Rumpole of the Bailey

Rumpole of the Bailey

Caricature of Leo McKern as Horace Rumpole from the episode "Rumpole and the Younger Generation"
Genre Drama
Created by John Mortimer
Starring Leo McKern
Theme music composer Joseph Horovitz
Country of origin United Kingdom
Original language(s) English
No. of series 7
No. of episodes 44
Production
Running time c. 50 minute episodes
Production company(s) BBC (play)
Thames Television (series)
Distributor FremantleMedia (since 2002)
Release
Original network BBC 1 (play)
ITV (series)
Picture format 4:3 PAL 576i
First shown in 17 December 1975 (1975-12-17) (Play for Today)
Original release 3 April 1978 (1978-04-03) – 3 December 1992 (1992-12-03)

Rumpole of the Bailey was a British television series created and written by the British writer and barrister John Mortimer. It starred Leo McKern as Horace Rumpole, an elderly London barrister who defended a broad variety of clients, often underdogs. The TV series led to the stories being presented in other media including books and radio.

The "Bailey" of the title is a reference to the Central Criminal Court, the "Old Bailey".

Horace Rumpole

Character sketch

While certain biographical details are slightly different in the original television 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 (QC) or a Circuit Judge (sarcastically 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, London's Central Criminal Court: "the honour of being an Old Bailey Hack," as he describes his work. A devotee of Arthur Quiller-Couch's Oxford Book of English Verse, he often quotes Wordsworth (and other poets less frequently, e.g. Shakespeare). He privately refers to his wife Hilda as "She Who Must Be Obeyed", a reference to the fearsome queen in the adventure novel She by H. Rider Haggard.[1]

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 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 about bloodstains and typewriters. Cross-examination 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. Often, 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 are infallible.

Rumpole enjoys smoking inexpensive cigars (cheroots), drinking cheap red wine (claret), and indulging in a diet of fried foods, overboiled vegetables, cheese-and-tomato sandwiches, and steak and kidney pudding. Every day he visits "Pomeroy's",[2] a wine bar on Fleet Street within walking distance of the Old Bailey and his chambers 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", "Pomeroy's Plonk", "Pomeroy's Very Ordinary", "Chateau Thames Embankment", or "Chateau Fleet Street". (The last two terms are particularly derogatory: the subterranean Fleet river, which flows below Farringdon Street in a culvert and crosses under one end of Fleet Street at Ludgate Circus, served as the main sewer of Victorian London,[3] while the Thames Embankment in central London was a reclamation of marshy land which, until the 1860s, 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" (or the Windward Islands: Rumpole is occasionally an unreliable narrator).

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, the "Golden Thread of British Justice". He often reinforces this by proclaiming that it is better for 10 guilty men to go free than for one innocent to be convicted (basically Blackstone's formulation).

Accordingly, Rumpole's credo is "I never plead guilty",[1] 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 important 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.[4]

Mortimer's 2009 obituary in The Daily Telegraph confirmed that Rumpole was, in part, based on a chance meeting in court with James Burge QC:

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 Kropotkin would have approved of this lot." "And there," Mortimer realised, "I had Rumpole."[5]

Biographical information

Television

In the television series, where Rumpole first appeared, there is some consistency with regard to Rumpole's backstory. The original play is set in 1974, and Rumpole states that he is 64 years old, suggesting a birthdate of 1910 (although Leo McKern, the actor who played Rumpole, was born in 1920). Rumpole's Oxford Book of English Verse is inscribed "Horace Rumpole, Little Wicks School 1923. Cursed be he who steals this book," (Series 4 – 1987); 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 Ground Staff in WWII; married Hilda in approximately 1944; won the Penge Bungalow Murder case in 1947; and had his son Nick in 1951. The series itself takes place between 1967 and 1992, when Rumpole is getting on in years.

Books

Within the eco-system of the many short stories and occasional novels, which were written over a 29-year period (1978-2007) the biographical details of Rumpole fluctuated. For example, in the very first book, published in 1978, Rumpole mentions buying his wig in 1932, and another time to proposing to Hilda in 1938, and his "sixty-eight next birthday". in Rumpole and the Fascist Beast it is mentioned that Rumpole was born sometime before the outbreak of World War I. These last two pieces of information would indicate a birth year of 1911, although later books 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 is 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 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, in the books published in 1996 and before, he proposed to Hilda in 1938, and in books published in 2003 and after, it appears that he neither became a barrister nor met Hilda until after World War II 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, entirely inconsistent with the early stories. 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)[6] and studied law at either Keble College[7] or the fictional "St Joseph's College", Oxford,[8] coming away with "a dubious third". 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 at the "Outer Temple" (a fictional Inn of Court, named on the analogy of the Inner Temple, where John Mortimer was called, and the Middle Temple.).

