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Rumpole of the Bailey


Rumpole of the Bailey Picture
Leo McKern stars as the "Old Bailey Hack" Horace Rumpole. Quoting Wordsworth, Coleridge, Tennison et al Rumpole defends the cases others refuse to touch. The only person he fears is "she who must be obeyed", or in other words his wife.

Genre: Drama
Year: 1978-92

CAST

Leo McKern as Horace Rumpole
Robin Bailey as Judge Graves
Derek Benfield as Albert
Peter Blythe as Samuel "Soapy Sam" Ballard, Q.C.
Peter Bowles as Guthrie Featherstone
Jonathan Coy as Henry (the clerk)
Julian Curry as Claude Erskine-Brown
Edward De Souza as Mr. Bernard
Maureen Derbyshire as Dianna (the secretary)
Norman Ettlinger as Percy Hoskins
Patricia Hodge as Phyllida "Portia" Trant/Erskine-Brown
Rosalyn Landor as Fiona Allways
Denis Lill as Mr. Bernard
Marion Mathie as Hilda Rumpole
Peggy Thorpe-Bates as Hilda Rumpole
Abigail McKern as Elizabeth "Mizz Liz" Probert
Richard Murdoch as Uncle Tom
Joanna Van Gyseghem as Marigold Featherstone
Moray Watson as George Frobisher
Peter Whitaker as Jack Pommeroy
David Yelland as Nick Rumpole

GUEST STARS

Jane Asher, Anton Rodgers, Nigel Havers, James Duggan, Elizabeth Hurley, Leslie Phillips, Saeed Jeffrey, Julian Glover and Peter Sallis.

AWARDS

Writer John Mortimer picked up an Edgar Allan Poe Award for crime and mystery writing for Rumpole of the Bailey.

Rumpole of the Bailey Fan Tributes

16 margaret from alabama: He makes me laugh out loud. I love his love of British verse and christian qualities.

15 Mike Tocci from USA: Rumpole is a fantastic character and one of my fictional heroes. His love of fairness for all is an admirable trait that is sorely lacking in the American criminal justice system. I am 34 and just recently discovered this great show. I look foward to reading the books by John Mortimer. I now own the DVD box set and am rapidly making my way through it. As a great fan of many British programmes (so often much better than our American shows) I am ecstatic to have found yet another gem from across the Atlantic. Other than House MD, starring Hugh Laurie (of A Bit Of Fry & Laurie, Blackadder, Alfresco and so many other greats) most American shows lack the rich characters of the BBC, Thames and ITV. (Of course, Laurie is a Brit doing a bang on American accent.) Leo McKern and company have touched my heart and challenged my brain in what must be one of the greatest legal dramas of all time. Mortimer has created a world that I can't wait to explore fully and to tell my friends about so that they may also enjoy this wonderful and timeless programme. Thank you, Britain!
-Mike Tocci

14 Michael Heseltine from Canada: Best British series, I think. Can't understand why it never seemed to win any awards. Though most great series go on to show their age, Rumpole seems as fresh today as when it first aired. I just watched "Rumpole and the Erternal Triangle" where Rumpole is asleep at a piano recital and says to Hilda, "For god's sake turn that thing off, Hilda. It's keeping me awake." Nobody but McKern could pull off lines like that. I'll be chuckling all night. Would there had been twice the episodes.

13 peter schroder from hampton, new jersey: i am getting all the dvd's from rumpole at the bailey. my wife and i love the english language and humor of rumpole,hilda, and all the others.fantastic!

12 Peter A. Statti MD from Santa Maria, Ca. USA: I suspect that The Rumpole Club of Santa Maria is the last active organization dedicated to reading Mr. Mortimer's wonderful tales. We have had weekly meetings since November 27th, 1991

Regards,

Peter A. Statti MD
Head of Chambers
May 8th 2007

11 ALAN ROYLANCE from U.K.: Watched every episode of Rumpole and read every book, long may it be repeated on TV. Well done Mr Mortimer.

10 Miriam Jones from Greer, South Carolina: I'm such a fan. I have all the videos and books. With the passing of Leo McKern, Rumpole passed too. I have done several paintings of Rumpole for attorneys. I wish that there had been a "Penge Bungalow" episode with Horace working "alone and without a leader". I have lost a friend. Think I'll go watch a video, now.

9 tom davidson from herndon,va.: Not much gives me greater pleasure than to lounge in front of the fireplace on a cold winter night,with a glass of brandy, my dog at my feet and watching any episode of rumpole.

8 Maxine Johnson from Nassau, Bahamas: I will forever treasure working with him on Rumpole Returns..my first film, he made it too easy. I will miss him and his family.

7 chuck zannetti from sacramento, california: Rumpole is fearless. He stands for the little person and against injustice inflicted on us by those feel thay can, as long as they can get away with it. We should all be a litle more like him. He's also a decent person. Aand where would he be without She Who Must Be Obeyed?

6 Wallace Plummer from U.S.A.: My favourite moment would be the first time I ever heard Rumpole refer to his wife Hilda as "She Who Must Be Obeyed". Ripping great fun and a truly memorable moment.

5 JEFF JACOBS from BLOOMFIELD, CONNECTICUT U.S.A.: The Rumpole character was made by Leo McKern, of course the scripts were brillaint but he made every word sound so natural.
My wife and I were glued to the television each time he was aired in North America. What a loss of talent that will probably never pass this way again.

4 Tom May from Sunderland: Fantastic series! Please keep on showing it. All of the wonderful regulars and McKern in particular, are magnificent.

3 Jane Parkinson from Manchester: He was and is wonderful I cant get enough of him.

2 Christopher Vincent from Sydney, Australia: Was there ever an episode in which Mr Bernard's first name was mentioned?

I met Leo McKern on several occasions At the Sebel Townhouse in Sydney, which is 100 yards from my residence. He always stayed there, & we breakfasted together.

1 Manuel Echevarria from Miami, Fl.U.S.A: Leo McKerm,Rumpole you will be remembered for ever. Thank you.


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EVENTS
1920-03-16: Leo McKern (Horace Rumpole) was born.

WEB LINKS
The Golden Thread
If you know of a web site for Rumpole of the Bailey, or run a fan site, tell us about it here.

MERCHANDISE
cover
Rumpole Rests His Case
Click here for more Rumpole of the Bailey Memorabilia at Amazon.

Rumpole of the Bailey Items on Amazon



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