From the archive: John Mortimer on defending Felix Dennis at the Oz trial 24 June 2014 www.indexoncensorship.org, accessed 2 November 2020. The series about Horace Rumpole was originally a television series that aired in Britain. Later on, the early episodes were adapted into stories and novels. The stories are adapted from the episodes and the novels are adapted from different movies. Although, there have been some novels that were written only as novels. The episodes were written by John Mortimer (who is a barrister), as were the stories and novels. The series started in the year 1978, and was inspired by the “Rumpole of the Bailey” production that was a stand alone work. It aired in 1975, and serves as a pilot for the later series.

Henry's last name is never spoken aloud by any character, but it can be seen on a poster in the chambers office in a fourth season episode. Dave Inchcape: ( Michael Grandage) (Series 5, Episode 6 only); ( Christopher Milburn) (Series 6–7): A young lawyer who has a sometimes stormy relationship with "Miz Liz". He is later revealed to be the Honourable David Luxton. Mortimer has created a wonderful character in Rumpole: a terrific sarcastic wit; irreverent and unconventional; quotes poetry in an ironic manner; negligent in his dress; doesn’t take himself or life too seriously. And yet, Rumpole is scrupulously serious when he defends his clients, who are usually career petty criminals who may or may not actually be guilty of the crime for which they have been accused. It is this integrity that makes him a likeable curmudgeon.

Publication Order of Rumpole of the Bailey Books

Rumpole and the Age of Miracles (1988) (adaptations of the scripts of all six stories in TV Season Five – 1988 – plus one additional story not used in the TV series) His cigar smoking is often the subject of debate within his Chambers. His peers sometimes criticise his attire, noting his old hat (a battered Homburg), imperfectly aligned clothes, cigar ash trailing down his waistcoat and faded barrister's wig, "bought second hand from a former Chief Justice of Tonga" (or the Windward Islands: Rumpole is occasionally an unreliable narrator). This is a collection of short stories about an English lawyer named Horace Rumpole. His "speciality" is defending criminals, and his colleagues often give him a hard time about his refusal to take any other types of cases. He refers to his wife as "She Who Must Be Obeyed" and seems to rather dislike his home life. Peter "Peanuts" Molloy ( David Squire) (Series 1, Episode1; Series 4, Episode 6; Series 5, Episode 4): Member of the Molloy family, archrivals of the Timsons. This legume-lover has frequent run-ins with the law. Also known to date April Timson, wife of Tony Timson. Rumpole also refuses to prosecute, feeling it more important to defend the accused than to work to imprison them. (There was one exception, when Rumpole took on a private prosecution, working for a private citizen rather than for the crown, but he proved that the defendant was innocent and then reaffirmed, "from now on, Rumpole only defends".)

John Mortimer was a member of English PEN. He was patron of the Burma Campaign UK, the London-based group campaigning for human rights and democracy in Burma and president of the Royal Court Theatre, having been the chairman of its board in 1990–2000. Dianne ( Maureen Darbyshire) (Series 1–6 and Special): The oft-seen but rarely heard Chambers secretary, and Henry's flame. She eventually leaves Chambers and marries.

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His Honour Judge Roger Bullingham ( Bill Fraser) (Series 1–4 and Special): "The Mad Bull", Rumpole's most notorious courtroom enemy. Noted for his intense dislike of defending barristers in general, and of Rumpole in particular. Sir John Clifford Mortimer CBE QC FRSL (21 April 1923 – 16 January 2009) [1] was a British barrister, dramatist, screenwriter and author. He is best known for novels about a barrister named Horace Rumpole.

Mortimer developed his career as a dramatist by rising early to write before attending court. His work in total includes over 50 books, plays and scripts. [23] Besides 13 episodes of Rumpole dramatized for radio in 1980, several others of his works were broadcast on the BBC, including the true crime series John Mortimer Presents: The Trials Of Marshall Hall and Sensational British Trials. [24] Personal life [ edit ]

Contains all seven short stories in the 1981 collection "Regina V. Rumpole"; all six short stories in the 1983 collection "Rumpole and the Golden Thread" and all seven short stories in the 1987 collection "Rumpole's Last Case" Mr Justice Vosper ( Donald Eccles) (Series 2): A humourless, elderly judge who does not like Rumpole. Sir John Clifford Mortimer (1923-2009), barrister, playwright and writer Sitter in 7 portraits (National Portrait Gallery) At 17, Mortimer went to Brasenose College, Oxford, where he read law, though he was actually based at Christ Church because the Brasenose buildings had been requisitioned for the war effort. [9] In July 1942, at the end of his second year, he was sent down from Oxford by John Lowe, Dean of Christ Church, after romantic letters to a Bradfield College sixth-former, Quentin Edwards, later a QC, were discovered by the young man's housemaster. [10] [8] However, Mortimer was still allowed to take his Bachelor of Arts degree in law in October 1943. His close friend Michael Hamburger believed he had been very harshly treated. [11] Early writing career [ edit ]

Speaking of television, it's my understanding that this series began as television, and then was turned to book form, which is not a process that normally leads to spectacular writing, despite my early fondness for Earthquake, The Fantastic Voyage, or, in a sense, Peter Pan and Wendy. So kudos for Mr. Mortimer in doing a brilliant job of translating from one medium to another. So much of the impact of this story is predicated on the goings-on inside of Rumpole's head, I can hardly imagine what the show would have been like without it. (Or maybe they used voiceover for his hidden thoughts--I should find out. I'd probably like it!) Charade, Mortimer's first novel, Bodley Head, London (1947); Viking, New York (1986); ISBN 0-670-81186-6 Directed by Graham Evans, written by John Mortimer (17 April 1978). "Rumpole and the Honourable Member". Rumpole of the Bailey. Where There's a Will (autobiography), Viking, London (2003) ISBN 0-670-91365-0; Viking, New York (2005); ISBN 0-670-03409-6Horace Rumpole, the irreverent, iconoclastic, claret-swilling, poetry-spouting barrister at law, is among the most beloved characters of English crime literature. He is not a particularly gifted attorney, nor is he particularly fond of the law by courts if it comes to that, but he'd rather be swinging at a case than bowing to his wife Hilda, She-Who-Must-Be-Obeyed. Murderers and Other Friends: Another Part of Life (autobiography), Viking, London (1994); Viking, NY (1995); ISBN 0-670-84902-2 Rumpole and the Younger Generation (1995) - stand-alone publication of short story first published in Rumpole of the Bailey (1978)