Rumpole's family

Apart from the legal drama in each story, 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,[1] who was Rumpole's Head of Chambers, and she frequently advocates for Rumpole to seek a higher position in the legal world such as: Head of Chambers or Queen's Counsel or a judgeship.[9] The Rumpoles reside in a cavernous, underheated mansion flat at 25B Froxbury Mansions (sometimes called Froxbury Court), Gloucester Road, London.

Rumpole raises tensions with his American daughter-in-law Erica (Deborah Fallender) because of their differing views (such as her disapproval of his cross-examining a rape victim whom he believed to be lying).[10] His associates' dynamic social positions contrast with his relatively static views, which causes feelings between him and the others to shift over time.

Rumpole retired for a short period of time, moving to Florida to be near his son Nick, a sociology professor and now department head at the University of Miami.[11] Nick is described by Rumpole as "the brains of the family". As a teenager, Nick was educated at a British "public school" (i.e. a private fee-paying school), then went on to study at Oxford University, and later Princeton. His academic visit to Baltimore University was determinant for staying in the USA. Rumpole often says that Nick is proud of his father's work in criminal law, and enjoyed his accounts of his cases and "harmless legal anecdotes". However, as Nick grew older, father and son start to grow apart, because Nick doesn't agree with Rumpole's attitudes towards the law, criminals, judges, justice or his own family life.

Production

Origins

The origins of Rumpole of the Bailey lie in "Infidelity Took Place", a one-off filmed television play for the BBC's 1960s television anthology drama series, The Wednesday Play that was written by John Mortimer and broadcast by BBC TV on 18 May 1968.[12] This satirical play – a comment on newly enacted English divorce 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), a divorce lawyer with a domineering mother, who can be seen as an early prototype of Horace Rumpole.[13]

In the mid-1970s, Mortimer approached BBC producer Irene Shubik, who had overseen "Infidelity Took Place" and who was now one of the two producers overseeing Play For Today - the successor series to The Wednesday Play as the BBC's strand for contemporary drama. Mortimer presented an idea for a new play, titled "My Darling Prince, Peter Kropotkin", that centred on a barrister called Horace Rumbold.[13] Rumbold would have a particular interest in nineteenth-century anarchists, especially the Russian 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.[14] The title of the play was briefly changed to "Jolly Old Jean Jacques Rousseau" before settling on the less esoteric "Rumpole of the Bailey".[14]

Mortimer was keen on Michael Hordern for the role of Rumpole. When Hordern proved unavailable, the part went to Australian-born actor Leo McKern.[14] Mortimer was initially unenthusiastic about McKern's casting but changed his opinion upon seeing him at rehearsal.[15] Cast as Hilda was Joyce Heron, who played the character as a much tougher individual than that later seen in the eventual series.[16] Aside from Rumpole and his family, no other characters who would eventually be series regulars were seen in the Play For Today production of Rumpole of the Bailey—with the possible exception of a fellow lawyer named George, who could be an early version of eventual series character George Frobisher. (Note that in the series, George Frobisher was played in a very different style by a different actor).

Rumpole of the Bailey made its television debut on 17 December 1975 to good reviews by the critics.[16]

The series

Aware of the potential for further stories centred on Rumpole, Irene Shubik approached the BBC's Head of Plays, Christopher Morahan, and obtained permission from him to commission a further six Rumpole of the Bailey scripts from John Mortimer.[17] 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, Head of Drama at Thames Television, who was looking for ideas for an up-market drama series.[17] 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.[18]

Rumpole of the Bailey made its Thames Television debut on 3 April 1978 in a series of six episodes. These introduced and established the supporting characters including Guthrie Featherstone (Peter Bowles), Claude Erskine-Browne (Julian Curry) and Phyllida Trant (Patricia Hodge). The role of Hilda was recast, with Peggy Thorpe-Bates taking on the part. Other than McKern, David Yelland (who played Rumpole's son Nick) was the only cast member from the BBC Play For Today who also became a regular in the series.

