Knights, Robert

Rumpole of the Bailey - The Complete Series

An immensely popular series broadcast on PBS from 1978 to 1992 RUMPOLE OF THE BAILEY set a new bar for all courtroom dramas to come. Balancing suspense and satire as deftly as the scale of justice Horace Rumpole tirelessly defends the downtrodden while undressing the upper classes. A timeless mixture of comedy and drama RUMPOLE OF THE BAILEY was one of television's most celebrated courtroom dramas. Flawlessly adapted by John Mortimer from his best-selling Edgar Award-winning novels and starring the esteemed Leo McKern (A Man for All Seasons) this 14-disc DVD Megaset™ includes all 42 episodes from the seven seasons of RUMPOLE OF THE BAILEY. DVD Features: Feature-Length Bonus Movie Rumpole's Return; Mortimer's Musings--An Interview with John Mortimer; McKern's Memories with Actress Abigail McKern (Daughter of Leo McKern); Episode Introductions with John Mortimer; Spot the Barrister-Highlighting John Mortimer's Impromptu Appearances; Newspaper Evidence; John Mortimer Biography; John Mortimer Bibliography and Selected Credits; About the Old Bailey; Official Executioners of Newgate Prison; Interactive Menus; Scene Selection Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA UPC: 733961746242 Manufacturer No: AAE-74624

Before there was Quincy and The Practice, there was Rumpole. Rumpole of the Bailey is, quite simply, one of the finest television series, and it has served as a model for all law dramas that followed it. Edgy and satirical, Rumpole is based on John Mortimer's books of the same name. A determined and committed criminal defense barrister (whose clients have included three generations of the Timson family, among others) at the Old Bailey (criminal court), esteemed actor Leo McKern portrays the antihero Rumpole. As champion of the downtrodden, the self-righteous Rumpole loves to get in trouble with his wife Hilda, his peers, the head of chambers, and judges, to name but a few. A connoisseur of Wordsworth, cigars, and cheap liquor, McKern's usually disheveled Rumpole belies the character's dry sense of humor and astute skill as a barrister. The upwardly mobile Hilda is played by Peggy Thorpe-Bates, known for her Miss Toliver in Alcatraz Island, and Justice Sir Guthrie Fetherston is played by Peter Bowles, known for his Richard DeVere in TV's To the Manor Born.

Typical of British drama, production values are low while the caliber of scriptwriting and acting is unsurpassed. Rumpole is a rare example of a television serial that is as appealing and engaging on its 10th viewing as it was on its first. A&E's 14-disc megaset includes all 42 episodes from the series' seven seasons, plus the 1982 two-hour special Rumpole's Return, introductions by and an interview with John Mortimer, and other bonus material. --Erik Macki

A Touch of Frost - Season 1

"18 million viewers tuned into the super-length detective series." - The Times

A Touch of Frost is one of Britain's most successful detective series and stars award-winning actor David Jason as Detective Inspector Jack Frost, a policeman with a knack for attracting trouble. Set in the dreary town of Denton, Frost approaches each case with his characteristic dry wit and a sense of moral justice. A Touch of Frost Season One includes:

In "Care and Protection," Frost investigates a missing child case, as his terminally ill wife languishes in bed. A chance digging turns up a 30 year-old skeleton chained to a strongbox. A former bank employee with links to the strongbox is murdered and Frost must find his killer.

In "Not with Kindness," Frost grieves for his recently deceased wife, whose visiting sister from the States makes his life unbearable. Frost searches for a missing teenager and a victim of threatening phone calls wakes in the night to find her home engulfed in flames.

In "Conclusions," an elderly man is killed in a hit-and-run that involves a prominent local official's son. A casino is robbed of the night's takings. An armed and dangerous fugitive takes a pair of hostages.

