Rumpole of the Bailey is a
British televisionBritish television broadcasting started in 1936, and now has a collection of free and subscription services over a variety of distribution media, through which there are up to 600 channels for consumers as well as on-demand content. There are six main channel owners who are responsible for most...
series created and written by the
BritishThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
writer and barrister
John MortimerSir John Clifford Mortimer, CBE, QC was an English barrister, dramatist, screenwriter and author.-Early life:...
,
QCQueen'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". Membership exists in various Commonwealth countries around the world and it is a status, conferred by the Crown,...
which starred
Leo McKernReginald "Leo" McKern AO was an Australian actor who appeared in numerous British television programs and movies, and more than 200 stage roles.-Early life:...
as Horace Rumpole, an aging
London[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...
barristerA barrister is a lawyer found in many common law jurisdictions that employ a split profession in relation to legal representation. In split professions, the other types of lawyers are mainly solicitors...
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
QCQueen'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". Membership exists in various Commonwealth countries around the world and it is a status, conferred by the Crown,...
or a
Circuit JudgeCircuit Judges are senior judges in England and Wales who sit in the Crown Court, County Courts and certain specialized sub-divisions of the High Court of Justice, such as the Technology and Construction Court. The office of Circuit Judge was created by the Courts Act 1971. Circuit Judges are...
(referred to as Queer Customers and Circus Judges by Rumpole), he only enjoys the simple pleasure of defending his clients at
The Old BaileyThe Central Criminal Court in the United Kingdom, commonly known as the Old Bailey, is a court building in central London, one of a number of buildings housing the Crown Court. The Crown Court sitting at the Central Criminal Court deals with major criminal cases from Greater London and, in...
, London's central criminal court. A devotee of
Arthur Quiller-CouchSir 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 VerseThe 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
WordsworthWilliam 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 secretly calls his wife Hilda "She Who Must Be Obeyed" (
SWMBOSWMBO is an acronym for "She Who Must Be Obeyed" . It is an example of internet slang, and is often used on message boards.The term originates from the Granada television series Rumpole of the Bailey...
), a reference to the novel
SheShe: A History of Adventure is a novel by H. Rider Haggard, first serialized in The Graphic from October 1886 to January 1887. In reprints it was extraordinarily popular in its time, and has remained in print to the present day...
by
H. Rider HaggardSir Henry Rider Haggard KBE , was a prolific 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
PengePenge 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...
BungalowA bungalow is a type of single-story house that originated in India. The word derives from the Gujarati બંગલો baṅgalo, which in turn derives from the Hindi बंगला baṅglā, meaning "Bengali" and used elliptically for a "house in the Bengal style"...
MurderMurder, as defined in common law countries, is the unlawful killing of another human being with intent , and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
s "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-examinationIn 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 .In the United States, the cross-examining attorney is typically not permitted to...
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
policeA police service is a public force empowered to enforce the law and provide security through the legitimized use of force.The term is most commonly associated with police services of a state that are authorized to exercise the police power of that state within a defined legal or territorial area of...
are infallible.
Rumpole enjoys smoking inexpensive cigars (
cherootThe 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 37....
s), drinking cheap red wine, and indulging in a diet of fried foods, overboiled vegetables, cheese sandwiches, and steak and kidney pudding. Every day he visits "Pommeroy's", a wine bar located on Fleet Street 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
PlonkPlonk 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 EmbankmentThe 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 StreetFleet Street is a street in London, England named after the River Fleet. It was the home of the British press until the 1980s. Even though the last major British news office, Reuters, left in 2005, the street's name continues to be used as a metonym for the British national press.-History and...
". 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
TongaTonga , officially the Kingdom of Tonga , an archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean, comprises 169 islands, 36 of which are inhabited, and stretches over a distance of about 800 kilometres in a north-south line...
" (or the
Windward IslandsThe Windward Islands are the southern islands of the Lesser Antilles.-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 West Indies blow east to west...
: Rumpole is occasionally an
unreliable narratorIn fiction an unreliable narrator is a narrator whose credibility has been seriously compromised...
).
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 innocenceThe presumption of innocence being considered innocent until proven guilty is a legal right that the accused in criminal trials has in many modern countries...
, the "
Golden ThreadWoolmington v DPP [1935] AC 462 is a famous House of Lords case in English law, where the presumption of innocence was first articulated in the commonwealth.- History :Reginald Woolmington was a 21 year old farm labourer from Castleton, Dorset...
