IMDb > "Rumpole of the Bailey" (1978)

"Rumpole of the Bailey" (1978) More at IMDbPro »TV series 1978-1992


Overview

User Rating:
8.9/10   230 votes
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Contact:
View company contact information for Rumpole of the Bailey on IMDbPro.
Seasons:
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 full episode list
Release Date:
12 February 1980 (USA) more
Genre:
Crime | Drama | Mystery more
Plot:
The cases of a portly and eccentric criminal law barrister. full summary
Awards:
Nominated for 2 Primetime Emmys. Another 8 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(4 articles)
Paradise Postponed and Titmuss Regained - DVD Review
 (From Monsters and Critics. 26 October 2009, 9:16 AM, PDT)

DVD Playhouse--September 2009
 (From The Hollywood Interview. 26 September 2009, 1:01 PM, PDT)

User Comments:
Ladies and Gentlemen of the Jury more (7 total)

Cast

 (Series Cast Summary - 7 of 68)
Leo McKern ... Horace Rumpole (42 episodes, 1978-1992)
Jonathan Coy ... Henry (37 episodes, 1978-1992)
Julian Curry ... Claude Erskine-Brown (35 episodes, 1978-1992)
Marion Mathie ... Hilda Rumpole (24 episodes, 1987-1992)
Richard Murdoch ... Uncle Tom (23 episodes, 1978-1991)
Maureen Derbyshire ... Dianne - Secretary / ... (23 episodes, 1978-1991)
Peter Blythe ... Samuel 'Soapy Sam' Ballard, Q.C. / ... (22 episodes, 1983-1992)
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Additional Details

Runtime:
60 min
Country:
UK
Language:
English
Colour:
Colour
Aspect Ratio:
1.33 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono
Certification:
Singapore:PG | Australia:PG

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Rumpole has a penchant for giving literary or historical nicknames to friends and foes. His wife Hilda's moniker, "She Who Must Be Obeyed," was originally applied to the title character of H. Rider Haggard's novel "She," while Phyllida Trant Erskine-Brown's nickname, "Portia," is from William Shakespeare's "The Merchant of Venice." Samuel Ballard is dubbed "Soapy Sam" after 'Bishop Samuel Wilberforce' (1805-73), now best remembered for debating Thomas Huxley over Charles Darwin's theory of evolution, but regarded in his own time as rather a slick operator. And he refers to Judge Graves as the "whited sepulchre" - a Biblical allusion (Matthew 27). more
Quotes:
Horace Rumpole: An Englishman's gin bottle is his castle! more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in "Comedy Connections: To the Manor Born (#4.5)" (2006) more

FAQ

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11 out of 11 people found the following comment useful.
Ladies and Gentlemen of the Jury, 7 April 2006
Author: hgallon from Derbyshire, UK

It is hard to know who deserves the most credit for this courtroom series; author John Mortimer QC (a noted barrister himself), or actor Leo McKern.

Obviously, the series was written with the benefit of intimate knowledge of the English legal system, but almost every branch of it is portrayed very unflatteringly. Most Barristers are shown as smug and pompous, fencing with each other in Latin phrases while the defendant and jury look baffled; policemen are bent, solicitors are shady and judges are either more concerned with barristers' correct dress rather than the evidence, or sadistic and bigoted.

The seamier side of the profession is also shown; with prestigious barristers having to work from poky "chambers", at the mercy of clerks for their work ("briefs") and undervalued secretaries for their paperwork.

In such a world, a weary and introspective character such as Rumpole dominates the scene. McKern's booming delivery and range of facial expressions make this all too easy. The language is a delight, as Rumpole quotes Browning, Tennyson, Shakespeare at will. Some of the most hilarious scenes occur as lawyers take on their clients' personas and start arguing their cases with each other in the first person, in bars or restaurants.

Rumpole's home life with wife Hilda, "She who must be obeyed", is also shown as quite a caricature, as Hilda Rumpole is portrayed as having few interests beyond her husband's lowly position in the pecking order, and household cleaning agents.

Any one of the episodes makes good viewing.

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