Absolutely wonderful. i saw these episodes as a kid and loved it. The stutter and the monacle are masterstrokes, and the fact it appears to have been acted live in a studio with a genuine audience turns it into a theatrical experience. I love the Fry and Lawrie versions, but Price and Carmichael will always be the ultimate Jeeves and Wooster for me.
P.G. Wodehouse said firmly that Ian Carmichael was the personification of his vision of Bertie Wooster and I feel his vision was important; he wrote him!
I liked David Niven better. It is art; interpretation's in the eye of the beholder. No artist ever says how their art should be interpreted. DaVinci didn't leave a paragraph about how to take the Mona Lisa, Van Gogh didn't explain ``Starry Night,'' and I am not gonna let any writer tell me how best to interpret their characters. Actually, I'm disappointed that Wodehouse would bother saying which actor he wanted. No composer, certainly, said who should play their works.
So, Agatha Christie telling Joan Hickson she would like her as Miss Marple, authors having a say in who portrays their characters in plays and/or movies or TV shouldn't care how the characters they gave life to are played by those who present themselves as those very characters? Wow. In addition, composers do say exactly how one should play their works. You do know how to read music, don't you? I would hope the composer would say, if a particular orchestra played their music perfectly, that they did so.
I never say ``should.,'' Obviously if they're friends & they exchange opinions, great. An artist can't add an essay after a work is finished to persuade beholders to like their work. Their work stands for itself. It is a product of them and a muse. Not every author is going to have the film aptitude to say who's the best actor & who has the best stage presence.@@jeannemara1600
@quickchris10 If I wrote a character and it was televised, I would strongly insist on casting choice. Agatha Christie hated Margaret Rutherford as Miss Marple (I adored her) but a lot of authors resent casting choices and make no bones about saying so.
YES! YES! YES! I've waited 40 years to hear that voice again! I've been down several blind alleys trying to find the owner of those rich, wonderful, many layered tones. I've come across some marvellous actresses during my search, but they never sounded quite right .... & at last, here she is! Fabulous Fabia Drake. Aunt Agatha. A voice full of wit, irony & simply a delight to listen to. A million thanks to the uploader!
I can scarcely believe I'm about to watch this treasure. The very BEST Jeeves and Wooster. I didn't expect to ever find this again after so many years. Thank you xx
Would you not concur, sir, that comparisons are inherently a matter of personal discernment? Whether they stand as the paramount representation might merely be a wistful reflection. Permit me to opine that Mr. Fry and Mr. Laurie's portrayal possesses a certain canonical resonance, especially in terms of the characters' age. (Wish I could produce such speech in real life without taking an hour to form a single sentence.)
Fantastic! I remember that episode from when I was about 8 years old and it was my favourite programme. I still love it and Ian Carmichael remains one of my favourite actors.
Delightful. This series was my introduction to P G Wodehouse....who never ceases to amuse ❤️ I've been working my way through the Jonathan Cecil audio readings recently...another innocent pleasure.
Price and Carmichael. Two class comedy actors. I love the Fry and Laurie versions and they benefitred from higher budgets and location shooting etc but this pair were also excellent; Price in particular. His aloofness and air of implied superiority was closer to the Jeeces of the novels. Such a pity this is the only surviving episode.
Bloody brilliant! Had no idea the works of Wodehouse had been adapted for television so long ago, and so MAGNIFICENTLY!! Thank you for the opportunity to see these beloved characters so artfully portrayed! I've never before now thought that anyone could do justice to Jeeves and Wooster besides Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry, but now I see where at least some of THEIR inspiration came from. Marvelous! Go maire an saothar Wodehouse go deo! (Irish for: may the works of Wodehouse live forever!)
This version of Jeeves and Wooster is one I didn't see, as it pre-dates my existence. I well remember watching the Fry and Laurie rendition in the early 90s, when I would have been in my early twenties!
Absolutely loved, with a passion “The World of Wooster “ look forward to catching up with more episodes on TH-cam...thank you they should be back on BBC!
Though I do like the fry and lauire version more for a number of reasons, this one still has it's own special charm! I love the look jeeves gives when wooster mentions shrimp and the way jeeves's cup trembles when Agatha mentions the twins
I can remember watching this as a kid- probably 1966- the tram regulator particularly stuck in my memory. Even Simon Ward has died- last year- how time flies!
