Rumpole of the Bailey - Complete BBC Radio Drama Collection - John Mortimer

Written by John Mortimer
Read by Maurice Denham, Timothy West, Desmond Barrit, Benedict Cumberbatch, Julian Rhind-Tutt, Prunella Scales, Full Cast
Format: M4B
Bitrate: Variable
Dramatization

All of the BBC radio dramas based on John Mortimer’s Rumpole of the Bailey.

These are all newly encoded from Audible’s new USAC codec versions all reencoded for compatibilities sake as FDK VBR 5 44.1kHz

VOLUME ONE: The Splendours and Miseries of an Old Bailey Hack

Maurice Denham stars as John Mortimer’s famous comic creation Rumpole of the Bailey.

Defender of the underdog, friend of South London villains and scourge of QCs, much-loved barrister Horace Rumpole was first brought to life on television, and in 1980 BBC Radio 4 introduced him to the airwaves for a 13-episode series.

In these delightful full-cast courtroom dramas, the claret-drinking, poetry-quoting lawyer recalls his colourful career at the Old Bailey, while being supported at home by the redoubtable Hilda (’She Who Must Be Obeyed’). From a disputed will case to a GP accused of murder, Rumpole must exercise all his talents as an advocate to fight for justice…

Among the supporting cast are Margot Boyd, Michael Maloney, Michael Elphick, Angela Thorne, Geoffrey Bayldon and Saeed Jaffrey. Duration: 6 hours 30 mins.

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VOLUME TWO: Rumpole and the Old Familiar Faces

A New Year outing to see Aladdin also provides more excitement than expected. The traditional British pantomime is one of Rumpole’s favourite institutions, but he has a vague feeling that there’s something odd about this particular production. A post-panto drink, some overheard remarks and a glance at the programme confirm his suspicions - and put him on the path to solving an audacious crime…

Starring Desmond Barrit as Rumpole and Joanna David as Hilda, with Tim McInnerny as Donald Compton and Nigel Anthony as Fred Timson.

Cast
Horace Rumpole - Desmond Barrit
Hilda Rumpole - Joanna David
Rev Eric Longstaff - Oliver Ford Davies
Donald Compton - Tim McInnerny
Fred Timson - Nigel Anthony
Phillida Erskine-Brown - Patience Tomlinson
Judge Bullingham - Philip Voss
Skimpy Simpson - Ioan Meredith
Bonny Bernard - Bruce Alexander
Detective Inspector Grimble - John Hartley
Aladdin - Rebecca Lacey
Denis Timson - Tom George
Widow Twanky - Tilly Vosburgh
Tristan - Lewis Reece
Isolde - Lauren Bird

Production credits
Written by John Mortimer
Directed by Marilyn Imrie
Produced by Catherine Bailey
Pantomime music written by Neil Brand

A Catherine Bailey production for BBC Radio 4

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VOLUME THREE: Rumpole and the Primrose Path

This is the first twelve stories of the most recent series, these all starred Timothy West & Prunella Scales.

Timothy West stars as the Rumpole in 12 cases in which he proves, despite scurrilous rumours to the contrary, that he is alive, well and as adept as ever at getting to the heart of crimes ranging from sexual assault to terrorism. He also has hopes of becoming a QC at last - but his marriage to She Who Must Be Obeyed is under pressure…

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VOLUME FOUR: Young Rumpole Vol 1

Twelve episodes starring Benedict Cumberbatch as Rumpole.

These episodes and the following set retcon details and dates of stories written by John Mortimer and are the first not to be adapted by the author. I personally don’t consider these to be canon due to all the changes but they are enjoyable if you can look past that.

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VOLUME FIVE: Young Rumpole Vol 2

Ten episodes. Julian Rhind-Tutt takes over as Rumpole.

See VOLUME FOUR for my opinions on this retcon.