Rumpole has two challenges in this episode: defending the 'clerical' owner of a string of rather sleazy massage parlours and seeing off another challenge to his security in chambers courtesy of Ballard's new 'advisor'.
With life at home quiet for a change, Rumpole rises to the crisis utilising evidence from his Court case.
Entertainment value is raised further by the welcome return of Judge Guthrie Featherstone QC, always but hapless as ever.
Even more 'value for money' is Geoffrey Bayldon (aka 'Catweazle') as Prosecuting Counsel Brinsley Lampitt. He and Rumpole appear to be old acquaintances and sparring partners on fairly friendly terms: it is a pity we didn't see his idiosyncratic character again.
When Featherstone injures his elbow in an tennis accident he is advised by his.clerk (None other than non-ghostly Marty Hopkirk from Randall & hopkirk) to see a masseuse. Naturally, Guthrie has no concept that some parlours have unfortunate connotations and he pays using his credit card. Afterward, the parlour is promptly wound up and Guthrie can't retrieve his credit card slip when he learns the possible connotation.
Now Rumpole begins work defending his client,asking Ms Liz Probert to look through the credit card slips for 'famous names'.
Ms Probert receives unexpected assistance when Ballard's new 'Blue-eyed boy' - Charles Hearthstoke - who has been driving for reform in the chambers to include replacing Henry with a fixed-fee clerk and banning Rumpole's scruffy gear-- offers to help her.
Despite his arrogant demeanour, Hearthstoke asks Ms Probert out rather elegantly and despite their obvious political differences.
Featherstone begins to fear he will be the centre of a scandal. This fear is exacerbated when Rumpole wangles things so that his is to judge the Massage parlour trial. He also finds that his wife may not stand beside him if all goes wrong!
Featherstone tries to bribe Rumpole into bringing no evidence which may endanger him by suggesting he might offer him a position as Assistant Recorder on £150 per day! He faithfully informs Hilda of his opportunity.
Come the trial, Rumpole and Lampitt find that Featherstone is all for the defence and wonder why.
Eventually Rumpole works out what is afoot but when Featherstone J asks the Counsels in Private conference to hurry the trial through, Rumpole refuses, citing the signed credit card slips as important evidence.
Unfortunately for Rumpole's calculations, Featherstone realises that the massage parlour he attended is not one of those at the centre of this case. He promptly 'pots' Rumpole's client for 2 years.
The only boon that Rumpole derives from the case is that Hearthstoke - contemptuously called 'Hearthrug' by him is one of the customers of the parlours - and rumpole blackmails him into going to another chambers.
In a downer ending, Rumpole has not told his wife of the loss of his opportunity, once more obliging her to watch another gain a coveted prize. Claude Erskine-Brown gets the job.
And Ms Liz Probert is left mourning the loss of her new handsome boyfriend from chambers.
Highly entertaining fun, but with one or two logic bombs-
1. It is not unknown for people to attend massage places for legal and therapeutic reasons. The existence of a credit card slip is NOT evidence of 'hanky-panky' as Rumpole calls it. Indeed, such activity- termed as 'extras' - might well be cash transactions.
2. It seems unusual that Rumpole was unable to respond to his old friend Featherstone in such a way as not to leave his old friend 'in the soup' yet get the Recordership for himself and still do his best for his client. In the event, Rumpole's machinations backfired both on his client and himself (and Hilda).
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