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, we see Rumpole enter 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 actual 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. His Obituary in the Telegraph, 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 at heart, but I don’t think even my darling old Prince
Peter KropotkinPeter Alexeyevich Kropotkin was a geographer, a zoologist, and one of Russia's foremost anarchists. One of the first advocates of anarchist communism, Kropotkin advocated a communist society free from central government. Because of his title of prince, he was known by some as "the Anarchist...
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: he bought his barrister's wig in 1932; first appeared in court in 1937; first met Hilda on 14 August 1938; served in the
RAFThe Royal Air Force is the United Kingdom's air force, the oldest independent air force in the world. Formed on 1 April 1918, the RAF has taken a significant role in British military history ever since, playing a large part in World War II and in more recent conflicts.The RAF operates almost 1,109...
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 some time before the outbreak of World War I. 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 the Second World War 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 judge 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.
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 BarThe Call to the Bar is a legal term of art in most common law jurisdictions. Common law jurisdictions were all at one time part of the British Empire. Being called to the Bar has its origin in the royal summons that was issued to one seen fit to serve in the royal court at the monarch's pleasure...
at the "Outer Temple" (a fictional Inn of Court, named on the analogy of the
Inner TempleThe Honourable Society of the Inner Temple is one of the four Inns of Court around the Royal Courts of Justice in London which may call members to the Bar and so entitle them to practise as barristers...
, where
John MortimerSir John Clifford Mortimer, CBE, QC was an English barrister, dramatist, screenwriter and author.-Early life:...
was called, and the
Middle TempleThe Honourable Society of the 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. It is near the Royal Courts of Justice, within the City of London.In the 13th...
.).
Rumpole's family
Apart from the
legal dramaA 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, LondonGloucester 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
AmericanThe 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 "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
FloridaFlorida is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States, bordering Alabama to the northwest and Georgia to the north. It was the 27th state admitted to the United States...
to be near his son Nick, a sociology professor and now
department headAn 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 MiamiThe University of Miami is a private, non-sectarian university founded in 1925 in the city of Coral Gables, Florida within Miami-Dade County...
.
Origins: Play for Today
The origins of
Rumpole of the Bailey lie in “Infidelity Took Place”, a
Wednesday PlayThe Wednesday Play was a series of British television plays which ran on BBC1 from 1964 to 1970. Every week this drama anthology series presented a different play, usually written for television, although adaptations from other sources were also presented...
written by John Mortimer and broadcast by the BBC on 18 May 1968. This
satiricalSatire is often strictly defined as a literary genre or form; although in practice it is also found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, human or individual vices, follies, abuses, or shortcomings are held up to censure by means of ridicule, derision, burlesque, irony, or other methods,...
play – a comment on newly enacted English
divorceDivorce or dissolution of marriage is the final termination of a marriage, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between two persons...
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 NettletonJohn Nettleton is a British 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 TodayPlay for Today is a British television anthology drama series, produced by the BBC and transmitted on BBC1 from 1970 to 1984. Over three hundred original plays, most between an hour and ninety minutes in length, were transmitted during the fourteen-year period the series aired, and it is by far the...
producer
Irene ShubikIrene 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
anarchistsAnarchy may refer to any of the following:* "No rulership or enforced authority." * "Absence of government; a state of lawlessness due to the absence or inefficiency of the supreme power; political disorder."...
, especially the
RussiaRussia , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia . It is a semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n
Peter KropotkinPeter Alexeyevich Kropotkin was a geographer, a zoologist, and one of Russia's foremost anarchists. One of the first advocates of anarchist communism, Kropotkin advocated a communist society free from central government. Because of his title of prince, he was known by some as "the Anarchist...
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. In an early synopsis of the character, Mortimer suggested that part of the reason for the breakdown of Rumpole's marriage was a “tendency to prefer young men”. 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 HordernSir Michael Murray Hordern was an English actor, knighted in 1983 for his services to the theatre.-Early life:...
for the role of Rumpole but, when Hordern proved unavailable, the part went to
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the continental mainland , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans...
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, who played the character as much tougher individual than that later seen in the eventual series. “Rumpole of the Bailey” was broadcast, to good reviews, on 17 December 1975.
The series
Aware of the potential for further stories centered on Rumpole, Irene Shubik approached the BBC's Head of Plays,
Christopher MorahanChristopher Morahan is an English stage and television director and a producing manager, the son of Thomas Hugo Morahan and his wife Nancy Charlotte...
