
Rumpole for the Defense
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
$0.99/mo for the first 3 months

Buy for $11.17
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Frederick Davidson
-
By:
-
John Mortimer
About this listen
Whether he’s quoting Wordsworth or having words with a particularly obtuse judge, Horace Rumpole always knows what he’s doing––even if no one else does. In this delightful collection of stories, Rumpole straightens everyone out in the shocking case of a “bent copper,” gallantly teaches a professor of moral philosophy about blackmail, consults with the dear departed when a will is contested, traces the path of true love when a doctor is accused of murder, and (in the name of duty, of course) drinks to excess with a teetotaling member of the prosecution. There is even a rare moment or two when Rumpole finds himself appreciative of “She Who Must Be Obeyed” (Mrs. Rumpole), when she inadvertently provides some essential clues that clinch his cases.
Stories in this collection include “Rumpole for the Defense,” “Rumpole and the Gentle Art of Blackmail,” “Rumpole and the Dear Departed,” “Rumpole and the Rotten Apple,” “Rumpole and the Expert Witness,” “Rumpole and the Spirit of Christmas,” and “Rumpole and the Boat People.”
©1981 John Mortimer (P)1991 Blackstone Audio, Inc.Listeners also enjoyed...
-
Rumpole of the Bailey [AudioGo]
- By: John Mortimer
- Narrated by: Robert Hardy
- Length: 7 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In these witty and comic stories, Horace Rumpole takes on a variety of clients and activities. He, of course, brings each case to a successful end, all the while quoting poetry and drinking claret.
-
-
Wordsworth in a Wig
- By Ian C Robertson on 04-27-13
By: John Mortimer
-
Rumpole and the Blind Tasting
- By: John Mortimer
- Narrated by: Leo McKern
- Length: 1 hr and 25 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Rumpole again defends a member of the Timson clan on a charge of possession of stolen goods - namely, he is caught with a garage full of expensive wine. Rumpole is concerned that Timson's explanation that he purchased the wine from some unknown individual he met in a pub will not go down well with Mr. Justice Graves, who has heard these stories many times before.
-
-
There’s nothing like Leo McKern reading Rumpole of the Bailey!
- By Guy on 11-06-23
By: John Mortimer
-
Rumpole's The Old, Old Story
- By: John Mortimer
- Narrated by: Leo McKern
- Length: 1 hr and 20 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
After a fight with his wife, Rumpole stays with Erskine-Browns and finds that Portia is prosecuting one of his clients.
-
-
Leo McKern’s characterizations
- By Roger Dornbierer on 04-25-24
By: John Mortimer
-
Rumpole and the Quacks
- By: John Mortimer
- Narrated by: Leo McKern
- Length: 1 hr and 33 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Rumpole defends a Pakistani doctor accused of molesting a female patient. Meanwhile his colleague Phyllida suspects her husband, Erskine-Brown, of philandering. To complicate these matters even more, Rumpole is sidetracked by the romantic advances of a middle-aged ex-client.
-
-
One of his best
- By L. Swanson on 06-02-22
By: John Mortimer
-
Rumpole for the Prosecution
- By: John Mortimer
- Narrated by: Leo McKern
- Length: 1 hr and 32 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Horace Rumpole is back, but this one time he relates his witty tale as he now takes a turn as an Old Bailey prosecutor, one with a penchant for gin and justice. Listen to Rumpole's biting cynicism and dry humor...then become a lifelong fan!
By: John Mortimer
-
Rumpole's Last Case
- By: John Mortimer
- Narrated by: Leo McKern
- Length: 1 hr and 31 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Here are two wonderful stories about the irrepressibly audacious Old Bailey hack Horace Rumpole, including the immortal moment in Rumpole's Last Case when, pinning his hopes on a four-horse accumulator, Rumpole decides to retire from the hallowed halls of justice, but not before first speaking his mind to the "Mad Bull" - Judge Roger Bullingham.
By: John Mortimer
-
Rumpole of the Bailey [AudioGo]
- By: John Mortimer
- Narrated by: Robert Hardy
- Length: 7 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In these witty and comic stories, Horace Rumpole takes on a variety of clients and activities. He, of course, brings each case to a successful end, all the while quoting poetry and drinking claret.
-
-
Wordsworth in a Wig
- By Ian C Robertson on 04-27-13
By: John Mortimer
-
Rumpole and the Blind Tasting
- By: John Mortimer
- Narrated by: Leo McKern
- Length: 1 hr and 25 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Rumpole again defends a member of the Timson clan on a charge of possession of stolen goods - namely, he is caught with a garage full of expensive wine. Rumpole is concerned that Timson's explanation that he purchased the wine from some unknown individual he met in a pub will not go down well with Mr. Justice Graves, who has heard these stories many times before.
