Rumpole of the Bailey drama series. Impressed with "Rumpole of the Bailey", Lambert offered Shubik the opportunity to bring the series to Thames. John Mortimer readily agreed, since it would mean more money, and Shubik (and "Rumpole") duly left the BBC in late 1976. "Rumpole of the Bailey" made its Thames Television debut on 3 April 1978 in a series of six episodes. These introduced and established the supporting characters including Guthrie Featherstone (Peter Bowles), Claude Erskine-Browne (Julian Curry) and Phyllida Trant (Patricia Hodge). The role of Hilda was recast, with Peggy Thorpe-Bates taking on the part. Other than McKern, David Yelland (who played
William Frederick Bailey William Frederick Bailey William Frederick Bailey CB PC (9 February 1857 – 16 April 1917), was an Irish lawyer and writer. Bailey was born in Castletown, Conyers, County Limerick, Ireland. He was educated in Trinity College, Dublin, and called to the Irish Bar in 1881. He practised on the Munster Circuit and was Barrington lecturer in Political Economy TCD and Extern in English for the Intermediate Education Board. Bailey was one of the Secretaries to the Royal Commission on Irish Published Works (1880), Legal Assistant to the Commissioners under the Purchase of Land (Ireland) Act 1885 and Secretary to the