And what schoolgirl did not read Jeeves either! The three volumes of short stories are the best in my own opinion. However I found the full-length novels boring and repetitive and the characters are weary, stale, flat and unprofitable.
“The Code of the Woosters”. Longish, but gripping. One damn thing after another, all surprises. Note the difference in public ethics. Not once does Jeeves sell a story to the Sun with the headline :”How Mr. Wooster Was Pressured Into Stealing A Silver Cow Creamer, And I Had To Cover It All Up”.
Excellent posting.For a while ,I had begun to think I had imagined the series. Mention to others drew blank stares, then I found the intro posted and was relieved.The poster wasn`t sure any episodes had survived the BBC purging.Glad this survived.Good Fun,What? P.S. I enjoyed Fry and Laurie`s version.
This is funnier and better done than the Fry-Laurie - the embellishments on Wodehouse notwithstanding. (No girl in Wodehouse ever tells a young man that he has what it takes.)
Notice the cheek bones on 'Claude', played by Timothy Carlton. 40-odd years he was to play alongside his wife to play the parents of their real life son who was playing the title role in the BBC series of Sherlock Holmes. Mr Carlton's full name is Timothy Carlton Congdon Cumberbatch, and his son (with the same cheek bones) is Benedict.....
The great Libra humourists: Sir Pelham Grenville Wodehouse (15 October 1881 - 14 February 1975). Almost all the video recordings of this classic series have been lost, "wiped", incredible as it seems. This blurred version seems to be the sole survivor.
So sad only the two exist now, but they were very popular when broadcast, and Dennis Price is the definitive Jeeves. Ian Carmichael came up with the stammer himself, he said he needed a hook to hang the character on........Fry and Laurie had better scripts, and Hugh Laurie played Bertie better. The half hour format forced the story changes, Clive Exton did far better in the longer shows. The BBC were very relieved the show went so well with Dennis Price, he was renown as a drinker, and they expected troubles, but none came up. Over all the series had very large audiences.
Very interesting snippets of info about the world of wooster series that I didn't know about. Thanks. It really is a pity that so little survived. The beeb lost a fair few tv shows in the past it seems, which is sad.
The Marquess of Queensberry's misspelling, when he accused Oscar Wilde of being homosexual. Sodomite's a bad term anyway: Wilde didn't care for anal sex, and many other gay men don't either.
I never thought I would see anything of this show! I do not recall Bertie's monocle or the comic stammer in any of the books & it's also interesting to hear the audience laughter as Wodehouse was subtle in the comedy writings, one doesn't tend to think of it as sitcom!
Magazine illustrators liked to give give him a monocle, and so do stage productions. But he is never mentioned as having one, so, tho it fits the character, I don’t think his creator meant him to have one.
Your smoking something my friend ,hugh laurie is MILES closer to Bertie,who's in his 20s,this one much to old ,NO WAY is he the definite Bertie,Hugh is Bertie
Absolutely, but Ian said he invented the stutter to "hang the character" on, and PG did not really approve till he saw the first episode. Dennis Price is simply perfect in the part, a llttle trick was used by the director, they rarely show Dennis Price walking through doors etc, "he appears", duplicating the "shimmying in" that PG describes. Fry and Laurie were not bad, but nowhere as good as Ian and Dennis. It is disgraceful that the BBC wiped the tapes.
Nobody cares what the writer thinks. It's like asking Beethoven if he'd rather Vienna or New York symphonies played his music. He would of course say, ``all of the above! We want as many orchestras playing it, as often as possible.''
Dennis Price's is my favourite Jeeves. Fry's character was more prominent in his help of Bertie Wooster and also in the way he dressed,at times he looked better dressed that B.W. Well he certainly knew how to dress better than his boss but he could not afford it.Price's character was always one step back.
You hafta be joking.Hugh Lauries Wooster was mouth-wateringly Beautifully suited.Superb English tailoring,but probably too understated for the hoi polloi to appreciate.
Margaret Galloway You're missing the point. I'm talking about Jeeves. It is a great pity that some idiot at the BBC decided to delete those tapes. I saw that series and they were immensely enjoyable. Have you ever seen them?
Wonderful to see this great show once more, any chance of uploading the other surviving episode? I really hope some more will turn up in the Bob Monkhouse collection. Maybe even in Zimbabwe when Mugabe is retired.
