Jeeves & Wooster: The Complete Series

Whenever I'm down in the dumps, one of the things I can usually rely on to put me in a better mood is "Jeeves and Wooster". I don't know what it is, but there's something about this show that gives me a warm, cheerful, naïvely optimistic outlook on life -- the sort of outlook that Bertie Wooster seems to have, at least in those rare moments when, with a little help from Jeeves, he manages to escape being bullied, blackmailed, or betrothed.In case you're not already familiar with "Jeeves and Wooster", it is a British TV show that originally ran from 1990-93 on ITV, and also aired in the U.S. as part of the PBS series "Masterpiece Theatre". The show is based on the Jeeves stories of author P.G. Wodehouse; and it stars the fabulous comedy duo of Fry and Laurie in the title roles.Set in England (and a few episodes in New York) in the 1920s, the show recounts the misadventures of Bertram Wilberforce "Bertie" Wooster (Hugh Laurie) and his devoted manservant Reginald Jeeves (Stephen Fry). Bertie and his friends and relatives seem to have a knack for getting themselves into trouble; and they usually have to rely on Jeeves to get them out of it. Bertie Wooster is a hapless, yet loveable, upper-class twit, who just wants to enjoy a carefree life. Unfortunately, his kind heart, dim wit, and total lack of backbone make it impossible for him to avoid getting caught up in other people's drama, which he usually ends up making worse. Fortunately for him, he has Jeeves. With his stoical unflappability, his erudite wisdom, and his encyclopedic knowledge of even the most obscure bits of factual information, Jeeves is the man you want by your side in any crisis. And, since Wooster's life seems to be one crisis after another, he is very lucky to have Jeeves as his "gentleman's personal gentleman". The always-proper, always-dignified, always-faithful Jeeves can be counted on to do what's best for his master, even in the most absurd of situations.Sir Pelham Grenville Wodehouse (1881-1975) wrote nearly 100 books -- including full-length novels and collections of short stories -- many of which recounted humorous tales about members of the British aristocracy and gentry during the early 20th century, with many of his characters appearing in multiple stories. His most famous stories were the ones about a clever valet named Jeeves who was constantly having to find ways to get his master, a wealthy loafer named Bertie Wooster, out of trouble. But characters from the Jeeves stories also appeared in many of Wodehouse's other books. He basically created an entire fictional universe of wacky characters, all of whom seemed to be connected to each other in some way, allowing him to write stories that could feature just about any combination of those characters. But his most popular characters, by far, were Jeeves and Wooster. This series is a pretty faithful adaptation of several of Wodehouse's Jeeves stories for television. The stories were dramatized for television by the late Clive Exton (1930-2007), the same brilliant screenwriter who was responsible for dramatizing 31 of Agatha Christie's stories for the wonderful ITV television series "Poirot".The humor in "Jeeves and Wooster" is a cross between a comedy of manners and a farce. It caricatures the members of the British upper classes (especially the younger members) as eccentric, not very bright, out of touch with the real world, self-absorbed, spoiled, lazy, petulant, scheming, amoral, uncultured, bumbling, foolish, and almost totally dependant on their servants -- who are invariably portrayed as smarter, wiser, and classier than their masters -- to insure that they maintain the proper standards of decorum for people of their social standing. But most of the humor comes from the wacky schemes that these upper-class halfwits come up with in order to accomplish their selfish goals, which invariably get them into trouble. And, try as he might to avoid it, Bertie Wooster always seems to get caught right in the middle of all this trouble, and has to rely on Jeeves to get him out. Fortunately, Jeeves is so clever that he can almost always figure out a way to resolve the problem; though the resolution often comes at the expense of Bertie's pride and dignity.Anyway, this is a great show; and I highly recommend it. Fry and Laurie are brilliant in it, as they are in everything they are in, especially when they work together. There are 23 episodes in all, over four seasons (5 episodes in the first season, 6 episodes in each of the remaining seasons). The only complaint I have is that most of the secondary characters who appear in more than one season are not played by the same actor throughout all four seasons. You get used to seeing one actor in a particular role, and then in the next season a different actor might be playing that role. It can be quite jarring. But that's my only complaint. It's a wonderful show, with lots of clever humor and witty dialogue, fun characters, and even some really good music (if you like the music of the Jazz Age as much as I do). Get it and watch it. You won't regret it.I don't want to give away any spoilers -- it's better for new viewers to discover all the fun things about this show first hand by actually watching for themselves rather than reading about them in a review -- but I do want to pass along one little tidbit of knowledge that might enhance your appreciation of certain aspects of the show. It has to do with money. Because many of the characters in this show are quite wealthy, money is mentioned a lot throughout the series. But, since these stories are set in Britain in the 1920s, American viewers today might not have a clue what sort of sums are being discussed. For example, when a judge fines Bertie £5, or when someone asks to borrow £10 from Bertie to pay for drinks at a bar, these sound to us like fairly trivial amounts. But, actually, that was quite a lot of money back then. Five pounds sterling in 1925 would be roughly equivalent to $300 in today's money; and £10 then would be worth about $600 now. So, whenever you hear characters talking about sums of money in British pounds ("quid"), multiply that amount by 60 and you'll get a rough approximation of how much they're talking about in today's American dollars. For amounts less than £1, which are measured in shillings ("bob") and pence (where 1 shilling = 12 pence, and 1 pound = 20 shillings = 240 pence) just keep in mind that one shilling in 1925 would be roughly equivalent to $3 today, and one British penny back then would have about the same value as an American quarter does today. When they are talking about American currency (e.g. in the episodes set in New York), just multiply everything by 13 to get a very rough estimate of what it would be worth in today's dollars (e.g. $1 then = about $13 now). Understanding this will help you better appreciate the obscene amounts of money that are routinely tossed around by the wealthy characters in these stories, such as when Bertie bets £100 on a race.So, now that you have this little bit of knowledge to aid in your enjoyment, you're ready to begin your fun adventure with "Jeeves and Wooster". Trust me, you'll love every minute of it. And, if you're in a bad mood, it just might cheer you up.

