot Boyd

Margot Boyd , born Beryl Billings, was an English stage, television and radio actress. She grew up in Bath and trained as an actor at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art...

as Hilda.

As Leo McKern

Leo McKern

Reginald "Leo" McKern, AO was an Australian-born British actor who appeared in numerous British and Australian television programmes and movies, and more than 200 stage roles.-Early life:...

and Maurice Denham

Maurice Denham

Maurice Denham OBE was an English character actor who appeared in over 100 television programmes and films throughout his long career.-Life and career:...

died one day apart – McKern on 23 July and Denham on 24 July in 2002 – the role of Rumpole went to Timothy West

Timothy West

Timothy Lancaster West, CBE is an English film, stage and television actor.-Career:West's craggy looks ensured a career as a character actor rather than a leading man. He began his career as an Assistant Stage Manager at the Wimbledon Theatre in 1956, and followed this with several seasons of...

when four new 45-minute plays were broadcast by BBC Radio 4

BBC Radio 4

in the autumn of 2003. Rumpole and the Primrose Path

Rumpole and the Primrose Path

Rumpole and the Primrose Path is a light hearted legal comedy, one of six short stories in an anthology by writer John Mortimer. It is the 12th in a series based in part on his own past experiences as a barrister but also notable for their use of themes topical at the time each was published...

also starred West's wife Prunella Scales

Prunella Scales

Prunella Scales CBE is an English actress, known for her role as Basil Fawlty's long-suffering wife in the British comedy Fawlty Towers and her award-nominated role as Queen Elizabeth II in the British film A Question of Attribution.-Career:Throughout her long career, Scales has usually been cast...

as Hilda.

Television episodes

BBC One Play for Today (1975)

"Rumpole of the Bailey" (16 December 1975; a.k.a "Rumpole and the Confession of Guilt")

Season 1 (1978)

"Rumpole and the Younger Generation" (3 April 1978) (Set in 1967)
"Rumpole and the Alternative Society" (10 April 1978) (Set in 1970)
"Rumpole and the Honourable Member" (17 April 1978) (Set in 1974)
"Rumpole and the Married Lady" (24 April 1978) (Set in 1975)
"Rumpole and the Learned Friends" (1 May 1978) (Set in 1976)
"Rumpole and the Heavy Brigade" (15 May 1978) (Set in 1977)

Season 2 (1979)

"Rumpole and the Man of God" (29 May 1979)
"Rumpole and the Case of Identity" (5 June 1979)
"Rumpole and the Show Folk" (12 June 1979)
"Rumpole and the Fascist Beast" (19 June 1979)
"Rumpole and the Course of True Love" (26 June 1979)
"Rumpole and the Age for Retirement" (3 July 1979)

Special (1980)

"Rumpole's Return" (30 December 1980)

Season 3 (1983)

"Rumpole and the Genuine Article" (11 October 1983)
"Rumpole and the Golden Thread" (18 October 1983)
"Rumpole and the Old Boy Net" (25 October 1983)
"Rumpole and the Female of the Species" (1 November 1983)
"Rumpole and the Sporting Life" (8 November 1983)
"Rumpole and the Last Resort" (15 November 1983)

Season 4 (1987)

"Rumpole and the Old, Old Story" (19 January 1987)
"Rumpole and the Blind Tasting" (26 January 1987)
"Rumpole and the Official Secret" (2 February 1987)
"Rumpole and the Judge's Elbow" (9 February 1987)
"Rumpole and the Bright Seraphim" (16 February 1987)
"Rumpole's Last Case" (25 February 1987)

Season 5 (1988)

"Rumpole and the Bubble Reputation" (23 November 1988)
"Rumpole and the Barrow Boy" (30 November 1988)
"Rumpole and the Age of Miracles" (7 December 1988)
"Rumpole and the Tap End" (14 December 1988)
"Rumpole and Portia" (21 December 1988)
"Rumpole and the Quality of Life" (28 December 1988)

Season 6 (1991)

"Rumpole à la Carte" (28 October 1991)
"Rumpole and the Summer of Discontent" (4 November 1991)
"Rumpole and the Right to Silence" (11 November 1991)
"Rumpole at Sea" (18 November 1991)
"Rumpole and the Quacks" (25 November 1991)
"Rumpole for the Prosecution" (2 December 1991)

Season 7 (1992)

"Rumpole and the Children of the Devil" (29 October 1992)
"Rumpole and the Miscarriage of Justice" (5 November 1992)
"Rumpole and the Eternal Triangle" (12 November 1992)
"Rumpole and the Reform of Joby Jonson" (19 November 1992)
"Rumpole and the Family Pride" (26 November 1992)
"Rumpole on Trial" (3 December 1992)

DVD releases

The seven seasons of the program and the Rumpole's Return special episode are available on DVD and as part of a single DVD box-set, published by FremantleMedia

FremantleMedia

FremantleMedia, Ltd. is the content and production division of Bertelsmann's RTL Group, Europe's second largest TV, radio, and production company...