Hi, I was just looking up the locations for "School For Scoundrels" (1960, Ian Carmichael / Terry-Thomas), it was on t.v., Sat. 07 May 2016. (The location for the tennis match was Corus Hotel, Edgewarebury Lane, Elstree, by the way : I want to have a look on Google Earth in a minute...) Noticed I.Carmichael & Dennis Price in n episode of "The World of Wooster", "Jeeves and the Delayed exit....", Dennis Price I think was the best Jeeves. Steven Wallin wrote in about I.C's stammer being added, and that P.G. didn't much like it. I don't like it much either, but it does give Bertie a slightly more gauche aspect, making him very slightly ridiculous / innocent/different......... and that seems to be needed for the character. Just a thought. I do like to see how different actors tackle the roles. With Fry & Laurie, I really liked the part where Bertie wanted Jeeves to join in singing 'Minnie The Moocher' : retaining his dignity when it came to the response to "Hi-de-hi-de-hi-de hi", Jeeves muttered, "Hi-de-hi-de-hi-de-ho, Sir..."
+Toby Paws Part of the directors ideas was to have Price appear from nowhere, as described in the books, and also not to show him walking onto the set through doors, but be there already. In this episode it does not show much, but was effective in showing Jeeves "shimming" up to Bertie. They made a running joke of Jeeves anticipating every request from Bertie. An addition to the stories was Bertie always financially rewarding Jeeves after each adventure.
Ian Carmichael and Dennis Price were my childhood images of Wooster and Jeeves. I just can't accept other people in these roles. However, I don't think this was one of the best episodes of the series.
I seem to notice a considerable age difference between wooster and jeeves. I haven't read the books though, is it so in them? I've always assumed they were about the same age, or Jeeves only a little older.
Thanks. I really enjoyed his Lord Peter Wimsey series, I believe 6 were made. He mentioned the Wooster series in an interview, and I am glad to see one. Although I see they suffered the same fate as over 100 Doctor Who episodes.
Richard Briers and MH surely the best being a radio version the words are important and Bertie's narration is brilliantly transposed... all this is lost with every TV version...sorry HL and SF the medium you work inis against you.
In total agreement that Dennis Price is the definitive and Ultimate Jeeves. He is sublime and portrays all of the stuff, as if the character floated off the page. Sincere thanks for sharing this.....it gives me a reminder of my childhood interests, books and superior half hour comedy programmes that were commonplace when I was 8,9,10 years old.
Hmmm... Personally, I find Dennis Price a bit too cold for Jeeves. Despite Jeeves's characteristic stoicism conveyed in the books, there is still a quiet warmth about him that radiates softly through his phlegmatic persona. I thought Stephen Fry captured this quality very well, along with the "sympathetic face" that Wodehouse ascribed to Jeeves's countenance. Wodehouse also wrote that Jeeves had a "soft and respectful" voice. I don't aim to suggest that Price's voice is far off from this outline, but it simply doesn't hold a candle to Stephen Fry's in my opinion. Fry's vocal attributes *perfectly* align with Wodehouse's description of Jeeves's voice. I also like Fry's delivery better than Price's overall. I thought Fry portrayed Jeeves in a way that makes the character seem several steps ahead of everyone else; as though he is observing that everything is unfolding as he's planned it. Dennis Price, by contrast, I thought acts almost as though he is lagging behind a step. In a few parts in this episode, he was unable to complete his sentence as the scene progressed ahead of him whilst he tried to catch up with it. Personally, I think that Stephen Fry makes Jeeves appear a bit more intelligent than Dennis Price does. But, of course, my opinion is purely subjective. To each their own, I guess. (And I fully respect the opinion of those who prefer Dennis Price as Jeeves.)
Thank you drp, I had about given up hope of ever seeing this! It's made my day. Sadly I have to say that, even though Denis Price and Ian Carmichael are great favourites of mine, this episode simply wasn't a patch on the Fry and Laurie.