-
-
There’s nothing like Leo McKern reading Rumpole of the Bailey!
- By Guy on 11-06-23
By: John Mortimer
-
Rumpole's The Old, Old Story
- By: John Mortimer
- Narrated by: Leo McKern
- Length: 1 hr and 20 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
After a fight with his wife, Rumpole stays with Erskine-Browns and finds that Portia is prosecuting one of his clients.
-
-
Leo McKern’s characterizations
- By Roger Dornbierer on 04-25-24
By: John Mortimer
-
Rumpole and the Quacks
- By: John Mortimer
- Narrated by: Leo McKern
- Length: 1 hr and 33 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Rumpole defends a Pakistani doctor accused of molesting a female patient. Meanwhile his colleague Phyllida suspects her husband, Erskine-Brown, of philandering. To complicate these matters even more, Rumpole is sidetracked by the romantic advances of a middle-aged ex-client.
-
-
One of his best
- By L. Swanson on 06-02-22
By: John Mortimer
-
Rumpole for the Prosecution
- By: John Mortimer
- Narrated by: Leo McKern
- Length: 1 hr and 32 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Horace Rumpole is back, but this one time he relates his witty tale as he now takes a turn as an Old Bailey prosecutor, one with a penchant for gin and justice. Listen to Rumpole's biting cynicism and dry humor...then become a lifelong fan!
By: John Mortimer
-
Rumpole's Last Case
- By: John Mortimer
- Narrated by: Leo McKern
- Length: 1 hr and 31 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Here are two wonderful stories about the irrepressibly audacious Old Bailey hack Horace Rumpole, including the immortal moment in Rumpole's Last Case when, pinning his hopes on a four-horse accumulator, Rumpole decides to retire from the hallowed halls of justice, but not before first speaking his mind to the "Mad Bull" - Judge Roger Bullingham.
By: John Mortimer
-
Rumpole and the Summer of Discontent
- By: John Mortimer
- Narrated by: Leo McKern
- Length: 1 hr and 34 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
While Rumpole defends a union activist accused of manslaughter, Hilda creates her own union and goes on strike as Rumpole's cook because of his unpredictable and frequent late hours. Rumpole is under pressure to win his case and negotiate a proper labor settlement with “She Who Must Be Obeyed”.
-
-
sickkk
- By Dean on 09-26-18
By: John Mortimer
-
Rumpole and the Age for Retirement
- By: John Mortimer
- Narrated by: Leo McKern
- Length: 1 hr and 16 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Leo McKern is Horace Rumpole! Here he reads about the life and trials of the eccentric barrister, famous for his inestimable knowledge of blood stains, blood groups and forgery by typewriter. Witty and cynical as ever, Horace Rumpole will once again delight listeners with his irreverent behavior and legal triumphs. Will he and his longtime client Percy Timson both be forced to retire, one to sunny climes, the other to jail?
By: John Mortimer
-
Rumpole and the Alternative Society
- By: John Mortimer
- Narrated by: Leo McKern
- Length: 47 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Our Horace Rumpole, the most traditional of traditionalists, defends a hippie-like schoolteacher on a drugs charge. Quite unexpectedly, he finds himself attracted to her and to her unusual lifestyle.
-
-
A Mortimer/McKern Pleasure
- By G Fred on 10-13-10
By: John Mortimer
-
Rumpole and the Man of God
- By: John Mortimer
- Narrated by: Leo McKern
- Length: 1 hr and 12 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Known as “The Bailey Hack” for his chain smoking, the irrepressible Rumpole is engaged to defend a church vicar who is accused of theft and whose only defense for now is “divine intervention”. Meeting up with old friend George Frobisher for after-work drinks, Rumpole can't help but notice that George's female companion looks suspiciously familiar.
-
-
Leo is rum pole!
- By jennifer booth on 07-16-21
By: John Mortimer
-
Rumpole and the Married Lady
- By: John Mortimer
- Narrated by: Leo McKern
- Length: 48 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Rumpole takes on a divorce case. He represents a Mrs. Thripp, who accuses her husband of unbearable conduct since he has not spoken to her for at least three years and communicates with her in their home only via written notes. But at home, Rumpole finds his wife, Hilda, in a horrid temper, since their son, Nick, has moved to Florida. When his client telephones him at home, Hilda eavesdrops on Rumpole’s conversation and thinks that Rumpole is now in the throes of an affair. Will Rumpole now have to find a divorce lawyer for himself?