Amongst the myriad fields of art and aesthetics, it can be argued that the medium of comedy contains the greatest level of subjectivity for its audience. That which makes one man laugh will make another weep (or sneer), and vice-versa; the polarities of `funny' tend to fall into the time-honored wit-slots of lowbrow (Adam Sandler pleb-fests), middlebrow (mainstream sitcoms), and highbrow (satire, tongue-in-cheek obscurest in-joshing). Alas, the boundaries between `brows are vast, virulently defended, and rarely surmounted by either artist or audience... and as to which is truly `better,' well, that is (I repeat) a subjective preference: for each represents a facet of humanity - from the all-encompassing exit-point of the gutter to the slick exclusivity of the Ivory Tower - and should be respected as such. The language and technique may differ, yet under the surface the similarities cannot be denied - for as any Buddhist will happily tell you, comedy thrives on *suffering*: the pain and folly of humanity exposed, ridiculed, and reduced in turn by the cathartic chuckle; our redundancies, egocentricies, idiocies and plain tomfoolery encapsulated for exorcism and/or easy digestion.Rare is it for one to find a comedy that deftly blends the best elements of all three `brow aesthetics' into a humor-vehicle that is at once escapist and illuminating. *Wooster and Jeeves*, an A&E adaptation of the P.G. Wodehouse serial-novels of the same name, achieves this exceptional distinction. With its natural dialogue (culled directly from the source material), impeccable comic timing and excellent acting, along with an extremely refreshing variation on the standard development-of-conflict/culmination-of-tension sitcom-structure, *Wooster and Jeeves* towers over the dross and diminished returns of mainstream H-wood offerings, exposing the implicit poverty of ultra-recycled miscommunication-muddling, senseless slapstick, lowest-common-denominator joke-dialogue and imbecilic `shock' theatrics. This is one for the archives.*Wooster and Jeeves* centers around one Bertram Wooster (Hugh Laurie), an archetypical English wealth-scion of the flapper `20s (i.e. a playboy and all-around fop), and Jeeves (Stephen Fry), his sophisticated valet. Bertie has devoted his existence to simple pleasures: afternoon excursions to the local gentleman's club for drinks and nine-ball; the occasional golf-game in the countryside; learning all the newest tunes on his piano (and, distressingly, a trombone). But this peaceful existence is constantly threatened by his relatives and school-chum companions, who endeavor often-as-not to involve him in their half-witted shenanigans (often via blackmail), or seek to marry him off so as to be `molded' into an upstanding citizen. Luckily Bertie has Jeeves, his upper-crust manservant of philosophical bent, photographic memory and astonishing reliability, to help him wriggle free from these various entanglements/entrapments: "you're a rare bird, Jeeves!" Bertie invariably exclaims upon hearing the elegant, simple solutions his valet conjures. Indeed, compared to the lassitude and loathsome irresponsibility run rampant in Bertie's circle of the privileged (...peacocks, puff-adders and/or prunes), Jeeves is a pillar and a paragon, far more cultivated in his education and moral fortitude than any of the noble-rank he so impeccably serves. This could be considered a cliché, and with good reason - but we must remember that clichés often have a strong basis in reality, and such is the case here. Wooster & co., born with the silver spoon firmly placed in mouth, have never had to struggle for anything: thus, stressful occasion is usually invented or invited, for excitement, a `lark', a means to obtain the suffering so key in delineating character and defining pleasure, whereas Jeeve's fortitude is all self-made, stamped upon soul and sinew through years of willing trial.But I digress. The one thing I like most about *Wooster and Jeeves,* aside from the top-notch writing, acting, set-design and dramatic construction, is the fact that it sidesteps the typical tension-build of very nearly all comedy. In the usual spate of sitcom and other `brow-aesthetics,' a situation is introduced, complications ensue, and with an unhealthy over-reliance of miscommunication, the tension is milked and milked until `release' - long after the outcome has been thoroughly predicted by the jaded audience. In each episode of *Wooster and Jeeves*, however, the writers have combined several of Wodehouse's short stories, therein threading events, character-arcs and complications into a sinuous storm of tension/release. Rare is it for an uncomfortable situation to wear out its premise: not only are conflicts dispatched in a speedy and sometimes surprising manner, they often mutate into different, contrasting developments...an incredibly refreshing twist. This show is *not* milked, and there is (almost) always enough material to fill a 45-minute episode.Until, that is, the fourth season. All that makes this series extraordinary is astonishingly reputed in the disastrous return-to-America episodes, which stretch credibility well past the breaking point and simply are _not_ up to snuff with the prior three seasons. The Empire State Building climax of `The Once and Future Ex' borders on disgusting parody; the castaway epilogue to `Bridegroom Wanted' is humorous only in a surreal `what were they thinking?' sort of way. Everything returns to normal (more or less) once Bertie and Jeeves reach England, though the spark of the show is discernable weakened afterward and even the return of powerhouse personality-clashes like that of Finknottle and Spode come of more like copycat comedy when compared to their predecessors.Regardless, this box set is well worth the lucre. Five stars.

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.

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?

I adore this series which showcases Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie at their absolute best. It stands the test of time and had me giggling all the way through.I purchased a used copy for an amazing price and it’s like new so an absolute bargain. It arrived quickly too.

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!

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.