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
Out of the Unknown commission a full series of "Out of the Unknown" scripts before moving on to "The Wednesday Play" and handing "Out of the Unknown" over to a new production team. At the same time, Michael Imison also moved on to produce "Thirty Minute Theatre". Shubik went on to become a noted television producer of series such as "Play for Today", "Playhouse" and "Rumpole of the Bailey" and instigated, but did not produce, the acclaimed adaptation of "The Jewel in the Crown". For series three, Shubik commissioned dramatisations of stories by Robert Sheckley ("Immortality, Inc."); Isaac Asimov ("Liar!" and "The Naked Sun"