Rumpole of the Bailey

While defending a man accused of living on immoral earnings, the crusty barrister is approached by Guthrie Featherstone. Featherstone confides in him about an embarrassing problem that could interfere with the defence and adds a further complication to the proceedings.

Rumpole and the Judge’s Elbow is a television programme presented as an episode of the long‑running legal series centred on the idiosyncratic barrister Horace Rumpole. The title identifies the particular instalment, while the classification as a programme and its genre as an episode establish the format without referring to any production details beyond what is supplied. In this instalment, Rumpole finds himself defending a client who stands accused of subsisting on “immoral earnings”. While he is busy constructing a defence for the man whose livelihood is alleged to be illicit, the seasoned, somewhat crusty counsel is interrupted by an unexpected visitor. Guthrie Featherstone arrives at Rumpole’s chambers seeking assistance with a problem that he finds deeply embarrassing. The episode therefore pivots on two intertwined threads: the courtroom battle over the questionable source of the defendant’s income, and the personal dilemma presented by Featherstone’s delicate situation. Rumpole’s characteristic bluntness and seasoned experience colour his approach to both the legal case and the client’s private embarrassment, offering a glimpse of his method of juggling professional duties with personal entanglements. By the close of the narrative, the audience sees how the barrister’s willingness to intervene in Featherstone’s awkward affair dovetails with his broader commitment to defending those accused of socially frowned‑upon conduct. The story remains firmly rooted in the original premise, focusing solely on the defence of the immoral‑earnings charge and the peculiar request from Guthrie Featherstone.