. The pilot episode (The Confession of Guilt) is also available on DVD, released separately by Acorn Media.

A&E Home Video

A&E Television Networks

A&E Television Networks is a U.S. media company that owns a group of television channels available via cable & satellite in the US and abroad...

released the entire series on DVD in Region 1 between 2004-2006. It was initially released in season sets then on February 28, 2006, they released Rumpole of the Bailey: Complete series, a 14-disc boxset featuring all 42 episodes of the series.

Rumpole: The Splendours and Miseries of an Old Bailey Hack (1980)

Starring Maurice Denham as Horace Rumpole and Margot Boyd as Hilda Rumpole

"Rumpole and the Confession of Guilt" (21 July 1980)
"Rumpole and the Dear Departed" (28 July 1980)
"Rumpole and the Gentle Art of Blackmail" (04 August 1980)
"Rumpole and the Rotten Apple" (11 August 1980)
"Rumpole and the Man of God" (18 August 1980)
"Rumpole and the Defence of Guthrie Featherstone" (25 August 1980)
"Rumpole and the Show Folk" (01 September 1980)
"Rumpole and the Fascist Beast" (08 September 1980)
"Rumpole and the Case of Identity" (15 September 1980)
"Rumpole and the Expert Witness " (22 September 1980)
"Rumpole and the Course of True Love" (29 September 1980)
"Rumpole and the Perils of the Sea" (06 October 1980)
"Rumpole and the Age of Retirement" (13 October 1980)

"Rumpole and the Widow Twankey" (1996)

When Rumpole takes a trip to the pantomime, he discovers all is not well behind the scenes. John Mortimer’s short story is read by Timothy West, produced by Pam Fraser Solomon and was first broadcast Christmas 1996 & repeated on BBC7 Sunday 26th December 2010.

"The Spirit of Christmas" (30 December 1997, BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBC's national radio stations and the most popular station in the United Kingdom. Much of its daytime playlist-based programming is best described as Adult Contemporary or AOR, although the station is also noted for its specialist broadcasting of other musical genres...

) performed by Leo McKern
Leo McKern
Reginald "Leo" McKern, AO was an Australian-born British actor who appeared in numerous British and Australian television programmes and movies, and more than 200 stage roles.-Early life:...

, abridged and directed by Bob Sinfield and produced by Ken Phillips.

Starring Timothy West

Timothy West

as Horace Rumpole and his real-life wife Prunella Scales

Prunella Scales

as Hilda

2003

"Rumpole and the Primrose Path"
"Rumpole and the Scales of Justice"
"Rumpole and the Vanishing Juror"
"Rumpole Redeemed"

2006

"Rumpole's Return" (19th and 26th July)

"Rumpole and the Teenage Werewolf"
"Rumpole and the Right to Privacy"

2007

"Rumpole and the Reign of Terror" (15th and 22nd August)

Truth Makes All Things Plain
The Past Catches up with Us All

2008

"The Antisocial Behaviour of Horace Rumpole" (28th and 29th May)

Rumpole on Trial
Going for Silk

2009

"Rumpole and the Penge Bungalow Murders" (19th and 26th May)

Old Unhappy Far-Off Things
Alone and Without a Leader

Starring Timothy West and featuring Benedict Cumberbatch

Benedict Cumberbatch

Benedict Timothy Carlton Cumberbatch is an English film, television, and theatre actor. His most acclaimed roles include Stephen Hawking in the BBC drama Hawking ; William Pitt in the historical film Amazing Grace ; the protagonist Stephen Ezard in the miniseries thriller The Last Enemy ; Paul...

as young Rumpole and Jasmine Hyde

Jasmine Hyde

Jasmine Hyde ia an English actress who appeared as the young Hilda Rumpole in the BBC Radio 4 dramatisation of "Rumpole and the Penge Bungalow Murders". She has also appeared in other roles on stage and screen.-Radio:-Notes:...

as young Hilda.
Rumpole and The Penge Bungalow Murders is adapted for radio by Richard Stoneman from the novel by John Mortimer.

2010

"Rumpole and the Family Pride" (9th August)
"Rumpole and the Eternal Triangle" (10th August)

Starring Timothy West and featuring Benedict Cumberbatch as young Rumpole and Cathy Sara as young Hilda. Both episodes are adapted for radio by Richard Stoneman from the stories by John Mortimer.