Episodes: Care and Protection Not with Kindness Conclusions

A Touch of Frost - Season 6

"(David) Jason gives Frost the iciness needed for the role…"-- The Los Angeles Daily News A Touch of Frost is one of Britain's most successful detective series and stars award-winning actor David Jason as Detective Inspector Jack Frost, a policeman with a knack for attracting trouble. Set in the dreary town of Denton, Frost approaches each case with his characteristic dry wit and a sense of moral justice. A Touch of Frost Season 6 includes: "Appendix Man" - Reeling from the loss of his former partner, D.C. Barnard, Frost resigns from the force. But, he soon returns to investigate the suspicious death of a reclusive art collector. "One Man's Meat" - To pay the bills, Frost takes in a renter with a dog. Next, while Frost investigates the death of a homeless teenager, the dismembered arm of a health officer, washes up on the shoreline on the other side of England. "Private Lives" - A peaceful village isn't all it appears to be. Frost's new partner checks out a hit-and-run accident that injures an elderly woman. Frost squares an account with an old adversary. "Keys ToThe Car" - A golf club paramour leaves behind a trail of satisfied golf widows, unpaid bar bills and stolen cars. When a drug dealer's body is found inside the trunk of one of the vehicles, Frost tries to find the connection between the gigolo, the drug dealer and the owner of the stolen car.

A Touch of Frost: Season 7 and 8

A Touch of Frost is one of Britain's most successful detective series and stars award-winning actor David Jason as Detective Inspector Jack Frost, a policeman with a knack for attracting trouble. Set in the dreary town of Denton, Frost approaches each case with his characteristic dry wit and a sense of moral justice. A Touch of Frost Seasons 7 and 8 include: Season 7 Line of Fire, Parts 1 and 2. The holiday season holds little cheer for D.I. Jack Frost in this action-packed two parter. A local power station worker plunges to his death on the same day his home is vandalized. A crime squad detective is found murdered and the evidence points to police corruption. Frost takes the lead in the investigation and clashes with the dead detective's abrasive boss. Season 8Benefit of the Doubt, Parts 1 and 2. Frost is irritated by his new partner, who has been transferred to Denton due to a string of personal and professional problems. The two try to solve a gruesome murder of a woman's body found on the railroad tracks. Then, a surgeon at a local hospital disappears. Next, Frost's credibility is on the line when a man impersonating him harasses the women of Denton. And, a nervous young woman turns up on Jack's doorstep with startling news from his past.

Rumpole of the Bailey, Set 3 - The Complete Seasons 5, 6 & 7

The three final seasons of RUMPOLE OF THE BAILEY- the standard-setting courtroom drama from the brilliant mind of Sir John Mortimer, based on his celebrated and best-selling books of the same name.

Opinionated and set in his ways, the portly and curmudgeonly Horace Rumpole powers forth in his daily quest for justice. Unfailingly disheveled and as fond of "plonk" as he is of the English language, the beloved barrister asks only one thing of the accused--never plead guilty. For it's only a matter of time before the unflagging Rumpole cuts through society's hypocrisies and gets to the truth--as well as the heart--of the matter.

A timeless mixture of comedy and drama, this 6-disc DVD set contains all 18 episodes broadcast during the fifth, sixth, and seventh seasons of RUMPOLE OF THE BAILEY, adapted by Sir John Mortimer from his best-selling novels, and starring the esteemed Leo McKern (A Man for All Seasons).

Rumpole of the Bailey - The Lost Episode

"You'll have a bit of fun with this one, Mr. Rumpole," and so will fans of this venerable BBC series. This may not be Horace Rumpole's absolute finest hour (65 minutes, to be exact), but it is his first. John Mortimer introduced his crusty, irrepressible British barrister in this long-lost 1975 television play, originally broadcast as part of the anthology series Play for Today. Leo McKern doesn't portray so much as inhabit Rumpole, as cynical about the justice system ("Crime doesn't pay, but it's a living") as he is passionate about defending his clients; in this case, a sullen black youth accused of stabbing a stranger at a bus stop. Though his wife ("she who must be obeyed") needles him as "an old Bailey hack," he rises to the occasion after determining that there is more to this "20-minute case" than simply "just another boy with a dagger." It's grand fun watching Rumpole get the best of scowling judges and corrupt policemen. Rumpole could very well have been reviewing this episode when he tells his son, Nick, "Sometimes, it goes well... sweet and easy as knocking back a pint of Guinness." -- Donald Liebenson

