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
Rumpole of the Bailey to Granada Television, where she produced an acclaimed adaptation of Paul Scott's "Staying On" and set up, but did not produce, "The Jewel in the Crown", the follow-up adaptation of Scott's "Raj Quartet". "Rumpole of the Bailey" continued under a new production team. When "Rumpole of the Bailey" returned for its fourth series in 1987, Marion Mathie took over as Hilda when Peggy Thorpe-Bates retired because of poor health. There were a grand total of 44 episodes. Seven seasons each consisting of six episodes – with each episode approximately 50 minutes in duration. And two individual dramas in 1975 and