Rumpole of the Bailey Rumpole of the Bailey Rumpole of the Bailey is a British television series created and written by the British writer and barrister John Mortimer. It starred Leo McKern as Horace Rumpole, an elderly London barrister who defended a broad variety of clients, often underdogs. The TV series led to the stories being presented in other media including books and radio. The "Bailey" of the title is a reference to the Central Criminal Court, the "Old Bailey". While certain biographical details are slightly different in the original television series and the subsequent book series, Horace Rumpole has a number of definite
Rumpole of the Bailey 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). Despite his affection for the criminal classes, Rumpole's character is marked by a firm set of ethics. He is a staunch believer in the presumption of innocence, the "Golden Thread of British Justice". He often reinforces this by proclaiming that it is better for 10 guilty men to go free than for one innocent to be convicted (basically Blackstone's formulation). Accordingly, Rumpole's credo is "I never plead guilty", although he has qualified