Horace Rumpole is in a strange state that could only be described as a kind of air-conditioned purgatory: he has retired to Florida with his wife, Hilda (She Who Must Be Obeyed). It is safely assumed the Old Bailey hack’s wig has been hung up for good. But when a rather unkempt civil servant is mixed up in the mysterious death of a minor aristocrat, Rumpole seizes the opportunity to escape a life of leisure. He is soon back in court (via a budget airline) to do battle once more with Judge ‘Mad Bull’ Bullingham.

Rumpole and the Teenage Werewolf
Rumpole heads to the Home Counties to defend Ben, a teenager accused of sending emails deemed to be sexually harassing, and of an actual physical attack on a girl.

Rumpole and the Right to Privacy
Rumpole leaves the Old Bailey to defend a civil case: an editor of a local newspaper who is accused of breaching a successful businessman’s right to privacy.

Truth Makes All Things Plain
If one man can be counted on to fight injustice and insist on a fair trial for everyone, whatever their circumstances, it is Horace Rumpole. So when the beautiful Tiffany Khan learns that her husband has been arrested on suspicion of terrorism, she calls for his help right away.

The Past Catches up with us All
As he struggles to win justice for his client, Rumpole finds that his marriage to She Who Must Be
Obeyed is, rather like his waistcoat, straining at the seams.

Timothy West stars as Rumpole and Prunella Scales as Hilda, with Matt Smith as Ben, Nigel Anthony as Claude Erskine-Brown and Michael Cochrane as ‘Soapy Sam’ Ballard.

Rumpole and the Golden Thread
In Africa defending an old pupil in a murder trial, Rumpole is arrested. When Phillida arrives to bail him out, a spark between them is rekindled…

Rumpole and the Official Secret
Rumpole defends a civil servant accused of selling secrets and is embroiled in a wine fraud. Meanwhile, Phillida tells Rumpole she plans to leave her husband and asks him to keep it a secret, and Horace considers what that might mean.

Rumpole and the Quality of Life
Ballard’s wedding looms and Rumpole faces a life-changing decision about his own marriage. Hilda expects him to join her in Cornwall, but Phillida hopes he will leave to be with her at last?

For fifteen years, Rumpole has fought, won and occasionally lost myriad cases – and fallen in and out of love with both wife Hilda and ‘the Portia of our Chambers’, Phillida Erskine-Brown. These three episodes leave us guessing until the very end – will Rumpole finally leave ‘She Who Must be Obeyed’ for Phillida?

Julian Rhind-Tutt stars as Rumpole, with Jasmine Hyde as Hilda, Nigel Anthony as Claude Erskine-Brown and Cathy Sara as Phillida.

Horace Rumpole – dishevelled barrister at law, drinker of claret and smoker of cigars, inveterate quoter of Wordsworth and eternal defender of the underdog – is one of the greatest English comic characters ever created. This is the original volume of Rumpole stories, introducing us to the legal triumphs that first made the Old Bailey Hack’s name, along with a host of choice villains, frequent forays to Pommeroy’s wine bar and, of course, his formidable, magisterial wife Hilda, She Who Must Be Obeyed.

‘I thank heaven for small mercies. The first of these is Rumpole’ Clive James

‘A fruity, foxy masterpiece, defender of our wilting faith in mankind’ Sunday Times

Rumpole and the Way Through the Woods
Rumpole makes friends with a dog named Sir Lancelot, and finds himself defending a hunt saboteur who claims to be guilty of murder. But Horace is convinced that the true culprit is among the hunting fraternity.

Rumpole for the Prosecution
Rumpole’s personal commandment is ‘Thou Shalt Not Prosecute’ – but he breaks this rule to take on a private prosecution brought by a dead girl’s father. However, an obscure literary reference and a piece of evidence that doesn’t fit bring his defender’s instincts to the fore…

Rumpole and the Quacks
Temporarily indisposed, Rumpole consults a charming Indian doctor who later asks for Horace’s help when he is accused of molesting a patient. Meanwhile, Rumpole’s friendship with Phillida Erskine-Brown deepens as both their marriages hit a tricky patch.