By: John Mortimer
-
Rumpole and the Old Familiar Faces
- A BBC Radio 4 Full-Cast Dramatisation
- By: John Mortimer
- Narrated by: Full Cast, Desmond Barrit
- Length: 1 hr and 27 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Christmas Day in a chilly Norfolk village and a trip to the pantomime provide Horace Rumpole with the opportunity to solve a crime involving a duplicitous dame and to indulge in a little seasonal, charitable blackmail.
By: John Mortimer
-
Rumpole and the Younger Generation
- By: John Mortimer
- Narrated by: Leo McKern
- Length: 1 hr and 3 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Rumpole must now defend a young member of the Timson family, an extended clan of petty thieves who are otherwise decent South London rogues. Adding to Rumpole’s anxiety, his own son now appears to be acquiring some of the less respectable Timson family traits.
By: John Mortimer
-
Rumpole: The Teenage Werewolf & Other Stories
- Four BBC Radio 4 Dramatisations
- By: John Mortimer
- Narrated by: Timothy West, full cast
- Length: 2 hrs and 55 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Timothy West takes on the role of Rumpole in this collection of cracking court cases, including Rumpole and the Teenage Werewolf, Rumpole and the Right to Privacy, Truth Makes All Things Plain, and The Past Catches Up with Us All....
-
-
This was WONDERFUL! ❤️
- By R. Perrault on 08-03-20
By: John Mortimer
-
Rumpole: The Penge Bungalow Murders and other stories
- Three BBC Radio 4 dramatisations
- By: John Mortimer
- Narrated by: Benedict Cumberbatch, Timothy West, full cast, and others
- Length: 2 hrs and 55 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Benedict Cumberbatch plays the young, feisty, devastatingly acute Horace Rumpole in this collection of cracking cases, also starring Timothy West as the older Rumpole. Rumpole and the Penge Bungalow Murders: It is the '50s, and two war heroes have been shot dead. Defending the suspect is deemed hopeless, so the case is handed to a novice. But the novice's superiors didn't count on the tenacity and wit of the young and hungry Horace Rumpole.
-
-
Fun to read
- By Frances Rouse on 07-17-18
By: John Mortimer
-
Rumpole: The Sleeping Partners & Other Stories
- Three BBC Radio 4 Dramatisations
- By: John Mortimer
- Narrated by: Benedict Cumberbatch, Jasmine Hyde, Timothy West, and others
- Length: 2 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Benedict Cumberbatch plays the young, feisty, devastatingly acute Horace Rumpole in this collection of cracking cases, also starring Timothy West as the older Rumpole.
-
-
Excellent dramatization of Rumpole
- By T Searl on 08-07-18
By: John Mortimer
-
Miss Marple: The Complete Short Stories
- A Miss Marple Collection
- By: Agatha Christie
- Narrated by: Juliet Stevenson
- Length: 12 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Miss Marple: The Complete Story Collection gathers together in one magnificent volume all of Agatha Christie’s short stories featuring her beloved intrepid investigator, Miss Marple. It’s an unparalleled compendium of murder, mayhem, mystery, and detection that represents some of the finest short form fiction in the crime fiction field, and is an essential omnibus for Christie fans.
-
-
Classic Miss Marple - uneven narration
- By Lyric G. Eads on 11-09-22
By: Agatha Christie
-
Something New
- By: P. G. Wodehouse
- Narrated by: B.J. Harrison
- Length: 8 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Here, we have a glorious ensemble of Woodhousian characters knocking elbows to foreheads in the elegant and grand Blandings Castle. Meet Freddy Threepwood, the vagrant son of doddering old Lord Emsworth of Blandings Castle. Freddy has recently become engaged to Aline Peters, the American heiress of an irascible father. The snag is that Freddy seems to have at one point become enamored of a struggling actress, Joan Valentine, and written some impetuous and imprudent letters to her.
-
-
Same book as Something Fresh
- By customer on 03-07-15
By: P. G. Wodehouse
Critic reviews
What listeners say about Rumpole for the Defense
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Suzanne
- 12-28-20
Excellent!
Rumpole always delivers. The performance was outstanding, similar to the weekly show. The short story compilation was perfect for commuting
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Kindle Customer
- 08-30-22
Engaging. entertaining and memorable
This collection of stories purveys Rumpole at his best. Don’t miss the pleasure of listening in
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Deborah Hammond
- 08-02-20
what is not to love...
best in combination of mystery and humor in the stuffing Inns of the Court in London...
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Philip
- 02-05-23
another fantastic rumpole series
amazing, comedic, ironic stories from John Mortimer; still in his prime, absolutely fantastic! and the reading is wonderful in this version.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!