{"product_id":"book-grmx","title":"Rumpole: A BBC Radio Collection","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAn irresistible collection of sparkling stories featuring John Mortimer's beloved comic creation\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHorace Rumpole is the most erudite, astute, and seldom defeated of barristers in the annals of the Old Bailey. In these 32 dramas, arranged in order of broadcast, four distinguished actors don the wig and white band to portray our hero as he recalls his long, eventful career.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTimothy West\u003c\/b\u003e stars as the older Rumpole in eight cases in which he proves, despite scurrilous rumours to the contrary, that he is alive, well and as adept as ever at getting to the heart of crimes ranging from sexual assault to terrorism. He also has hopes of becoming a QC at last - but his marriage to She Who Must Be Obeyed is under pressure...\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eJoining Timothy West for another seven legal adventures, \u003cb\u003eBenedict Cumberbatch\u003c\/b\u003e plays the young, feisty, devastatingly acute Rumpole. We flash back to the 1950s, as he meets and marries Hilda, embarks on his first big murder case 'alone and without a leader', and defends clients including an aristocrat, a shoplifting clergyman and a gardener accused of blackmail.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eReturning as young Rumpole, Cumberbatch takes us through six more curious cases. It is 1964, and Horace takes on a new pupil - Phyllida Trant, the 'Portia of our Chambers' - only to find himself becoming smitten with her. Forced to consider the path his life has taken, he comes close to giving up the law...\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWith the Sixties swinging, \u003cb\u003eJulian Rhind-Tutt\u003c\/b\u003e gives us a Rumpole in his prime, recounting ten tales which find the tireless defender swapping sides to appear for the prosecution; coming to the aid of a doctor accused of unprofessional conduct; and suffering the indignity of wrongful arrest. We leave him facing a life-changing decision: after many years of falling in and out of love with both women, will he finally leave Hilda to be with Phyllida?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAlso included is a special 90-minute Christmas episode starring \u003cb\u003eDesmond Barrit\u003c\/b\u003e, in which Rumpole indulges in a little seasonal, charitable blackmail and solves an audacious crime at the panto.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eProduction credits\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWritten by John Mortimer\u003cbr\u003eAdapted by Richard Stoneman\u003cbr\u003eDirected by Marilyn Imrie.\u003cbr\u003eA Catherine Bailey production for BBC Radio 4\u003cbr\u003eSax quartet version of Gershwin's 'They Can't Take That Away From Me' arranged by Julie Hodge and performed by 'Sax' (Luiza Beddoes, Kate Mylnar, Janine Ng and Julie Hodge)\u003cbr\u003ePantomime music written by Neil Brand\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eCast\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOlder Horace Rumpole - Timothy West\/Desmond Barrit\u003cbr\u003eYoung Horace Rumpole - Benedict Cumberbatch\/Julian Rhind-Tutt\u003cbr\u003eHilda - Prunella Scales\/Joanna David\u003cbr\u003eYoung Hilda - Jasmine Hyde\/Cathy Sara\u003cbr\u003ePhyllida - Cathy Sara\/Patience Tomlinson\u003cbr\u003e'Soapy Sam' Ballard - Michael Cochrane\u003cbr\u003eClaude Erskine-Brown - Nigel Anthony\u003cbr\u003eFig Newton - David Shaw-Parker\/Geoffrey Whitehead\u003cbr\u003eBonny Bernard - Bruce Alexander\/Nicholas Le Provost\/Matthew Morgan\u003cbr\u003eJudge Bullingham - Christopher Benjamin\/David Shaw-Parker\/Stephen Critchlow\u003cbr\u003eLiz Probert - Elaine Claxton\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFirst broadcast BBC Radio 4 between 25 December 2001 and 9 May 2018\u003cbr\u003e© 2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Penguin UK","offers":[{"title":"Audiobook","offer_id":49356519604528,"sku":"BDgrmx","price":16.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0879\/2784\/9264\/files\/81637-grmx-Square.jpg?v=1734409191","url":"https:\/\/downpour.com\/products\/book-grmx","provider":"Downpour","version":"1.0","type":"link"}