Monarch of the Glen - Series One

Studio: Warner Home Video Release Date: 10/23/2007 Run time: 400 minutes

Gorgeous to behold, slow to reveal its full charm and intelligence, Monarch of the Glen is not just for Britcom fanatics. Adapted and updated from the so-called "Highland" novels of Compton MacKenzie (author of Sylvia Scarlett), Monarch concerns the crisis of Archie MacDonald (Alistair Mackenzie), a London restaurateur all set (with his girlfriend Justine, played by Anna Wilson-Jones) to open a hip new eatery when he is interrupted by an emergency call from his home in the Scottish Highlands.

There is no emergency, as it turns out, just a gambit by Archie's mother, Molly (the radiant Susan Hampshire), to effect a reconciliation between her son and his cantankerous, relentlessly bitter father, Hector (Richard Briers). The reason: Archie, much to his surprise, must legally assume Hector's longtime role as Laird of Glenbogle, the MacDonalds' 400-year-old, financially strapped 40,000-acre estate. Despite their lengthy estrangement, Hector needs Archie to save the family's honor and assets.

The eight episodes in this first season of Monarch of the Glen find the urbane Archie fiercely resisting his obligation at first, then warming to it as Glenbogle's plight becomes more personal--not just an issue of hereditary leadership but of new attachments to the series' endearing, mildly eccentric characters. Among them is Lexie (Dawn Steele), the estate's sexy, street-smart cook; shy Duncan (Hamish Clark), an underachieving, kilt-wearing handyman; leftist land-reformer Katrina (Lorraine Pilkington), warily circling Duncan as a romantic interest; and avuncular, lovably laconic groundskeeper Golly (Alexander Morton).

Monarch takes a couple of delightful episodes to introduce these good people and establish story particulars and conflicts. But depth and emotional resonance arrive by the third episode (the MacDonalds have their share of repressed, unspoken old agonies) and remain through the last episode's cliffhanger ending. If that's not enough, the spectacular Highlands scenery is pure eye candy: castles, glimmering lakes, misty hills. One never wants to leave, or to see Monarch end. --Tom Keogh

Rumpole of the Bailey, Set 1 - The Complete Seasons 1 & 2

Before there was Quincy and The Practice, there was Rumpole. Rumpole of the Bailey is, quite simply, one of the finest television series, and it has served as a model for all law dramas that followed it. Edgy and satirical, Rumpole is based on John Mortimer's books of the same name. A determined and committed criminal defense barrister (whose clients have included three generations of the Timson family, among others) at the Old Bailey (criminal court), esteemed actor Leo McKern portrays the antihero Rumpole. As champion of the downtrodden, the self-righteous Rumpole loves to get in trouble with his wife Hilda, his peers, the head of chambers, and judges, to name but a few. A connoisseur of Wordsworth, cigars, and cheap liquor, McKern's usually disheveled Rumpole belies the character's dry sense of humor and astute skill as a barrister. The upwardly mobile Hilda is played by Peggy Thorpe-Bates, known for her Miss Toliver in Alcatraz Island, and Justice Sir Guthrie Fetherston is played by Peter Bowles, known for his Richard DeVere in TV's To the Manor Born.

Each volume features two episodes. Included in this set are "Rumpole and the Younger Generation," "Rumpole and the Honourable Member," "Rumpole and the Married Lady," "Rumpole and the Learned Friends," "Rumpole and the Heavy Brigade," "Rumpole and the Man of God," "Rumpole and the Case of Identity," "Rumpole and the Show Folk," "Rumpole and the Fascist Beast," "Rumpole and the Age for Retirement," "Rumpole and the Bright Seraphim," and "Rumpole and the Barrow Boy."

