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'Rumpole of the Bailey' (tx. 16/12/1975) was first a Play for Today (BBC,
1970-84) and was then developed into a series by producer Irene Shubik and
author John Mortimer, although due to administrative problems at the BBC it was
eventually produced by Thames Television for ITV.
The first series (after which Shubik departed), stands apart from the rest
for its setting in the past, taking place between 1967 and 1977. Throughout its
long run the episodes consistently eschew realism, functioning mainly as ironic
tales on a theme with a twist at the end, and touching on such topics as
pornography, religious cults, insider trading and ageism, as examined in court,
in chambers and in Rumpole's own home. The series' huge success was mostly due
to Leo McKern's magnificent portrayal of the crumpled, poetry-spouting barrister
who even calls judges 'old darling'. Despite Rumpole's early success in the
much-cited 'Penge Bungalow Murders', his lack of career advancement is a
constant source of disappointment to his formidable wife Hilda ('She Who Must Be
Obeyed'). Their funny yet melancholy scenes together bookend most episodes and
are a testament to McKern's gift for comedy and pathos.
For the series, a broad range of comic characters were added to Rumpole's
Chambers (the fictitious 'Number 3 Equity Court'), including its ambitious head
Guthrie Featherstone, the unhappily married clerk, Henry, and the pompous
Wagnerian, Claude Erskine-Brown. Rumpole's honesty, unwillingness to bow to the
Establishment and championing of the underdog mean that he rarely makes much
money, but these qualities do endear him to the junior female barristers in
Chambers, most notably Phyllida Trant (who eventually marries Erskine-Brown and
becomes a judge) and, later, Liz Probert (played by McKern's own daughter,
Abigail).
Rumpole's most frequent customers are the large Timson family, villains who
are not above framing one of their own, as in 'Rumpole and the Age of
Retirement' (tx. 3/7/1979). Rumpole retires to Florida after losing ten cases in
a row to his nemesis Judge 'Mad Bull' Bullingham, but soon returns to work and is once even tempted to work for the prosecution due to dire financial straights. Rumpole himself has to be defended in the final
episode, 'Rumpole on Trial' (tx. 3/12/1992), when called to the disciplinary
tribunal of the Bar Council.
Since the television series' end, Mortimer has continued Rumpole's adventures
in print and on radio, where Maurice Denham and Timothy West have played
him.
Sergio Angelini
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1. The brief (3:37)
John Mortimer: The Guardian Interview (1994)