, 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 LambertVerity 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 her association with Thames Television...
, Head of Drama at
Thames TelevisionThames 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. It was both a broadcaster and a producer of television programmes, making shows both for the local region it covered...
, 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 BowlesPeter Bowles is an English actor.Bowles was born in London, England, the son of SarahJane and Herbert Reginald Bowles. He became famous in the late 1970s and 1980s for portraying upper class characters typically caught in hilarious situations...
), Claude Erskine-Browne (
Julian CurryJulian Curry born 8 December 1937, in Devon, England, is a British actor best known for playing Claude Erskine-Browne in ITV's comedy-drama Rumpole of the Bailey.-Biography:...
) and Phyllida Trant (
Patricia HodgePatricia Ann Hodge is an English actress.-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 taking on the part. Other than McKern,
David YellandDavid Yelland is an English actor. He portrayed Edward VIII in Chariots of Fire, Nick Rumpole in Rumpole of the Bailey. He most recently played Ralph Nickleby in a revival of the play The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby, alongside his daughter Hannah Yelland....
(who played Rumpole's son Nick) was the only cast member who from the BBC "Play For Today" pilot who also became a regular in the series.
Rob Page's title sequence, featuring amusing
caricatureA caricature can refer to a portrait that exaggerates or distorts the essence of a person or thing to create an easily identifiable visual likeness...
s of Rumpole, was inspired by the nineteenth-century cartoonist
George CruikshankGeorge Cruikshank was a British caricaturist and book illustrator, praised as the "modern Hogarth" during his life. His book illustrations for Charles Dickens - who was his friend - and many other authors reached an international audience.-Early life: Cruikshank was born on 27 September 1792 in...
, who had illustrated the works of
Charles DickensCharles John Huffam Dickens FRSA , pen-name "Boz", was the most popular English novelist of the Victorian era and one of the most popular of all time. He created some of literature's most memorable characters. His novels and short stories have never gone out of print...
. The music was composed by
Joseph HorovitzJoseph Horovitz is a British composer and conductor. He is currently living in London with his wife Anna Horovitz.- Biography:...
, whose extensive use of the
bassoonThe 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 1800s, 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 TimesThe Times is a daily national newspaper published in the United Kingdom since 1785 when it was known as The Daily Universal Register....
; “I wouldn't say the BBC threw away a pearl richer than all its tribe but it has mislaid a tasty box of kippers” -
Nancy Banks-SmithNancy 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 rejected.*1969 - Now : Guardian, TV critic*1965 - 1969: Sun, TV critic...
,
The GuardianThe Guardian is a British daily newspaper owned by the Guardian Media Group. Founded in 1821, it is unique among major British newspapers in being owned by a foundation .The Guardian Weekly, which circulates worldwide, provides a compact digest of four newspapers...
) 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 TelevisionGranada Television is the United Kingdom ITV contractor for North West England and the Isle of Man.It is the only one of the original four ITA franchisees from 1954 that survived as a franchise holder into the twenty-first century. Broadcasting began on 3 May 1956, with the company originally...
where she produced an acclaimed adaptation of
Paul ScottPaul 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 OnStaying 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 QuartetThe 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 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 Wilfred Rumpole(Leo McKern
Reginald "Leo" McKern AO was an Australian actor who appeared in numerous British television programs and movies, and more than 200 stage roles.-Early life:...
): Self-described "Old Bailey hack" who defends any and all clients, and never pleads guilty.
- Hilda Rumpole (Peggy Thorpe-Bates) (Series 1-3, TVM); (Marion Mathie) (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 in the original BBC Play For Today.
- Nicholas Rumpole (David Yelland
David Yelland is an English actor. He portrayed Edward VIII in Chariots of Fire, Nick Rumpole in Rumpole of the Bailey. He most recently played Ralph Nickleby in a revival of the play The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby, alongside his daughter Hannah Yelland....
) (Series 1-2); (Ian Gelder) (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, 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 is an English actor.Bowles was born in London, England, the son of SarahJane and Herbert Reginald Bowles. He became famous in the late 1970s and 1980s for portraying upper class characters typically caught in hilarious situations...
) (Series 1-2, TVM, and as an occasional guest star in series 3-7). The well-connected Head of Chambers (and Member of British Parliament). Despite his occasional fecklessness, he later becomes a Judge.
