John Mortimer ~ R.I.P.

John Mortimer (left) creator of the epic Rumpole of the Bailey series -- Rumpole portrayed on the telly by the inimitable Leo McKern (right) -- has been laid below by the ravages of age and godlessness. No less than the Economist rightly salutes Mortimer as a freedom-fighter who championed the presumption of innocence, battled the scourge of censorship, and served as devil's advocate for pornography, fox hunting, smoking and other supposed sins. R.I.P.