Jeeves and Wooster - Complete Collection [DVD]

There isn't much I can add here which hasn't already been said, I suppose. But I felt like writing something because I enjoyed these programmes so much and feel almost bereaved that I've completed them all - almost the way I feel when I've had a good holiday and can't imagine how life can go back to normal.I vaguely remember this being on telly in the early nineties when I was a young man (an aeon ago now it seems), and always thought this version definitive in the same way as Jeremy Bretts's Sherlock Holmes is claimed to be definitive.I've never read P.G. Wodehouse, to my shame, but love Fry and Laurie both together and separately and can remember them being on telly back to the early eighties in Alfresco and The Young Ones, etc. Both men are geniuses with a breadth and depth of talents in music, writing and acting - comic and otherwise, both well educated and from fairly well to do backgrounds almost on the periphery of what still remains of the world Jeeves and Wooster occupy - all of which comes together in these stories.The stories all more or less follow the same pattern: a trifling matter arises that Bertie needs to intervene in (e.g. matchmaking for a friend in order to avoid marrraige himself). Jeeves suggests a plan to solve the problem, which doesn't go well. Following the bungled attempt at the plan Bertie finds himself in trouble - this may or may not be Berties own fault (though Jeeves seems to have no problem taking risks and getting Bertie into trouble). Finally, Jeeves hatches another plan, again risking Bertie, which this time saves them. They exit the situation quickly and go back to London either by steam ship or Bertie's exquisite Astin Martin Lagonda(?).The stories take place in Bertie's posh rooms in London or New York, The Drones Club (a raucous cresh for upper class twits), several vast country houses or the odd location like Budleigh Salterton or a village fete. The characters are all grumpy but titled and wealthy uncles, battle axe aunts, simple minded dilettantes, openly conniving and blackmailing dilettentes, or idle, dimwitted young men. (A stand out is Spode, the pompously fascist 6th Earl of Sidcup, and possibly my favourite).The characters all have old fashioned names like Bertram, Dahlia, or Augustus, which don't suit them or childish nicknames that do: Corky, Tuppy, Stilton, etc. Everyone dresses for the occassion, evening dress for dinner, or a morning suit with a cane, etc. The men all drink and smoke at all times of day and all know each other from Eton and Cambridge.Bertie himself probably isn't as dim as he's painted, and certainly isn't as crass as many of his friends at The Drones. He has a quick wit to be fair, and is amiable and good natured to the point of being gullible. Also he has no wish to take responsibility for anything and trys to avoid marraige at all costs. Certain individuals take advantage of these traits in various stories and Bertie appears to bring it all on himself.The sphere these people all exist in is the high society of the British Empire in the 1920s, they are the 1% of the time and the rules are different for them. They mostly don't work, they have no real problems, certainly not money problems, and there are no consequenses to anything they do. Everything else is taken care of by the gentleman's personal gentleman.Nothing serious happens but it's all frivolously amusing, and takes you away from the real world for a bit - I loved the stories and it's about time I read the books.

Brilliant. The writing and the delivery by Fry & Laurie is genius.Three small criticisms:1) A couple of the episodes have quite silly story lines, which I don't feel are based on P G Wodehouse. The classic stories, which I know are taken straight from the books, and set in big English country houses and so on, are priceless and form the vast majority.2)Annoyingly they swap and recycle actors in different roles which if you are watching lots together is confusing and surely avoidable?3) Finally there is no index of episodes, so if for example you wish to watch the one where he sings "sonny boy" - my favourite - you've no easy way of knowing which series/episode it is.

I really can't imagine anyone but Fry and Laurie playing Jeeves and Wooster. These are great fun and beautifully made, you really get that 30's feel. Some of the stories are a bit convoluted, so you need to be paying attention, not having read any Wodehouse (shamefully) I don't know how true they are to the originals, it does say "Based on the books..." so I guess there is some artistic licence. This boxed set is nicely presented with a few of the usual extras.PS If you remember the search engine Ask Jeeves, it leaves you wondering if the creators watched this series and took a shine to Stephen Fry's (who went onto host QI) most knowledgeable butler. I say Jeeves, is that true?

Part of a line of splendid recreations of literary series Jeeves and Wooster are wonderfully placed in their environments just as the Jeremy Brett and David Suchet series have given us (respectively) Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot. Jeeves as played by Fry is wonderfully knowing yet always careful not to cross the line, Laurie's Bertie is a cheery kind soul ever hoping to please everyone (except perhaps the horrible Spode and ghastly Cheesewright). Set impeccably in the furniture, clothing, cars, mores and houses of the era the TV series sends one back to the books with a spring in one's step. The change of actors in a number of subsidiary roles can be confusing but a cheery "What ho, Bingo" redirects one swiftly. Comedic acting is undervalued, but Fry and Laurie raise it to a high point, they talk, think and even move exactly as I imagine their literary counterparts. Pip pip!

I recently watched many of my favourite episodes from this wonderful box set again. They are still hugely enjoyable. Have Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie done anything better? They both have many achievements to their names but this is what I predict they will be remembered for in a hundred years’ time.It appears that my appreciation of Jeeves and Wooster is being reflected in the current price. I bought this set in 2016 for £13. It is now (March 2018) priced at £68!

I love these productions of the P.G. Wodehouse stories. Fry and Laurie were born to play these roles. Despite Jeeves' snobbishness (in terms of his belief in, and obligation to take care of, the upper classes) and Bertie's dimwittedness, they are both highly likeable characters. The stories often revolve around Jeeves helping Bertie to get himself or one of his friends out of some ridiculous situation, often an unwanted marriage proposal, with high humour and unlikely characters with names such as Finknottle and Cat's Meat. The technology has aged poorly and the images are not quite as sharp as I recall when watching them on TV all those years ago, but then I suppose that that is to be expected. Nevertheless, the snapshots of gorgeous 1920s style in clothes, furniture, buildings and transport (no doubt also enjoyed in the productions of John Suchet's 'Poirot'), the vocabulary used between Bertie and his chums, and the exaggerated(?) lives of the upper crust make these series easily watchable and very enjoyable. Now everybody sing along: 'Goosey, Goosey, Goosey, Goosey...'