Irene Shubik plays Shubik had produced for "Play for Today" was John Mortimer’s “Rumpole of the Bailey” (broadcast 17 December 1975), starring Leo McKern as the eponymous barrister. McKern had greatly enjoyed playing the role and had indicated it was a part he would be interested in returning to. Shubik commissioned six new "Rumpole" scripts from John Mortimer with a view to making a series but a change of senior personnel in the BBC led to the project being put on hold. In late 1976, Shubik departed the BBC for Thames Television and brought the "Rumpole" scripts with her. Shubik produced the
Around the World in 80 Days (2009 TV series) episodes, with the viewership for the first episode described as "decent". A piece in the "Daily Mail" criticised the "about £1 million" budget for the production, saying that the money could have instead been donated to the charity. The BBC responded by saying that the series "is raising crucial awareness for the charity in the run-up to Children in Need Night" and that "its budget is in line with other similar prime time shows" on BBC One. Around the World in 80 Days (2009 TV series) Around the World in 80 Days is a British travel documentary series made to