Its not bad...but I definitely prefer the Fry and Laurie version...maybe its because I grew up with it...but this version does seem to take more liberties with the actual stories. I mean...why is the neurologist father sir Humphrey rather than Sir Roderick Glossop? Why is his potential love interest Marion and not Honoria? The twins are after a Marion in the actual stories but she is a singer. I suppose the format for this show was shorter than Fry and Lauries so there has to be some cuts and reduction of character...but still...I also don't care much for the Bertie stammer either. Also Clive Exton, the man behind the Fry and Laurie Jeeves and Wooster adaptations, was brilliant at adapting stories. He was also behind the David Suchet Poirots.
Tommy Black Totally agree about David Suchet...amazing portrayal...but it wasn't just him that made that series work...I mean I can watch him now as Poirot, but the first 4 or 5 series were in a whole other class, and I believe that was because the quality of the adaptation by Clive Exton was so high. That and the production values, the supporting cast (Hugh Frasier also made Hastings his own, and Philip Jackson is amazing as Japp) all have great chemistry...same with the Fry and Laurie Jeeves and Wooster! I believe Brian Eastman was also the producer on both Poriot and Jeeves and Wooster, and he got a great stable of talent together! Two definitive versions of two beloved literary creations! Not bad going...and you don't really see that done very well these days...although I guess Downton abby is the closest...only seen one or two episodes of that, and I know its popular, but it looks to Photoshop to me...whereas Poriot and Jeeves and Wooster really seem to speak of their period in terms of look and acting.
Okay, I love Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry the best but I also love watching different interpretations of characters and see what various actors and writers do differently. So watching the OG Bertie and Jeeves is quite a treat. (Well actually the real OGs were technically David Niven and Arthur Treacher but Ian Carmichael and Dennis Price were pretty close.)
If you like different interpretations try searching out the (BBC) radio adaptation I grew up with. Richard Briars as Wooster and Michael Horden as Jeeves. This will always be my favourite, although I enjoy every version.
I have never seen Carmichael acting as Bertie, but just heard his audio books. The only Bertie i had ever seen, was Hugh Laurie. Amazing. Ian is very excellent, these two, side by side, seem like the would be brothers, so similar in a familiar way, but singular in enough ways as to make them a wee bit different, see? Natural brothers. 🎙️ I want to see/ hear either, or both, do Raffles, the gentleman thief. They would be DELUSION. M. USA. 🎉
First time I ever saw anything of this series. I was under the impression it was lost, and the only series of Wodehouse stories I saw were those with Pauline Collins and the series with Steven Fry and Hugh Laurie. I read this story years ago. There was an added kicker in the story that evened things out for Bertie with his two cousins, courtesy of Jeeves. It is missing from this teleplay.
Please correct me if I'm wrong but can it be that just in the beginning one of the two guests (the right one) is the father of Benedict Cumberbatch, i. e. Timothy Carlton??? There is a resemblance.. I'm not sure as far as the dating is concerned.... Please help me here, thanks.
It seems long fogotten that the real reason so many programs were not stored was Equity, the Actors Union. In those days they demanded no repeats without full fees, and no repeats at all after about 5 years,(without special raised fees), rendering all stored material near worthless. Well intentioned to protect jobs, but times changed and these days actors benifit from the repeats, and curse the shortsighted view of the 50/60/70/early 80 period. All stored material was basicaly a record of a series, not the full content, a requirement from Equity. Stephen.
Ah. So that's why the programs were erased. Unions are a pain. The UK. musicians' union stopped American jazzmen from playing in the U.K. for many years. That included Philly Joe Jones, who was here for two years but unable to perform. How stupid. The American musicians' union prevented jazz from being recorded from July 1942 through 1944, and as a result, the vital big bands of Earl Hines and Billy Eckstein were not recorded when they contained Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie. There was another recording ban in 1948, but fortunately, it was defied. Unions are a curse. Anyway, it's great to have this episode of the Jeeves and Wooster program. I saw all of this series when it was first aired, and the story was that none of the episodes had survived. The Laurie and Fry versions are superb, but by no means definitive, because the Carmichael and Price performances were also marvelous. Thank you to the uploader, and let's abolish all unions; they have plagued the U.K. and other countries, such as le Canada, for far too long. Go to Russia, comrades, and don't come back.
I wonder if Dave Allen was following this tradition when he had it written into his contract that any of his episodes could only be repeated once. I had always thought him rather original in that although it didn't cover Australia where I am led to believe they have been shown many times. The musicians' union also hampered the career of flautist Harold McNair which still is a real shame as what more excellent recordings we might have had from people like that. Anyway getting back to Bertie and Jeeves, I did not even know about this original TV serialisation, what a bonus as I was looking up the Fry & Laurie version. Thanks muchly. The jury is out as far as I am concerned, like them both and I am more than happy to settle for that.