Rob Page's title sequence, featuring amusing caricatures of Rumpole, was inspired by the nineteenth-century cartoonist George Cruikshank, who had illustrated the works of Charles Dickens.[19] The music was composed by Joseph Horovitz, whose extensive use of the bassoon for Rumpole's theme complemented Leo McKern's portly stature and sonorous voice.[19] 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.[20] The series was critically acclaimed ("Not to be missed. Leo McKern is superb as the wild and witty barrister Rumpole"[21] – The Times; "I wouldn't say the BBC threw away a pearl richer than all its tribe but it has mislaid a tasty box of kippers"[21] – Nancy Banks-Smith, The Guardian) 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.[22] Shubik moved to Granada Television, where she produced an acclaimed adaptation of Paul Scott's Staying On and set up, but did not produce, The Jewel in the Crown, the follow-up adaptation of Scott's Raj Quartet.[23] Rumpole of the Bailey continued under a new production team.

When Rumpole of the Bailey returned for its fourth series in 1987, Marion Mathie took over as Hilda when Peggy Thorpe-Bates retired because of poor health.[24]

Television series cast

In total, seven series of Rumpole of the Bailey were made from 1978 to 1992, each consisting of six episodes. A special two-hour film, Rumpole's Return, was made and aired in 1980, between the 2nd and 3rd series. The author, John Mortimer, occasionally appeared as an extra.

Rumpole and his family:

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

Other Staff at 3 Equity Court, London:

Frequent courtroom allies and adversaries:

Others in Rumpole's life:

Radio casts

Between 1980 and 2015 there were a number of different BBC radio productions derived from the Rumpole stories. Essentially there were two different series and three Christmas specials - yielding a grand total of 40 episodes. Some were new radio adaptations of scripts previously produced for TV; some were special radio adaptations of stories first published in book format after the end of the final TV series and some were brand-new, purpose-written episodes created for radio.

Five different actors - including Leo McKern - portrayed Horace Rumpole in these 40 different episodes.

1980 - One series - a total of thirteen episodes featured Maurice Denham as Horace Rumpole.

2003 - 2012 - In this period there were seven mini-seasons - a total of eighteen episodes featuring Timothy West as Horace Rumpole. West's real-life wife Prunella Scales appeared as Rumpole's wife Hilda. The seven mini-seasons were produced in 2003, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2012. In the latter two mini-seasons (2010 and 2012) there were also actors - Benedict Cumberbatch and Jasmine Hyde - portraying the "young Rumpole" and "young Hilda".

2014 - 2015 - In this period there were two mini-seasons - a total of six episodes featuring Benedict Cumberbatch and Jasmine Hyde reprising their roles as "young" Rumpole and Hilda (these episodes did not feature West and Scales as the present-day Rumpoles).

2016 - In this period there were two mini-series - a total of four episodes with Julian Rhind-Tutt taking over the role of Rumpole and Jasmine Hyde reprising her role as Hilda.

There were also three one-off Christmas specials produced by BBC Radio in 1996, 1997 and 2001. Featuring respectively Timothy West, Leo McKern and Desmond Barrit as Horace Rumpole.

Television episodes

There were a grand total of 44 episodes. Seven seasons each consisting of six episodes - with each episode approximately 50 minutes in duration. And two individual dramas in 1975 and 1980 (65 minutes and 103 minutes respectively) that aired outside of the regular seasons but that are considered part of the overall Rumpole television canon.

All listed dates indicate first UK transmission date

One-Off for BBC TV's Play for Today Series (1975)


TV Season One (1978)

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


TV Season Two (1979)

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


One-Off Special Episode (1980)


TV Season Three (1983)

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


TV Season Four (1987)

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


TV Season Five (1988)

  1. "Rumpole and the Bubble Reputation" (23 November 1988)
  2. "Rumpole and the Barrow Boy" (30 November 1988)
  3. "Rumpole and the Age of Miracles" (7 December 1988)
  4. "Rumpole and the Tap End" (14 December 1988)
  5. "Rumpole and Portia" (21 December 1988)
  6. "Rumpole and the Quality of Life" (28 December 1988)


TV Season Six (1991)

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


TV Season Seven (1992)

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

DVD releases

The seven seasons of the programme and the Rumpole's Return special episode are available on DVD and as part of a single DVD box set, published by Fremantle Media. The Play for Today (The Confession of Guilt) is also available on DVD, released separately by Acorn Media.

A&E Home Video released the entire series on DVD in Region 1 between 2004–2006. It was initially released in season sets then on 28 February 2006, they released Rumpole of the Bailey a 14-disc box set with all 42 episodes.

