John Mortimer

'A fruity, foxy masterpiece, defender of our wilting faith in mankind' Sunday TimesHorace Rumpole is in a strange state that could only be described as a kind of air-conditioned purgatory: he has retired to Florida with his wife, Hilda (She Who Must Be Obeyed). It is safely assumed the Old Bailey hack's wig has been hung up for good. But when a rather unkempt civil servant is mixed up in the mysterious death of a minor aristocrat, Rumpole seizes the opportunity to escape a life of leisure. He is soon back in court (via a budget airline) to do battle once more with Judge 'Mad Bull' Bullingham.

Maurice Denham stars as John Mortimer's famous comic creation Rumpole of the Bailey. Defender of the underdog, friend of South London villains and scourge of QCs, much-loved barrister Horace Rumpole was first brought to life on television, and in 1980 BBC Radio 4 introduced him to the airwaves for a 13-episode series. In these delightful full-cast courtroom dramas, the claret-drinking, poetry-quoting lawyer recalls his colourful career at the Old Bailey, while being supported at home by the redoubtable Hilda ('She Who Must Be Obeyed'). From a disputed will case to a GP accused of murder, Rumpole must exercise all his talents as an advocate to fight for justice... Includes Rumpole and the Confession of Guilt, Rumpole and the Dear Departed, Rumpole and the Gentle Art of Blackmail, Rumpole and the Rotten Apple, Rumpole and the Man of God, Rumpole and the Defence of Guthrie Featherstone, Rumpole and the Show Folk, Rumpole and the Fascist Beast, Rumpole and the Case of Identity, Rumpole and the Expert Witness, Rumpole and the Course of True Love, Rumpole and the Perils of the Sea and Rumpole and the Age for Retirement. Among the supporting cast are Margot Boyd, Michael Maloney, Michael Elphick, Angela Thorne, Geoffrey Bayldon and Saeed Jaffrey. Duration: 6 hours 30 mins.

Summer's Lease - the classic, international bestselling novel by John Mortimer'Amusing, entertaining ... and a cracking good read' Sunday Express'And summer's lease hath all too short a date' - Sonnet 18, William ShakespeareIt's high summer when Molly Pargeter drags her amiably bickering family to a rented Tuscan villa for the holidays. Molly is sure that the house is the perfect setting for their three-week getaway, but soon she becomes fascinated by the lives of the absent owners - and things start to go horribly wrong ... 'With a cosy fluency of wit, Mortimer charms us into his urbane tangle of clues' Mail on SundaySummer's Lease, which was made into popular BBC TV mini-series starring John Gielgud, is a delightful novel from Rumpole author John Mortimer: witty, compassionate, humane, perfectly plotted and wonderfully readable. It will be adored by readers of P.G Wodehouse and P.D. James. Sir John Mortimer was a barrister, playwright and novelist. His fictional political trilogy of Paradise Postponed, Titmuss Regained and The Sound of Trumpets has recently been republished in Penguin Classics, together with Clinging to the Wreckage and his play A Voyage round My Father. His most famous creation was the barrister Horace Rumpole, who featured in four novels and around eighty short stories. His books in Penguin include: The Anti-social Behaviour of Horace Rumpole; The Collected Stories of Rumpole; The First Rumpole Omnibus; Rumpole and the Angel of Death; Rumpole and the Penge Bungalow Murders; Rumpole and the Primrose Path; Rumpole and the Reign of Terror; Rumpole and the Younger Generation; Rumpole at Christmas; Rumpole Rests His Case; The Second Rumpole Omnibus; Forever Rumpole; In Other Words; Quite Honestly and Summer's Lease.

The Rumpole renaissance continues to build, and now the beloved barrister's many followers have a special reason to rejoice: a sensational full-length Rumpole novel that at last relates the oft-mentioned but never revealed story of Rumpole's first case, the Penge Bungalow affair. Looking back half a century into a very different world, Rumpole recalls a man accused of murdering his father and his father's friend with a pistol taken from a dead German pilot. It was this trial and its outcome that put Rumpole on the map and shaped him into the cantankerous defender of justice that readers know and love. This is a must-read for every Rumpole fan and a compelling invitation to new readers.

Curmudgeonly London barrister Horace Rumpole, recovering from a near fatal heart attack, returns in a new collection of stories in which he takes on a nasty head nurse and befriends a young one at his run-down convalescent center as he investigates the mysterious death of an elderly patient, in the title story in a new collection of mystery tales. Reprint.

