Rumpole of the Bailey debut on 17 December 1975 to good reviews by the critics. Aware of the potential for further stories centred on Rumpole, Irene Shubik approached the BBC's Head of Plays, Christopher Morahan, and obtained permission from him to commission a further six "Rumpole of the Bailey" scripts from John Mortimer. However, Morahan left his post at the BBC a short time later and his successor was not interested in turning "Rumpole of the Bailey" into a series. At around this time, Shubik was contacted by Verity Lambert, Head of Drama at Thames Television, who was looking for ideas for an up-market
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