Rumpole of the Bailey

Following a Scales of Justice dinner, Rumpole, a little worse from too much claret, makes a hasty decision. To his surprise, his wife actively encourages him to stick to his new resolve, making life difficult for him both at home and in Chambers.

Rumpole is defending yet another member of the Timson clan, whose family provide a fair proportion of his income. Judge Graves is giving Rumpole a hard time in court, and with the arrival of Hilda’s old chum, home life is not much more attractive.

Rumpole feels surrounded by secrecy: Claude Erskine-Brown is deep in operatic duplicity; his wife is being evasive; and the Ministry of Defense overreacts to a leak about the number of biscuits consumed by the civil service.

Rumpole is due to appear in a massage parlor case before his old Head of Chambers, Guthrie Featherstone, who seems suspiciously reluctant to try the case.

Rumpole is delighted when a casual meeting with a retired major at his local pub leads to a Court Martial in Germany. He’s welcomed by Captain Ransom, the Defending Officer for Trooper Danny Boyne, who’s charged with the murder of his sergeant.

Rumpole’s life is much as usual. He’s defending another villain from the Timson family; the ambitious Heathstroke attempts to replace him in Chambers; and his wife is complaining about his smoking. The temptation to escape from it all is very strong.