Introduction

Rumpole of the Bailey is 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”.

Outline

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 respectively 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.

Rumpole of the Bailey Episodes

Of the 44 episodes, over 7 series, there are three with a military connection:

• S02E04: Rumpole and the Fascist Beast (1979).
• S04E05: Rumpole and the Bright Seraphim (1987).
• S05E05: Rumpole and Portia (1988).

Production & Filming Details

• Creator(s): John Mortimer.
• Director(s): Robert Knights.
• Producer(s): Jacqueline Davis.
• Writer(s): John Mortimer.
• Music: Joseph Horovitz.
• Editor(s): Ray Ball.
• Production: Thames Television.
• Distributor(s): Fremantle Media International and ITV.
• Release Date: 03 April 1978 to 03 December 1992.
• Running Time: 50 minutes.
• Country: UK.
• Language: English.