- Phyllida (Trant) Erskine-Brown (Patricia Hodge
Patricia Ann Hodge is an English actress.-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 "PortiaPortia is the heroine of William Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice. A rich, beautiful, very 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. and then a Judge.
- Claude Erskine-Brown (Julian Curry
Julian Curry born 8 December 1937, in Devon, England, is a British actor best known for playing Claude Erskine-Browne in ITV's comedy-drama Rumpole of the Bailey.-Biography:...
): Phyllida's husband, "opera buff and hopeless cross-examiner", and sometime would-be philanderer. Eventually promoted to Q.C. through Phyllida's maneuverings (upon hearing of his promotion, Judge Graves remarked "They must be handing out silk gowns with pounds of tea nowadays!")
- T.C. Rowley, better known as "Uncle Tom" (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 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) (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.
- Samuel Ballard (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 SamSamuel 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 day. The nickname derives from a comment by Benjamin Disraeli that the Bishop's manner was "unctuous, oleaginous,...
", and generally addresses him as "Bollard". Later became a judge in the ecclesiastical courts, while maintaining his role as head of chambers.
- Fiona Allways (Rosalyn Landor
Rosalyn Landor is an English actress.Landor was born in London and educated at the Royal Ballet School. She began her career at the age of nine when she appeared in the Hammer horror film The Devil Rides Out....
) (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
Samantha Bond is an English actress best known for her role as Miss Moneypenny in the James Bond films starring Pierce Brosnan. She is married to Alexander Hanson and has two children, Molly and Tom. Samantha Bond is the daughter of actor Philip Bond and Pat Sandys, and is the sister of actors...
) (Series 4); Abigail McKern (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 is a British theatre director and producer, and current Artistic Director at the Donmar Warehouse, London.-Early years:...
) (Series 5, Episode 6 only); (Christopher Milburn) (Series 6-7): A young lawyer who has a sometimes stormy relationship with Miz Liz.
- Charles Hearthstoke: (Nicholas Gecks) (Series 4, Episodes 4, 6): Called "Hearthrug" by Rumpole. Another young radical lawyer, who woos Miz Liz during his first stint in chambers. After departing, he is later tempted to return by the possibility of a romantic "adventure" with Phyllida. Rumpole's intervention prevents this.
Staff at 3 Equity Court, London:
- Albert Handyside (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 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.
- Henry Trench (Jonathan Coy
Jonathon Coy is a British actor born in Hammersmith, London in 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 CS Forrester...
): 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 CowardSir 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 Richmond upon Thames, London, Coward...
. Henry's wife is active in local politics and serves as a member of their local boroughThe 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) (Series 1-6, TVM): The oft-seen but rarely heard chambers secretary, and Henry's flame.
- Dot Clapton (Camille Coduri
Camille Coduri is a English actress. She is best known for her role in Doctor Who as Jackie Tyler from 2005 to 2006 and once more in 2008....
) (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 James de Souza is an English character actor and graduate of RADA with ethnic Portuguese Indian and English origins....
) (Series 1); (Denis LillDenis 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 , Rumpole of the Bailey , Mapp & Lucia , Only Fools and Horses , Richard III...
) (Series 3-7): An instructing solicitorSolicitors are lawyers who traditionally deal with any legal matter apart from conducting proceedings in courts , with some exceptions. In the United Kingdom and 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
William Simpson "Bill" Fraser was a Scottish actor on the British screen for many years.-Early life:...
) (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) (Series 2): A humourless, elderly judge who is not fond of Rumpole.
- Detective Inspector Brush (Struan Rodger
Struan Rodger is a British actor who has appeared widely in a range of supporting roles since 1971. He is perhaps best known for his portrayal of Barbara Flynn's husband in the television detective series Chandler & Co...
) (Series 2-5): A police officer intent on seeing accused criminals put away. Rumpole is generally highly contemptuous of D.I. Brush and his "unreliable notebook".
- Mr. Justice Gerald Graves (Robin Bailey
Robin Bailey was an English actor. He was born in Hucknall, Nottingham.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 You...
) (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 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 is an English actress, educated at Malvern Girls' College and Trinity College Dublin....
): Guthrie's social-climbing wife.
- Fred Timson (Peter Childs) (Series 1-2); (John Bardon
John Bardon, John Bardon, John Bardon, (born John Michael Jones, 25 August 1939 in Brentford, England is an English stage and television actor. He was awarded the Laurence Olivier Award in 1988 (1987 season) as 'Best Actor in a Musical' for Kiss Me, Kate, sharing the award with co-star Emil...