Books

Rumpole of the Bailey (1978) (adaptations of the first season stories)
- "Rumpole and the Younger Generation"
- "Rumpole and the Alternative Society"
- "Rumpole and the Honourable Member"
- "Rumpole and the Married Lady"
- "Rumpole and the Learned Friends"
- "Rumpole and the Heavy Brigade"

The Trials of Rumpole (1979) (adaptations of the second season stories)
- "Rumpole and the Man of God"
- "Rumpole and the Showfolk"
- "Rumpole and the Fascist Beast"
- "Rumpole and the Case of Identity"
- "Rumpole and the Course of True Love"
- "Rumpole and the Age for Retirement"

Rumpole's Return (1980) (novel; based on one-off special)

Rumpole for the Defence (1982) (adaptation of the BBC One Play For Today plus the seven Denham radio episodes)
- "Rumpole and the Confession of Guilt"
- "Rumpole and the Gentle Art of Blackmail"
- "Rumpole and the Dear Departed"
- "Rumpole and the Rotten Apple"
- "Rumpole and the Expert Witness"
- "Rumpole and the Spirit of Christmas" (a.k.a. "Rumpole and the Defence of Guthrie Featherstone")
- "Rumpole and the Boat People" (a.k.a. "Rumpole and the Perils of the Sea")

Rumpole and the Golden Thread (1983) (adaptations of the third season stories)
- "Rumpole and the Genuine Article"
- "Rumpole and the Golden Thread"
- "Rumpole and the Old Boy Net"
- "Rumpole and the Female of the Species"
- "Rumpole and the Sporting Life"
- "Rumpole and the Last Resort"

Rumpole's Last Case (1987) (adaptations of the fourth season stories, plus one new story)
- "Rumpole and the Blind Tasting"
- "Rumpole and the Old, Old Story"
- "Rumpole and the Official Secret"
- "Rumpole and the Judge's Elbow"
- "Rumpole and the Bright Seraphim"
- "Rumpole and the Winter Break" (new story)
- "Rumpole's Last Case"

Rumpole and the Age of Miracles (1988) (adaptations of the fifth season stories, plus one new story)
- "Rumpole and the Bubble Reputation"
- "Rumpole and the Barrow Boy"
- "Rumpole and the Age of Miracles"
- "Rumpole and the Tap End"
- "Rumpole and the Chambers Party" (new story)
- "Rumpole and Portia"
- "Rumpole and the Quality of Life"

Rumpole à la Carte (1990) (adaptations of the sixth season stories)
- "Rumpole à la Carte"
- "Rumpole and the Summer of Discontent"
- "Rumpole and the Right to Silence"
- "Rumpole at Sea"
- "Rumpole and the Quacks"
- "Rumpole for the Prosecution"

Rumpole on Trial (1992) (adaptations of the seventh season stories, plus one new story)
- "Rumpole and the Children of the Devil"
- "Rumpole and the Eternal Triangle"
- "Rumpole and the Miscarriage of Justice"
- "Rumpole and the Family Pride"
- "Rumpole and the Soothsayer" (new story)
- "Rumpole and the Reform of Joby Jonson"
- "Rumpole on Trial"

Rumpole and the Angel of Death (1995) (new stories)
- "Rumpole and the Model Prisoner"
- "Rumpole and the Way Through the Woods
- "Hilda's Story"
- "Rumpole and the Little Boy Lost"
- "Rumpole and the Rights of Man"
- "Rumpole and the Angel of Death"

Rumpole Rests His Case (2002) (new stories)
- "Rumpole and the Old Familiar Faces"
- "Rumpole and the Remembrance of Things Past"
- "Rumpole and the Asylum Seekers"
- "Rumpole and the Camberwell Carrot"
- "Rumpole and the Actor Laddie"
- "Rumpole and the Teenage Werewolf"
- "Rumpole Rests His Case"

Rumpole and the Primrose Path (2003) (new stories)
- "Rumpole and the Primrose Path"
- "Rumpole and the New Year's Resolutions"
- "Rumpole and the Scales of Justice"
- "Rumpole and the Right to Privacy"
- "Rumpole and the Vanishing Juror"
- "Rumpole Redeemed"

Rumpole and the Penge Bungalow Murders (2004) (novel; new story)

Rumpole and the Reign of Terror (2006) (novel; new story)

The Anti-social Behaviour of Horace Rumpole (2007) (novel; new story) published in the USA as Rumpole Misbehaves

Rumpole at Christmas (2009) A collection of Christmas-themed short stories compiled from a number of British and American magazines. A shorter collection of these stories was published in the USA as A Rumpole Christmas.
- "Rumpole and the Old Familiar Faces"
- "Rumpole and the Christmas Break"
- "Rumpole and the Boy"
- "Rumpole and the Millennium Bug" (*)
- "Rumpole and the Christmas Party" (*)
- "Rumpole and Father Christmas"
- "Rumpole and the Health Farm Murder" (**) Does not appear in A Rumpole Christmas Appears in A Rumpole Christmas as "Rumpole's Slimmed-down Christmas"

External links

Salons interview with John Mortimer re Rumpole of the Bailey
Horace Rumpole at The Thrilling Detective Website (includes comprehensive list of television episodes and books)

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