Rumpole's Return

Rumpole's Return was a one-off Christmas special broadcast in December 1980, between seasons two and three of Rumpole of the Bailey. At a little over twice the length of a regular episode, it has room for several subplots and even - a rarity for Rumpole - an action sequence.

Rumpole begins the special unhappily retired and living with his family in the USA, but he soon finds an excuse to Return to his chambers to get involved with the main plot - a seemingly unwinnable murder. New barrister Ken Cracknell has taken Rumpole's place in his old chambers and thinks the way to be rid of Rumpole for good is for him to take on and lose this defence brief.

The murder itself involves a religious cult based in the USA, with a certain resemblance to Scientology - I have to assume this was a topical reference, with Scientology being in the news around the time this was made thanks to the 1978 court case United States v Hubbard. What with Rumpole being back in the UK, he enlists the help of his son Nick to investigate the American headquarters of the Not Scientologists, resulting in a scene where Nick has to escape from their compound. The recasting of Nick from his original actor David Yelland to the more overtly athletic Ian Gelder makes a bit more sense with this scene in mind, though it is equally possible that Yelland was simply unavailable at the time.

A subplot about Rumpole defending a "dirty books" case on behalf of guest actor Alan Lake (Chel in Aftermath, which was made the same year as this) seems to further undermine his confidence when he loses the case, and this takes yet another knock when the murder trial begins and Rumpole sees the judge presiding is none other than his old nemesis, Judge Bullingham. This is probably the Mad Bull's most antagonistic and most memorable appearance in the series - not a coincidence that the two go together.

Placed here after only the first two seasons, when Rumpole was still occasionally seen to lose important cases, it's just about credible that his pulling off a magnificent win under such circumstances might still be a surprise to audiences, but had it come any later in the series then it wouldn't have been - the appeal of Rumpole is now becoming not if he will win his case, but how will he? It's difficult to pinpoint exactly when the transition is made, but Rumpole's Return is as good a point as any other.

In spite of the name promising us further adventures of Horace Rumpole, it would be almost three years before Rumpole would Return again.