This episode marks the appearance of Marion Mathie as Hilda, She-who-must-be-obeyed. She is far more formidable than the previous incumbent with a gimlet eye upon her ever-characterful husband.
When Hilda appears at a Scales of Justice dinner party the Rumpoles and Erskine-Brownes are sharing a table with Judge Gwent-Evans, played by the excellent Maurice Denham. The Judge takes a shine to Hilda.
Rumpole embarrasses everyone at the table with a blue joke while he is drunk and Hilda lets him know what she thinks in the cab home, using the term 'senile'. Rumpole takes the opportunity of a halt at traffic lights to exit the cab and sway drunkenly off into the distance.
Subsequently staff at 3 Equity Court see some strange changes in Rumpole and chambers. Shaving tackle appears in the washroom, Rumpole starts taking chicken curries into chambers.
Simultaneously Rumpole has a new client. Hugo Lutterworth is a young man who is an environmentally-aware partner in a Gardening Centre.
The other partner, Colonel Gleason, is much older but has an attractive young wife.
Colonel Gleason has a serious car accident outside the Garden Centre, careening down a hill toward a busy dual carriageway. His car mows down a line of Garden Gnomes before turning over and he escapes with cus and bruises.
As Lutterworth is responsible for the vehicles, he is held responsible for the accident. Was it deliberate, in furtherance to a relationship between Lutterworth and Gleason's wife?
This episode is primarily about relationships: and Hugo Lutterworth is enjoying one with Gleason's wife. It's all done pretty publicly, too. Rumpole privately thinks his client has little chance, especially since Lutterworth seems far more concerned about his lover than himself. Nose out of joint, Rumpole huffs off, not taking the opportunity offered by the instructing lawyer to look at the partnership agreement.
When Phyllida Erskine Browne calls in on Rumpole at chambers, it's not only to inform him that she will be prosecuting Hugo Lutterworth.in Court. It's also to let Rumpole know that she's aware that he is living in the chambers, which is expressly forbidden by the lease agreement. Ballard is also aware- he saw a pyjama leg one evening- and a recent case in another chambers saw the barrister lose his tenancy. Ballard hopes to get rid of Rumpole altogether. He also aims to make the chambers a smoke free zone, an act aimed primarily at Rumpole.
When Phyllida picks up a book which Rumpole has always emphasised is his bedtime reading (Oxford book of British. Verse), he argues he may have bought another copy for the office: but the book is signed by Rumpole at his school in 1923 ('cursed be he that steals this book!')!
How did Rumpole sneak into his flat without Hilda catching him, to retrieve his shaving tackle, book and PJs? We aren't told.
Phyllida's case is made: and she offers Rumpole refuge at her house for the time being.
Rumpole soon makes himself unpopular. Phyllia and Claude and their kids are quite health-conscious and the incidence of an unkempt Rumpole in their kitchen, smoking a cheroot and cooking a fry-up for breakfast is not well-received.
At Court, Rumpole predictably finds Lutterworth impugned with responsibility for the vehicles and the ailing Gleason gets sympathy from Judge and Jury.
Rumpole is even more put out to see Hilda sitting by the Judge - old friend Judge Gwent-Evans - om the bench. She has been invited for lunch. Hilda isn't desperate for Rumpole to come home. However, she.remarks to Rumple that Mrs Gleason never takes her eyes off of Lutterworth.
In questioning, the police confirm that they had not looked at fingerprints found in the car having failed to find trace of Lutterworth's. Rumpole enjoins them to do so - and Gleason's are found, though he previously claimed never to life the bonnet whatsoever, even having others buy his petrol.
Rumpole now asks the referring lawyer to see the partnership agreement - and agrees he was wrong not to do so earlier.
Phyllia visits Hilda to try to persuade her to take Rumpole back. Hilda isn't preventing it but sees no reason to encourage him either. The Erkine-Browns are thouroughly fed up with Rumpole's presence in their house by now and he overhears them say so to one another.
When Claude visits Rumpole to persuade him to leave, Rumpole agrees subject to one condition- that he escort Ballard to a meeting for 'Lawyers as Christians'.
Back in Court, Gleason takes the full force of a Rumpole cross-examination despite the Judge's sympathy. Rumpole suggests that Gleason cut his own brakelines and faked his own accident.
The Garden Centre had received a huge offer to purchase from a major supermarket chain and Lutterworth had declined to accept on environmental grounds. The partnership agreement provides that if either partner is convicted of a criminal offence then they forfeit their share in the partnership.
Gleason hoped to get Lutterworth convicted of attempted murder and eject him from the partnership, thus leaving him to accept the offer for purchase..
Outraged, Gleason collapses in the witness box.
Lutterworth is found not guilty though we don't know whether Gleason lives or dies or if he is to be prosecuted himself or if Lutterworth continues to cuckold him.
Erskine Brown takes Ballard to the meeting where Ballard overindulges on 5 sherries with his sandwiches and is utterly blotto when dropped off at chambers. Erskine Brown dissuades the drunken Ballard from trying to drive home as if arrested he will never make Judge. Erskine Brown then declines to take the penniless Ballard home and leaves him at chambers.
We discover that Ballard is unmarried. Nobody is going to come to his aid.
In the morning, Rumpole discovers Ballard sleeping in chambers overnight and blackmails him into withdrawing his anti-Rumpole activities.
Rumpole returns home to Hilda suitably apologetic with a half-dead geranium as a gift - and the Rumpole household is re-established.
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