Rumpole of the Bailey debut on 17 December 1975 to good reviews by the critics. Aware of the potential for further stories centred on Rumpole, Irene Shubik approached the BBC's Head of Plays, Christopher Morahan, and obtained permission from him to commission a further six "Rumpole of the Bailey" scripts from John Mortimer. However, Morahan left his post at the BBC a short time later and his successor was not interested in turning "Rumpole of the Bailey" into a series. At around this time, Shubik was contacted by Verity Lambert, Head of Drama at Thames Television, who was looking for ideas for an up-market
Zuill Bailey for Cello and Orchestra. Zuill Bailey is a member of the Perlman/Quint/Bailey Trio, along with pianist Navah Perlman and violinist Philippe Quint. He performs regularly with long-time duo partner pianist Awadagin Pratt. Zuill Bailey is a recording artist for Telarc. His recording of the Bach Cello Suites recording was No. 1 on the Classical Billboard Charts. Other recordings on Telarc feature "Brahms" complete works for cello and piano with pianist Awadagin Pratt, and Russian Masterpieces showcasing the works of Tchaikovsky and Shostakovich performed with the San Francisco Ballet Orchestra. Other recordings include his live performance of the Dvořák Cello Concerto