Radio seasons and episodes

There have been two series of Rumpole stories adapted for radio and three stand-alone radio specials.

The first series consisted of a single season of 13 episodes. It was broadcast in 1980. It starred Maurice Denham as Horace Rumpole and Margot Boyd as Hilda Rumpole.

The second series has consisted to date of ten short "mini-seasons" - totaling 28 episodes. The series started in 2003 and was still being produced as of 2016. The first seven mini-seasons starred Timothy West as Horace Rumpole and his real-life wife Prunella Scales as Hilda. Two latter mini-seasons have starred Benedict Cumberbatch as Rumpole and Jasmine Hyde as Hilda, with Julian Rhind-Tutt replacing Cumberbatch in the latest mini-season (2016).

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

A single series of 13 episodes. Broadcast July–October 1980

  1. "Rumpole and the Confession of Guilt" (21 July 1980)
  2. "Rumpole and the Dear Departed" (28 July 1980)
  3. "Rumpole and the Gentle Art of Blackmail" (4 August 1980)
  4. "Rumpole and the Rotten Apple" (11 August 1980)
  5. "Rumpole and the Man of God" (18 August 1980)
  6. "Rumpole and the Defence of Guthrie Featherstone" (25 August 1980)
  7. "Rumpole and the Show Folk" (1 September 1980)
  8. "Rumpole and the Fascist Beast" (8 September 1980)
  9. "Rumpole and the Case of Identity" (15 September 1980)
  10. "Rumpole and the Expert Witness " (22 September 1980)
  11. "Rumpole and the Course of True Love" (29 September 1980)
  12. "Rumpole and the Perils of the Sea" (6 October 1980)
  13. "Rumpole and the Age of Retirement" (13 October 1980)

Rumpole of the Bailey (2003-present)

Ten mini-seasons (to date). Broadcast 2003-2016.

2003 mini-season

  1. "Rumpole and the Primrose Path" (24 September 2003)
  2. "Rumpole and the Scales of Justice" (1 October 2003)
  3. "Rumpole and the Vanishing Juror" (8 October 2003)
  4. "Rumpole Redeemed" (15 October 2003)

2006 mini-season

  1. "Rumpole and the Teenage Werewolf" (19 July 2006)
  2. "Rumpole and the Right to Privacy" (26 July 2006)

2007 mini-season

  1. Truth Makes All Things Plain (15 August 2007)
  2. The Past Catches up with Us All (22 August 2007)

2008 mini-season

  1. Rumpole on Trial (28 May 2008)
  2. Going for Silk (29 May 2008)

2009 mini-season

  1. Old Unhappy Far-Off Things (19 May 2009)
  2. Alone and Without a Leader (26 May 2009)

2010 mini-season

  1. "Rumpole and the Family Pride" (9 August 2010)
  2. "Rumpole and the Eternal Triangle" (10 August 2010)

2012 mini-season

  1. "Rumpole and the Man of God" (1 March 2012)
  2. "Rumpole and the Explosive Evidence" (2 March 2012)
  3. "Rumpole and the Gentle Art of Blackmail" (18 December 2012)
  4. "Rumpole and the Expert Witness" (25 December 2012)

2014 mini-season

  1. "Rumpole and the Old Boy Net" (20 March 2014)
  2. "Rumpole and the Sleeping Partners" (21 March 2014)

2015 mini-season

  1. "Rumpole and the Portia of our Chambers" (20 March 2015)
  2. "Rumpole and the Age of Miracles" (20 March 2015)
  3. "Rumpole and the Bubble Reputation" (21 March 2015)
  4. "Rumpole and the Tap End" (21 March 2015)

2016 mini-season

  1. "Rumpole On Trial" (28 March 2016)
  2. "Rumpole And Hilda" (29 March 2016)
  3. "Rumpole and Memories of Christmas Past" (25 December 2016)
  4. "Rumpole and The New Year's Resolutions" (27 December 2016)

Occasional Christmas Radio Specials

There have been three stand-alone radio episodes broadcast by BBC Radio during the Christmas season in different years

Featuring Timothy West as Rumpole. Produced by Pam Fraser Solomon. First broadcast: December 1996


Featuring Leo McKern as Rumpole. Abridged and directed by Bob Sinfield. Produced by Ken Phillips. First broadcast: 30 December 1997


Featuring Desmond Barrit as Rumpole. First broadcast: 25 December 2001

Books

First publications of short stories and novels




(Re-published in 1982 under the title Rumpole For The Defence)












Anthologies and collections of previously-published works

There have been six anthologies and collections that have presented previously published Rumpole stories. Three volumes of an "Omnibus" series that each gathered together three previously issued sets of stories into a single book. Two books that each presented a collection of tales drawn from across the broad canon of Rumpole short stories. And one volume of Christmas-themed stories that had each been previously published in a magazine rather than in a Rumpole book.

