The show's credits said it was inspired by an Australian series of the same name. ... An Australian actor named Richard Roxburgh is the Rake, a barrister whose clients include a very civilized academic who happens to be a cannibal.

What is rake slang for?

A rake, short for rakehell (analogous to "hellraiser"), is a historic term applied to a man who is habituated to immoral conduct, particularly womanising. Often a rake was also prodigal who wasted his (usually inherited) fortune on gambling, wine, women and song, incurring lavish debts in the process.

Is rake based on a real person?

Based loosely on the life of barrister Charles Waterstreet (now a Sydney Morning Herald columnist), Rake's lead character Cleaver Greene (Richard Roxburgh) is an unscrupulous, misanthropic but undeniably endearing scoundrel – one Australian television needs and deserves.