Typical of British drama, production values are low while the caliber of scriptwriting and acting is unsurpassed. A rare example of a television serial that is as appealing and engaging on its 10th viewing as it was on its first. --Erik Macki

Today's legal minds could take a lesson or two from Horace Rumpole, one of the most colorful characters ever to approach the bench. Rumpole also maneuvers behind the scenes, using his brilliant mind and sly sense of humor to make his case. Stylishly played by Leo McKern, he throws the courtroom into an uproar for twenty episodes that seamlessly blend comedy, mystery, and drama.

Rumpole of the Bailey, Set 2 - The Complete Seasons 3 & 4

Before there was Quincy and The Practice, there was Rumpole. Rumpole of the Bailey is, quite simply, one of the finest television series, and it has served as a model for all law dramas that followed it. Edgy and satirical, Rumpole is based on John Mortimer's books of the same name. Esteemed actor Leo McKern portrays the antihero Rumpole, a determined and committed criminal defense barrister whose clients have included three generations of the Timson family, among others, at the Old Bailey (criminal court). As champion of the downtrodden, the self-righteous Rumpole loves to get in trouble with his wife, his peers, the head of chambers, and judges, to name but a few. A connoisseur of Wordsworth, cigars, and cheap liquor, McKern's usually disheveled Rumpole belies the character's dry sense of humor and astute skill as a barrister. His wife, the upwardly mobile Hilda, is played by Peggy Thorpe-Bates, known for her Miss Toliver in Alcatraz Island, and Justice Sir Guthrie Fetherston is played by Peter Bowles, known for his Richard DeVere in TV's To the Manor Born.

This four-disc set includes all 12 episodes from seasons 3 and 4. Typical of British drama, production values are low, while the caliber of scriptwriting and acting is unsurpassed. A rare example of a television serial that is as appealing and engaging on its 10th viewing as it is on its first. --Erik Macki

Today's legal minds could take a lesson or two from Horace Rumpole, one of the most colorful characters ever to approach the bench. Rumpole also maneuvers behind the scenes, using his brilliant mind and sly sense of humor to make his case. Stylishly played by Leo McKern, he throws the courtroom into an uproar for twenty episodes that seamlessly blend comedy, mystery, and drama.

Monarch of the Glen - Series Two

Studio: Warner Home Video Release Date: 10/23/2007 Rating: Nr

The second batch of eight episodes from the wonderful Monarch of the Glen series picks up precisely where Series One left off. Young Archie MacDonald, the London restaurateur forced to assume his role as Laird of Glenbogle--i.e., head of the MacDonald family's 400-year-old, 40,000-acre estate in the Scottish Highlands--has finally taken to his immense responsibility with seriousness of purpose and no little family pride. His cantankerous father, Hector (Richard Briers), long estranged from Archie and once bitter about asking his son to save the financially strapped estate, has gracefully accepted his own change in fortunes but now runs little ploys to maintain a semblance of aristocratic privilege. (In one near-slapstick episode, Hector and his old friend Kilwillie, played by Julian Fellowes, try to hide a valuable barrel of malt liquor from Archie, who is trying to profit from every MacDonald asset.)

Archie's efforts to keep Glenbogle solvent include turning the estate into a sprawling museum and renting the place out for weddings. The tricky bit is that Glenbogle is also a home and touchstone for the MacDonald's appealing staff and friends, and there will always be someone upset about changes in the status quo. Monarch continues to be as much about lovable, boneheaded Duncan (Hamish Clark), the MacDonald's all-purpose assistant; the sexy, strong-willed Lexie (Dawn Steele); grizzled Golly (Alexander Morton); and schoolteacher Katrina (Lorraine Pilkington), whose dodgy, romantic ambivalence toward Archie wears a little thin but finally settles into a promising groove. The radiant Susan Hampshire (The Forsyte Saga) has more to do in this set of stories and thus shines brighter as Archie's intriguing mother. Equally lovely are spectacular views of Highlands scenery: amazing castles, romantic vistas. One wants to stay forever. --Tom Keogh