Rumpole of the Bailey enjoyed his accounts of his cases and "harmless legal anecdotes". But as Nick grows older, father and son start to grow apart, because Nick doesn't agree with Rumpole's attitudes towards the law, criminals, judges, justice or his own family life. In total, seven series of "Rumpole of the Bailey" were made from 1978 to 1992, each consisting of six episodes. A special two-hour film, "Rumpole's Return", was made and aired in 1980, between the 2nd and 3rd series. The author, John Mortimer, occasionally appeared as an extra. Rumpole and his family: Members of Rumpole's Chambers at 3 Equity Court, London:
Rumpole of the Bailey 1980 (65 minutes and 103 minutes respectively) that aired outside of the regular seasons but that are considered part of the overall Rumpole television canon. The seven seasons of the programme and the "Rumpole's Return" special episode are available on DVD and as part of a single DVD box set, published by Fremantle Media. The "Play for Today" ("The Confession of Guilt") is also available on DVD, released separately by Acorn Media. A&E Home Video released the entire series on DVD in Region 1 between 2004–2006. It was initially released in season sets then on 28 February 2006, they released