Rumpole of the Bailey, Set 2 - The Complete Seasons 3 & 4 (1980)

Delightful

This is British comedy/court room drama at its best. Writer John Mortimer utilizes the same gentle humour of P G Wodehouse who in fact is referenced in one or two episodes. It is probably of more interest to older more seasoned audiences who can catch the many references Rumpole throws out which range from Shakespeare to Keats. It also deals with the quirks and foibles of a stuffy middle age life including marriage to a wife "who must be obeyed". July 9, 2008

Rumpole Still Rowdy!

The Second Set of Rumpole of the Bailey is as good as I remember it when it was first broadcast. It does not seem to age except maybe for the occasional reference to what was then current political personages. The legal parts, the references to England's small time criminals is still as topical as it was when first presented. The characters are still so VERY British, it makes the series what it is. September 19, 2007

Rumpole of the Bailey, set 2, complete seasons 3 & 4

Very well done compilation of one of my favorite and long missed series. I also hve the 1&2 season set and have enjoyed them all over again. Glad this one and the other were finally available at at a reasonable price. March 31, 2007

One of the Greats

Sit back and enjoy the life of English barrister Horace Rumpole, brilliantly played by Leo McKern, supported by an excellent cast. There's humor, often dark, and some suspense in a delightful package. If you enjoy intelligent television with a point of view, buy these DVDs and, as I said, sit back and enjoy.

Frank Scoblete: Author of Golden Touch Dice Control Revolution! March 1, 2007

Rumpole Improves With Age

The 3rd and 4th series of Rumpole of the Bailey continue and improve on the fine tradition established by the first two series. Leo McKern remains utterly magnificent as the intrepid barrister who never pleads Guilty (although he does break that tradition once), the scourge of the pompous and the pettifoggers of his chambers at Equity Court in the Temple and in the courtrooms of the Old Bailey. He tackles a series of cases, many of them outside of London in various rural locales, and once at a military base in Germany. Whatever his milieu, Rumpole is always master of the situation.

These series have a larger number of women characters than the first two. Besides Phillida Trant Erskine-Brown, Rumpole's chambers also boast two female barristers-in-training: Fiona Allways, an upper-crust sort who seeks out Rumpole when her sister badly needs assistance; and my favorite among the minor characters, Liz Probert, the brilliant daughter of a left-wing Labour Party leader who joins Rumpole in championing the poor and oppressed (although they have considerably different views as to what sorts of people are included in that category.) There is also Hilda "She Who Must Be Obeyed" Rumpole, who is played by a different actress starting in the 4th series, but who remains as indomitable as ever.

There are some old favorites among the minor characters like Claude Erskine-Brown and the petty-thieving Timson clan. Guthrie Featherstone is now a judge, but he has been replaced as Head of chambers by "Soapy Sam" Ballard, a highly religious and insufferable twit who is a perfect foil for Rumpole.

Although these stories were filmed in the 1980s they remain fresh and funny, a breath of air tinged with the smoke of Rumpole's old cheroots and a splash of Chateau Thames Embankment. April 14, 2005

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