An unsuccessful barrister and even more unsuccessful murderer are the subject of Mortimer's first play, The Dock Brief. This was followed by What Shall We Tell Caroline? and then Lunch Hour, another short play, about love and lies in the lunch-hour. The Collaborators covers the wear and tear of married life subsequently united by the threat of a third party. A Voyage Round My Father, one of Mortimer's greatest theatrical successes, is a celebration of the Shakespeare-quoting, eccentric, brave and impossible barrister the author had as a father.

Sir Fennimore Truscott, a retired Judge, sits under his mulberry tree and 'tries' his next-door-neighbour Tom Marjoriebanks for - allegedly - seducing Truscott's wife Margaret many years earlier.1 woman, 2 men

Horace Rumpole turns down yet another invitation to exchange the joys and sorrows of life as an Old Bailey hack for the delights of the sunshine state, where Senior Citizens loll on beaches and the sarcastic tones of the Mad Bull (Judge Roger Bullingham) are heard no more. He settles instead for the beaded bubbles of Chateau Pommeroy's ordinary claret, the domestic chill emanating from she who must be obeyed, and his role 'extraordinaire' as Defender of the Faith: 'Never plead guilty'.

Clinging to the Wreckage - the first part of John Mortimer's hilarious and moving autobiography'A true masterpiece of the genre' The TimesHere John Mortimer recounts his solitary childhood in the English countryside, with affectionate portraits of his remote parents - an increasingly unconventional barrister father, whose blindness must never be mentioned, battling earwigs in the mutinous garden, and a vague and endlessly patient mother. As a boy dreaming of a tap-dancing career on the stage and forming a one-boy communist cell at boarding school, his father pushes him to pursue the law, where Mortimer embarks on the career that was to inspire his hilarious and immortal literary creations. Told with great humour and touching honesty, this is a magnificent achievement by one of Britain's best-loved writers. It will delight readers of P.G. Wodehouse, Roald Dahl and fans of Rumpole.'Enchantingly witty ... should be held as the model for all autobiographies of our times'Auberon Waugh Sir John Mortimer was a barrister, playwright and novelist. His fictional trilogy about the inexorable rise of an ambitious Tory MP in the Thatcher years (Paradise Postponed, Titmuss Regained and The Sound of Trumpets) has recently been republished in Penguin Classics, together with Clinging to the Wreckage and his play A Voyage round My Father. His most famous creation was the barrister Horace Rumpole, who featured in four novels and around eighty short stories. His books in Penguin include: The Anti-social Behaviour of Horace Rumpole; The Collected Stories of Rumpole; The First Rumpole Omnibus; Rumpole and the Angel of Death; Rumpole and the Penge Bungalow Murders; Rumpole and the Primrose Path; Rumpole and the Reign of Terror; Rumpole and the Younger Generation; Rumpole at Christmas; Rumpole Rests His Case; The Second Rumpole Omnibus; Forever Rumpole; In Other Words; Quite Honestly and Summer's Lease.

Collaborators is a comedy about marriage set in a dingy, infested flat in Belsize Park in the late 1950s. Henry Winter, a struggling young barrister, is also struggling to cultivate his writing career. At the invitation of Sam Brown, an American film producer of somewhat hazy credentials, he starts work on a film strip about marriage.2 women, 2 men

Presenting a comprehensive examination of the historical origins and development of schooling and teacher preparation in Papua New Guinea (PNG), the authors explore the unique education history of PNG – starting from indigenous education in villages, the influence of European colonization and the role of missionaries in providing education, and the implications for education policies and practices. Employing a thematic approach, the introduction provides an overview of the historical and cultural background of schooling and teacher preparation in PNG. Dedicated chapters then delve into specific historical periods, including the stage of conversion (1873-1945), the stage of gradualism (1946-1958), a growing nationalism (1959-1975), general education developments (1975-1992), teacher education developments (1975-1992), and developments to the present. Examining the education landscape during the respective period, highlighting key events, policies, and changes in teacher preparation, O’Donoghue and Mortimer utilise archival evidence, policy analysis, and historical narratives to present a comprehensive account of teacher education in PNG. Teacher Preparation in Papua New Guinea places the historical analysis within a global context, drawing parallels between PNG's experiences and those of other colonial and post-colonial societies.

Eight short plays: Triangle, Gladly Otherwise, The Black and White, Trouble in the Works, Cleaning Up Justice, Collector's Piece, Conference and Can You Hear Me?

