Rumpole of the Bailey public school) and studied law at either Keble College or the fictional "St Joseph's College", Oxford, coming away with "a dubious third". He would not be eligible to be called to the Bar in England today, as a lower second is the minimum requirement. He was called to the bar at the "Outer Temple" (a fictional Inn of Court, named on the analogy of the Inner Temple, where John Mortimer was called, and the Middle Temple). Apart from the legal drama in each story, Rumpole also has to deal with his relationships with family and friends. His wife Hilda was
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