Julian Rhind-Tutt stars as Rumpole, with Jasmine Hyde as Hilda, Nigel Anthony as Claude Erskine-Brown and Cathy Sara as Phillida.

Rumpole on Trial
Suffering from toothache, Rumpole is in no mood for his client’s boring testimony or Justice Gwent-Evans’ impatience. But when he argues with the judge, he is warned in no uncertain terms about his future conduct. Soon, Rumpole finds himself on trial and facing the end of his career?

Rumpole and Hilda
Rumpole’s long-suffering wife Hilda (‘She Who Must Be Obeyed’) narrates a fascinating tale of murder and romance that Horace would prefer to remain untold, and gives Rumpole – and us – a glimpse of her true, passionate nature.

Rumpole and Memories of Christmas Past
Rumpole spends an unexpectedly rewarding Christmas in Norfolk; discusses the spirit of Christmas with the Mad Monk; and learns that the season of goodwill is shared by barristers and criminals alike.

Rumpole and the New Year’s Resolutions
Rumpole has an interesting encounter with Santa Claus at a Chambers Christmas party, finds himself on babysitting duty after a blackmail trial, and attends a traditional British panto – where he recognises a familiar face.

Starring Julian Rhind-Tutt as Rumpole, Jasmine Hyde as Hilda and Nigel Anthony as Claude Erskine-Brown.

A Catherine Bailey production for BBC Radio 4.

Rumpole and the Bubble Reputation
Erskine-Brown is working on a sordid ABH and affray case which allegedly occurred in a Soho night club. When he and Rumpole visit the disreputable scene of the crime, they meet Maurice Machin, the editor of the Daily Beacon, whose paper is being sued for libel.

Rumpole and the Age of Miracles
Hilda’s distant relation, The Reverend Timothy Donkin, looks set to be defrocked as Canon of Lawnchester Cathedral unless Rumpole can convince an Ecclesiastical Court that adultery did not take place in the nearby Saint Edithna Hotel.

Rumpole and the Tap End
Tony Timson finds himself in hot water when charged with the attempted drowning of his wife April, while sharing a bath with her. Rumpole not only defends Tony, but also finds he must protect Judge Guthrie Featherstone QC, who upsets women everywhere with sexist pronouncements about their proper place in the tub.

Run time: 2 hours 20 mins approx.

Rumpole and the Old Boy Net: With the help of his new pupil, Miss Phillida Trant, Rumpole must defend Mr Napier Lee, who is charged with blackmail. But the alleged victim of the blackmail went to public school with the defendant, and Mr Lee won’t sneak on his old school chum…

Rumpole and the Sleeping Partners: After a legal ball in the Savoy Hotel, Rumpole and Hilda argue about Rumpole’s drunken behaviour and Rumpole decides to sleep the night on his sofa in chambers – strictly against the rules. But there he finds his colleague Erskine-Brown with Phillida Trant, ‘working late’…

Rumpole and the Portia of our Chambers: Rumpole comes close to giving up the law when forced to consider the path his life has taken by a combination of his attraction to his pupil Phillida, an unsettling case involving an Irish terrorist, and a visit from an old flame of Hilda’s.

Rumpole and the Man of God
It is 1959, and Rumpole must defend a clergyman accused of shoplifting who, although he clearly did not commit the crime, is curiously reluctant to be cross-examined under oath. Meanwhile, Hilda (she who must be obeyed) has big news?

Rumpole and the Explosive Evidence
Rumpole defends a well-known safe blower and exposes the underhand behaviour of one Dirty Dickerson, a senior police officer who is quite prepared to tamper with evidence.

Rumpole and the Gentle Art of Blackmail
In 1964 Rumpole returns to Oxford, where he studied law, to defend a young gardener who is accused of blackmailing the Master of St Joseph’s College. Their friendship had provoked rumours of homosexuality – still illegal in those days – and the Master says he has been threatened with a public accusation.

Rumpole and the Expert Witness
Rumpole is asked to defend a GP, Dr Ned Dacre, who is accused of murdering his wife, Sally. The plot thickens when the local pathologist turns out to have history with Dr Ned?

Durations: 3 hours approx.