) (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 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) (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) (Series 1); (Eric Dodson) (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 was a "hellfire and brimstone" preacher born in Amherst County, Virginia.*Peter Cartwright may also refer to:*Peter Cartwright , husband of the Governor-General of New Zealand, Silvia Cartwright, and chair of the Broadcasting Standards Authority*Peter Cartwright played Elphias...
) (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 was a British character actor in film and television. 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 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...
) (Series 3); (Frank MillsFrank Mills is a British actor who has starred in numerous films and television series. He was born in London. He is best known for his television work, notably the role of Billy Williams in Coronation Street. He has appeared in series such as Midsomer Murders, Foyle's War and The Palace....
) (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) (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.
All 44 episodes are available on
DVDDVD, also known as Digital Versatile Disc or Digital Video Disc,is an optical disc storage media format, and was founded in 1995. Its main uses are video and data storage...
.
The BBC One Play for Today and the second television series were adapted for
BBC Radio 4BBC Radio 4 is a domestic UK radio station that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967.-Outline:...
in 1980 along with seven new stories.
Rumpole: The Splendours and Miseries of an Old Bailey HackRumpole: The Splendours and Miseries of an Old Bailey Hack is a BBC Radio 4 series adapted from the first two seasons of the ITV television series Rumpole of the Bailey, starring Maurice Denham as Horace Rumpole and Margot Boyd as Hilda Rumpole....
starred
Maurice DenhamMaurice 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 BoydMargot 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 McKernReginald "Leo" McKern AO was an Australian actor who appeared in numerous British television programs and movies, and more than 200 stage roles.-Early life:...
and
Maurice DenhamMaurice 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 WestTimothy 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 4BBC Radio 4 is a domestic UK radio station that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967.-Outline:...
in the autumn of 2003.
Rumpole and the Primrose Path also starred West's wife
Prunella ScalesPrunella Scales CBE is an English actress, best known for her role as Basil Fawlty's long-suffering wife in the British comedy Fawlty Towers and her award-nominated role as Elizabeth II in the British film A Question of Attribution.-Career:During her long career Scales has usually been cast in...
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 (1986/1987)
- "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 (1990)
- "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
Every episode of this program is available in a DVD box set, distributed by
Acorn Media UKAcorn Media UK is a DVD publisher which distributes and sells distinctive home video products with a particular focus on British television.- Company history :The company was launched in 1997 when Lesley Fromant set up Acorn Media in the UK....
.
Rumpole: The Splendours and Miseries of an Old Bailey HackRumpole: The Splendours and Miseries of an Old Bailey Hack is a BBC Radio 4 series adapted from the first two seasons of the ITV television series Rumpole of the Bailey, starring Maurice Denham as Horace Rumpole and Margot Boyd as Hilda Rumpole....
(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"
- "Rumpole and the Gentle Art of Blackmail"
- "Rumpole and the Rotten Apple"
- "Rumpole and the Man of God"
- "Rumpole and the Defence of Guthrie Featherstone"
- "Rumpole and the Show Folk"
- "Rumpole and the Fascist Beast"
- "Rumpole and the Case of Identity"
- "Rumpole and the Expert Witness "
- "Rumpole and the Course of True Love"
- "Rumpole and the Perils of the Sea"
- "Rumpole and the Age of Retirement" (13 October 1980)
Rumpole of the Bailey
Starring
Timothy WestTimothy 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...
as Horace Rumpole and his real-life wife
Prunella ScalesPrunella Scales CBE is an English actress, best known for her role as Basil Fawlty's long-suffering wife in the British comedy Fawlty Towers and her award-nominated role as Elizabeth II in the British film A Question of Attribution.-Career:During her long career Scales has usually been cast in...
as Hilda
2003
- "Rumpole and the Primrose Path"
- "Rumpole and the Scales of Justice"
- "Rumpole and the Vanishing Juror"
- "Rumpole Redeemed"
2007
- "Rumpole and the Reign of Terror" (15th and 22 August)
- Truth Makes All Things Plain
- The Past Catches up with Us All
2008
- "The Anti-Social Behaviour of Horace Rumpole" (28th and 29 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
Featuring Benedict Cumberbatch as young Rumpole and Jasmine Hyde as young Hilda. Rumpole and The Penge Bungalow Murders is adapted for radio by Richard Stoneman from the novel 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 forthcoming collection of short stories compiled from a number of British and American magazines.
External links