MovieChat Forums > Rumpole of the Bailey (1980) Discussion > Phyllida Trant and Claude Erskine-Brown

Phyllida Trant and Claude Erskine-Brown

posted 15 years ago by Harold_Robbins
13 replies | jump to latest

Was anyone else unconvinced by this relationship? I actually started in the middle of the series, when they were already married, and didn't quite buy it. I buy it even less now having seen the earlier episodes, and just watched the one which leads directly to their wedding, well, I remain unconvinced - there's really no sign of any attraction between these two, and Claude Erskine-Brown seems more the type to remain a "lifelong bachelor" than husband and father. I don't really know if it's the way Mortimer wrote the character (Mortimer was apparently straight as an arrow) or the way Julian Curry plays him. I'm crazy about Patricia Hodge, by the way - especially her beautiful hair and flawless complexion.

Edit 02-12-09: I've finished Series 1 and 2, and "Rumpole's Return" - I knew of Claude's later "dalliances," but was quite surprised the Phyllida actually seemed intent on straying at one point.

"Somewhere along the line the world has lost all of its standards and all of its taste."

[–] MurderFaceMesa 15 years ago

I think your right, Claude always came off as "looking for it" every waking moment. Where Philly, she must have fallon out of love with him rather soon after getting married. They seem to have stayed married only for appearances, she was also more intent to do well than he.

[–] seh-7 15 years ago

I haven't yet seen the series, but am reading the books and that appears to be the way JM wrote it. I have no idea why the hell the Erksine-Brown's stay together (influenced by Rumpole's bemused observations on the topic!) but it does appear to be a case of keeping up appearances. I guess this was the 1980s, and it wasn't the done thing to be marrying your chambermates and then divorcing them.

Claude is a character who always annoys me! But I do like Portia ;)

[–] edolle-1 14 years ago

I agree as I do not totally understand their relationship; especially since they kept having these flings every so often!

[–] marktayloruk 11 years ago

In one of the books, Guthrie Featherstone wondered how the "proudly beautiful Miss Trant could have been put in pod by Erskine-Brown,who'd have been chosen to bore for England".We're not alone!Perhaps she just wanted a nerd who she could dominate.

[–] goflorida10 14 years ago

This poses an interesting question that had not occurred to me, if your Lordship pleases. Portia seems bored and resigned in her relationship with Claude but seems very hurt when she finds out that he has taken Miz Liz to the opera, instead of Uncle Tom, as he had claimed.

[–] mhansen2 14 years ago

I have the entire series on DVD and as I recall, their relationship began as a physical fling which resulted in her getting "up the spout." Claude wanted to get married and be a faithful father. Despite his bumblings, he was.

[–] henry_mcguinness 14 years ago

It wasn't just a fling - as they were engaged when she gets pregnant - she subsequently breaks off the engagement ('R. and the course of true love') and Claude wins her back - his finest hour in the TV series (didn't read this one)

I sometimes find the relationship odd. Claude is a comic character and does seem ridiculous sometimes - you wonder what she see's in him. But the above episode is quite charming - with his reaction to news of the pregnancy :)

[–] willjohn 13 years ago

Opposites attract. My mother was always grumbling about my father but their 44 year marriage only ended with his death and she mourned him for a long time.

[–] 13 years ago

[deleted]

[–] vinsane 11 years ago

To the OP:

In Rumpole's Return when Phyllida is putting the young motorcycle-riding junior lawyer in his place, she makes him understand that Claude knows how to cook and she wouldn't trade him in for a wannabe pretender (or words to that effect) like the young poser. She had indeed been flirting with him and perhaps more off camera, but she meant to stick with Claude. I think this is meant to show she sees Claude as a practical spouse for an ambitious career-minded lady like herself. A respectable enough and useful partner who won't get in her way. For his part, Claude has scored well above his physical pedigree so he falls in line with his wife's dictates.

It all makes a kind of twisted sense. The "lifelong bachelor" prototype was more meant to be George Frobisher and, as for the flaming "confirmed bachelor" stereotypes, we saw many examples throughout the episodes. No, Claude is an arrogant odd egg but Curry's portrayal is about correct for the type.

Picture Newman from Seinfeld (Officer Don from 3rd Rock from the Sun) hooking up with a hot supermodel type for a girlfriend. Confidence, even as an affectation, can be a very attractive quality to some of the ladies out there.

Look at it from the reverse perspective. For a smart ambitious or powerful woman who feels she might still want a husband or partner of the other sex for social reasons, choosing a guy who looks like a bit of a toad will keep her squarely as the obvious Alpha in the couple. Were she to hook up with her male counterpart instead, there's always the chance of internal rivalry for the spotlight. Who stays home to mind the kiddies etc? Whose career should come first? Who gets to "take silk" first or at all?

Think of all the failed twin-star (entertainment) couples that have failed versus the few that have endured beyond the honeymoon year or so. A moon-star couple like Claude/Phyllida can survive as long as ...well as long as "our Portia" wants it to do.

Eeek!!! I'm getting dressed.

[–] greenegg 8 years ago

Well-expressed, vinsane. That's how I've always seen the Erskine-Browns. Claude can be irritating, but he has his moments. I love the scene where he sings the Teddy Bears Picnic to the infant Tristan. He turns out to be a good father and part-time househusband who can balance those things with his career. It's a great deal for Phyllida, who can get on with her lofty ambitions, while enjoying all the comforts of home, a mostly carefree motherhood and a companion for operas and other entertainments.

The Erskine-Browns balance the Rumpoles in a sense. Portia and Horace love to practice their profession, with the home support from their spouses. Portia and Hilda are the more controlling partners in many ways, while Claude and Horace allow their partners to take the lead much of the time. Horace is the more devious of the two men, since he often outfoxes Hilda, at least in subtle ways.

I found all the performers worked beautifully together. I never tire of visiting my old chums from the pages of the marvelous John Mortimer.

Put puppy mills out of business: never buy dogs from pet shops! 

[–] intriguement 8 years ago

First of all, I LOVE your username. Fawlty Towers reference, right?

Second, none of the marriages on Rumpole are particularly happy. Rumpole constantly takes Hilda for granted and belittles her desires, yet he refers to her as She Who Must Be Obeyed, as if he's getting the worst of the bargain. Clearly, neither partner is happy. The Featherstones constantly teeter on the edge of divorce. Henry gripes about his wife, the Mayoress. George Frobisher, a lifelong bachelor, finally gets engaged at age 60 or so, only to choose a horrendously unsuitable woman and end up heartbroken. To top it all off, every time Rumpole takes a case involving marriage or relationships, he spends the entire episode musing about how love makes fools of everyone.

In short, I suspect that Mortimer ("straight as an arrow" or not) took a dismal view of marriage, and this view comes through in all the characters he writes.

[–] intriguement 8 years ago

I wrote the above after watching seasons 1 and 2, which feature Peggy Thorpe-Bates as Hilda. Now, having watched many of the Marion Mathie episodes, I'm feeling less sympathetic toward Hilda. Maybe Rumpole is more sinned against than sinning, after all!