Rumpole gets back from Darkest Africa to find a case waiting for him; a 'high class brothel' run by an eccentric but upper-crust old couple (Michael Denison and Dulce Grey) has been raided by police, who have also bagged a high-placed civil servant there.
No matter that so many police took part in the raid against this 'dangerous target' that probably the rest of the now-unguarded capital suffers a wave of crime!)
The civil servant now brings an accusation of blackmail against the couple, thereby procuring his own immunity from publicity but lining up a 5-year term against the couple instead of 6 months for keeping a disorderly house'. He paid two gas bills of a little under £150 each by cheque, claiming this was a result of blackmail. (Gas bills are going to be high if few people there are wearing much.) The couple claim he helped them out when business was quiet but he otherwise paid by cash.
The old couple have a 'code of honour' which prevents them from testifying against the civil servant.
That's the A-thread; the B-thread is that Guthrie Featherstone has become a red judge at last and Equity Chambers needs a new head. She Who Must be Obeyed is determined that Rumpole won't miss out this time and prepares a charm offensive using cheesy bits for buffet. (The fact that it was her own Daddy who threw over Rumpole last time for Guthrie Featherstone QC MP doesn't seem to have registered.)
This time Rumpole doesn't even have the advantage of his father in law being in charge and he's not exactly a long term choice. But he pitches his hat into the ring as Hilda demands.
In Court, things go predictably badly when Judge Bullingham, played by a snarling Bill Fraser in splendid form, does everything he can to help the prosecution. Prosecutor is a highly religious prig called Sam Ballard who has suddenly breezed into town and into 3 Equity Court. Rumpole takes an instant dislike to him and habitually refers to him as 'Soapy Sam Bollard'.
There's even a C-thread; Rumpole takes a rather neglected pupil of Phyllida's under his wing, a very pretty upset crust lady called Fiona Allways (Rosalyn Landor), who would like a place in chambers.
It's looking grim for the old couple; but a journalist in Court leaks the civil servant's identity. It looks rather as though Fiona was the source of the leak, which constitutes contempt of Court.
The journalist takes it on the chin and doesn't reveal her source and consequent on the publicity a high level legal civil servant testifies that the other civil servant had consulted him some time back about the immunity from publicity of blackmail victims.
Rumpole represents this as a premeditated 'escape plan' should the brother be busted. Contrary to the supposed 'Goof' cited elsewhere on this episode, Rumpole does not have to prove his clients innocence - he has only to introduce diffident doubt in the minds of the jury that they cannot convict on the basis of 'guilty, beyond reasonable doubt'. Rumpole succeeds in clearing his clients of the blackmail accusation, but they get 6 months for keeping a 'disorderly house'.
Back at chambers, Rumpole makes an unpleasant discover when he opens a letter left for him by Guthrie Featherstone while he was in Africa.
Guthrie is backing Sam Ballard for new head of Chambers. Not only is Sam a QC, but he was Guthrie's fagging master at Marlborough!
Shamefully, Rumpole doesn't tell Hilda of this development. She turns up at the meeting with her buffet expecting Rumpole to triumph, only to publicly experience a devastating disappointment when it is declared that Sam Ballard has been elected.
Given Rumpole's frequent difficulties with QCs, it is puzzling that he hasn't applied to become a QC decades ago.
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