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
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