Rumpole of the Bailey — 1978-1992 · 7 seasons · 43 eps

★ 8.4

Rumpole of the Bailey

1978-1992 7 seasons 43 episodes

★ 8.4 (1,963 votes) Top 15%

Rumpole of the Bailey is a British television series created and written by the British writer and barrister John Mortimer. It stars Leo McKern as Horace Rumpole, an aging London barrister who defends any and all clients, and has been spun off into a series of short stories, novels, and radio programmes.

Episode Ratings Grid

Every episode at a glance, color-coded by rating. Rows are episode numbers within each season, columns are seasons.

Size: M

S1

S2

S3

S4

S5

S6

S7

E1

7.6

7.7

8.2

8.1

8.2

8.4

7.9

E2

7.7

8.0

7.4

8.3

8.1

8.1

8.1

E3

7.7

8.0

8.0

8.2

8.1

7.8

8.3

E4

7.8

7.6

8.0

8.4

8.1

8.2

8.0

E5

7.8

7.8

8.2

8.2

8.0

7.7

8.0

E6

7.9

7.8

8.3

8.1

8.2

8.2

8.4

E7

8.1

Avg

7.8

7.9

8.0

8.2

8.1

8.1

8.1

Great

Good

Episode Power Rankings

The best and worst episodes at a glance. Use this to find must-watch episodes or ones you might want to skip.

🏆 Top Episodes

#1 8.4

S4E4 Rumpole and the Judge's Elbow

#2

S6E1 8.4

Rumpole a la Carte

#3

S7E6 8.4

Rumpole on Trial

4. S3E6 "Rumpole and the Last Resort" 8.3
5. S4E2 "Rumpole and the Blind Tasting" 8.3
6. S7E3 "Rumpole and the Eternal Triangle" 8.3
7. S3E1 "Rumpole and the Genuine Article" 8.2
8. S3E5 "Rumpole and the Sporting Life" 8.2
9. S4E3 "Rumpole and the Official Secret" 8.2
10. S4E5 "Rumpole and the Bright Seraphim" 8.2

📉 Bottom Episodes

#43

S3E2 7.4

Rumpole and the Golden Thread

42. S2E4 "Rumpole and the Fascist Beast" 7.6
41. S1E1 "Rumpole and the Younger Generation" 7.6
40. S6E5 "Rumpole and the Quacks" 7.7
39. S2E1 "Rumpole and the Man of God" 7.7

The Quality Arc

Each point is an episode, plotted chronologically. The colored bands mark season boundaries. Look for upward or downward trends to see if quality improved or declined over time.

Trend

Episode Engagement

Vote count shows how many people cared enough to rate. High votes + high rating = beloved classic. High votes + low rating = notorious stinker. Low votes + high rating = hidden gem.

Rating threshold:

24 Standouts

1 Infamous

18 Hidden Gems

0 Forgettable

Top Standout: S2E7 Rumpole's Return

Most Infamous: S3E2 Rumpole and the Golden Thread

Best Hidden Gem: S4E4 Rumpole and the Judge's Elbow

Episodes plotted by rating vs. vote count. The vertical line marks the rating threshold (7.5). More votes = more engagement. Toggle above to compare against global or show-specific median.

Series Trajectory

A simplified view: one point per season. This smooths out episode-to-episode noise to show the overall arc of the series.

Trend

Season Momentum

Did each season build momentum or fizzle out? Green arrows mean the finale rated higher than the premiere. Red means the opposite. Longer arrows = bigger swings.

Season Consistency

Some seasons are reliable bangers. Others are hit-or-miss. Each dot is an episode. Tightly clustered dots mean consistent quality. Scattered dots mean a mixed bag.

Each dot is an episode. Clustered dots = consistent quality. Scattered dots = variable season. Hover for episode details.