No work has ever been produced previously that shows how historically geography has been constructed as a subject for the senior years of secondary schooling in Western Australia from 1917 to 1997. In doing so, this book contributes to the existing corpus of international research on the history of curriculum and particularly the history of geography as a senior secondary school subject. Much of it is based on primary sources, including the textbooks and atlases used, along with syllabus manuals and geography examination papers. It also provides a framework for investigating the construction of senior secondary school geography curricula in other constituencies, and could act as a model for engaging in further research in curriculum history for other school subjects state-wide, nationally and internationally. The book also makes an important contribution to the fields of curriculum design, curriculum development and curriculum innovation. It will be of great interest to historians of education, comparative educationists, education leaders, policy makers and librarians.

'I thank heaven for small mercies. The first of these is Rumpole' Clive JamesHorace Rumpole, the irrepressible barrister fuelled by cigars, Tennyson, steak-and-kidney pud and the cooking claret from Pommeroy's wine bar, is back for further misadventures. Amid an unfortunate and temporary downturn in London crime, the Old Bailey Hack sits in Chambers (he never writes at home for fear of She Who Must Be Obeyed) and picks up his pen to recount six classic tales of his recent trials. Here he deals with, among others, a clergyman on a shoplifting rampage, a backstage theatrical murder, a villain with unfortunate sartorial taste and, worst of all, the possibility that he may have to hang up his wig and retire. 'Rumpole, like Jeeves and Sherlock Holmes, is immortal' P. D. James

Desmond Barrit stars as Horace Rumpole in this full-cast, feature-length radio dramaRumpole has no special objection to Christmas – except that with the Old Bailey closed, he has no opportunity to exercise his skills in court. But over the course of one unusual holiday, he nonetheless manages to triumph in two very different cases…Dragooned into spending Christmas in Norfolk, at the home of one of Hilda’s old schoolfriends, Rumpole is feeling less than festive. Chilly Coldsands Rectory does not offer much in the way of enjoyment – but a trip to the local church and a surprise encounter with an old acquaintance leads to a God-given opportunity to indulge in a little seasonal, charitable blackmail.A New Year outing to see Aladdin also provides more excitement than expected. The traditional British pantomime is one of Rumpole’s favourite institutions, but he has a vague feeling that there’s something odd about this particular production. A post-panto drink, some overheard remarks and a glance at the programme confirm his suspicions – and put him on the path to solving an audacious crime…Starring Desmond Barrit as Rumpole and Joanna David as Hilda, with Tim McInnerny as Donald Compton and Nigel Anthony as Fred Timson.Written by John MortimerDirected by Marilyn ImrieProduced by Catherine BaileyPantomime music written and played by Neil BrandA Catherine Bailey production for BBC Radio 4

Timothy West stars as Rumpole in these four fantastic radio dramasRumpole and the Teenage WerewolfRumpole heads to the Home Counties to defend Ben, a teenager accused of sending emails deemed to be sexually harassing, and of an actual physical attack on a girl.Rumpole and the Right to PrivacyRumpole leaves the Old Bailey to defend a civil case: an editor of a local newspaper who is accused of breaching a successful businessman's right to privacy.Truth Makes All Things PlainIf one man can be counted on to fight injustice and insist on a fair trial for everyone, whatever their circumstances, it is Horace Rumpole. So when the beautiful Tiffany Khan learns that her husband has been arrested on suspicion of terrorism, she calls for his help right away.The Past Catches up with us AllAs he struggles to win justice for his client, Rumpole finds that his marriage to She Who Must BeObeyed is, rather like his waistcoat, straining at the seams.Timothy West stars as Rumpole and Prunella Scales as Hilda, with Matt Smith as Ben, Nigel Anthony as Claude Erskine-Brown and Michael Cochrane as ‘Soapy Sam’ Ballard.

Timothy West takes on the role of Rumpole in these four delightful dramas featuring the wily barristerRumpole and the Primrose PathRumpole exposes criminal practices at the nursing home where he was sent to recuperate after a heart attack, leaving him in dire need of claret, cheroots and good company.Rumpole and the Scales of JusticeWhen Rumpole defends a senior policeman in court, his love for Shakespeare’s Othello and his old acquaintances in the south London criminal fraternity prove very useful.Rumpole and the Vanishing JurorRumpole’s admiration for the integrity of the Old Bailey jury is legendary – but he is mystified when his most promising juror in a murder trial suddenly disappears…Rumpole RedeemedInvited to dinner at his local prison, Rumpole solves the conundrum of whether an ex-con can be reformed – while also seeking redemption himself.Timothy West stars as Rumpole, with Prunella Scales as Hilda, Michael Cochrane as Sam Ballard, Nigel Anthony as Claude Erskine-Brown and Sophie Thompson as Luci Gribble.