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
Helen Bailey of a licensing rights company, John Sinfield. She moved from Clerkenwell to Highgate around the same time. Bailey wrote five books of "teenage angst" in the "Crazy World of Electra Brown" series: "Life at the Shallow End" (2008), "Out of my Depth" (2008), "Swimming Against the Tide" (2009), "Taking the Plunge" (2009), and "Falling Hook, Line & Sinker" (2010). She was nominated for a "Queen of Teen" award in 2010. In "Running in Heels" (2011), she featured a new character, Daisy Davenport. Bailey also wrote books for younger children, including the "Willow the Woodsprite" series, the "Topaz" series, and the