Contains all six short stories in the 1978 collection "Rumpole of the Bailey"; all six short stories in the 1979 collection "The Trials of Rumpole" and the 1980 single-story novel "Rumpole's Return"

Contains all seven short stories in the 1981 collection "Regina V. Rumpole"; all six short stories in the 1983 collection "Rumpole and the Golden Thread" and all seven short stories in the 1987 collection "Rumpole's Last Case"

Contains all seven short stories in the 1988 collection "Rumpole and the Age of Miracles"; all six short stories in the 1990 collection "Rumpole à la Carte" and all six short stories in the 1995 collection "Rumpole and the Angel of Death"

Contains seven Rumpole stories personally selected as favourites by John Mortimer.

Contains a total of fourteen Rumpole stories, The seven stories that were personally selected as favourites by John Mortimer in the 1993 anthology "The Best of Rumpole: A Personal Choice". Plus the following seven stories selected from the short stories published in the years after the 1993 anthology. (The book also contains the first few pages written by Mortimer for a new story titled "Rumpole and the Brave New World" that he was working on at the time of his death and thus was incomplete.)

A collection of seven Christmas-themed short stories - some first published in US or UK magazines

(The UK book contained 7 stories. The US version - titled A Rumpole Christmas - contained 5 stories. It omitted "Millennium Bug" and "Christmas Party")

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 Sharpe, Brenda J. (2002). "The Rumpolean FAQ".
  2. ↑ The statue of Fortitude and Truth flanking a recording angel above the main entrance was sculptured by Frederick William Pomeroy
  3. ↑ European Sewer Safari
  4. ↑ c.f. Rumpole and the barrow boy, Rumpole and the Golden Thread.
  5. ↑ Daily Telegraph Obituaries (16 January 2009). "Sir John Mortimer: QC who took on liberal causes but found most fame as the creator of the fictional barrister Rumpole". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 6 September 2012.
  6. ↑ In the first story, it is called "Mulstead".
  7. ↑ Rumpole and the Younger Generation.
  8. ↑ Rumpole and the Gentle Art of Blackmail.
  9. ↑ Angelini, Sergio. "Rumpole of the Bailey (1978–83, 87–92)". Screenonline. Retrieved 2007-04-16.
  10. ↑ Directed by Graham Evans, written by John Mortimer (1978-04-17). "Rumpole and the Honourable Member". Rumpole of the Bailey.
  11. ↑ Rumpole's Return (Television production). Thames Television. 1980.
  12. ↑ Shubik, Play for Today, pp. 101–2.
  13. 1 2 Shubik, Play for Today, p. 177.
  14. 1 2 3 Shubik, Play for Today, p. 178.
  15. ↑ Shubik, Play for Today, p. 179.
  16. 1 2 Shubik, Play for Today, p. 180.
  17. 1 2 Shubik, Play for Today, p. 182.
  18. ↑ Shubik, Play for Today, p. 184.
  19. 1 2 Shubik, Play for Today, p. 187.
  20. ↑ Shubik, Play for Today, p. 190.
  21. 1 2 Shubik, Play for Today, p. 195.
  22. ↑ Shubik, Play for Today, pp. 198–203.
  23. ↑ Vahimagi, Tise. "Irene Shubik (1935–)". Screenonline. British Film Institute. Retrieved 2007-04-17.
  24. ↑ Cooper, Nick (2001-10-28). "John Mortimer". Retrieved 2007-04-16.
  25. ↑ Rumpole's monogram HWR is clearly seen on the red robe bag he frequently carries. It is most clearly legible in the episode "Rumpole and the Alternative Society". It is never mentioned in the television series what the W stands for.
  26. ↑ Albert is called "Mr. Tree" by Henry in both his appearances in Series 1, but his last name is thereafter Handyside.
  27. ↑ Henry's last name is never spoken aloud by any character, but it can be seen on a poster in the chambers office in a fourth season episode.

References

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