I used to love this series back in the 60s but now I'm sorry to say it does seem rather dated! And personally I prefer Hugh Laurie as Bertie and Stephen Fry as Jeeves, although their version of the original stories isn't as good. The director or producer (or whoever is responsible) focused far too much on the short stories set in New York and on the full-length novels, which meant that very little attention was given to the short stories set in the UK. Those that did receive attention were combined with parts of other stories, which made for rather a messy whole, especially for those of us who've read the books.
The Fry and Laurie American stories were awful. Didn't rate Fry's cardboard Jeeves either. Laurie, however, was inspired as Wooster in the English based escapades.
Dated? The stories were written in the first 2 decades of the 20th century! Of course they're dated. Don't need location shots if you've got an imagination.
This can be said for many writers. However, these adaptions brought this duo to a new audience, some of whom might read the books and become enlightened 🌈
Thanks so much. Fry & Laurie are impeccable choices but no doubt Ian Carmichael was born to play an English aristo too. I had such high hopes but the laughs makes it hard to watch and hear. (Not your fault, of course). I very much doubt Agatha ever said Jeeves makes the worst coffee in London or that it tastes like he grinds it with his heel (how could that hurt it anyway?) So appalling when BBC writers think they can improve on the master.
I adore Ian Carmichael and for those who prefer Peter Wimsey, in Murder Must Advertise, he is referred to as "rather resembling Bertie Wooster! Different men entirely! Cannot compare the roles, does not compute!
Shame on the beeb for wiping the tapes! They had a nasty habit of doing that to footage that some back-room oik decided was not populist enough. They actually kept some awful, badly acted and produced dross, and they are still doing it. Commissioning editors today are "meeja-studdys" grads (a mickey mouse degree if there ever was one), usually 25-year-olds who cater for their own tastes (and those of their "right-on, down-with-the-kids" social groups). People are switching channels in droves. Get a grip, "Auntie beeb"!
As I think has been pointed out a few times on other channels - they wiped the tapes because they were hugely expensive - tapes cost much more than the average house price for a series. Also most programs were only ever made on the basis for one showing and one repeat - the concept of Dave style repeats had not been thought of as yet !! Therefore keeping tapes which needed fee renegotiation in order to be shown was not cost effective. A few episodes per series were sometimes kept for reference purposes and "transcription versions" which were tele-cine transferred to 16mm film often survive
Alastair MacQueen Not that expensive to the largest broadcaster in the world, with huge income from licences. They were about £700 from memory, a fraction of the total production costs, the real reason they did not stored was Equity, the Actors Union, who would not allow repeats..
Good point, Stephen. Rip people off with license fees (what an outrage in the first place) and then give very little back. That is very British. Anyway, I don't pay them, and there is nothing that they can do about it. They don't even send me form letters anymore. In 2016, it is time that this anachronism was made to pay for itself. I don't watch live TV anymore. There is nothing that I want to see. TH-cam, torrent downloads, Kodi etc. have made live TV obsolete.
alas old fruit if I had it I would upload it! I'm not even sure where this one came from, aside from being from 'The Internet.' Wonderful thing, isn't it?
Hello everyone. Elaine Parker's biography of Dennis Price will be published in April 2018 by Fonthill Media. "The Price of Fame" will retail at £20.00 from all bookshops and on Amazon.
i do read books but i live in vietnam and choice tends to be "new york times #1 bestseller" [how many could be #1?]/self help/pulp..... . i would really enjoy some of the originals with carmichael and price but, apparently, not available.
Also, this was live action television and really a play televised! And you meant you were not lucky enough see chemistry; don't know between what or who?
Bertie indeed wore a monacle. But in his twenties with two prominent front teeth giving him a permanent askance expression and the utter picture of innocence. Completely deceiving of course.
Absolutely wonderful. i saw these episodes as a kid and loved it. The stutter and the monacle are masterstrokes, and the fact it appears to have been acted live in a studio with a genuine audience turns it into a theatrical experience. I love the Fry and Lawrie versions, but Price and Carmichael will always be the ultimate Jeeves and Wooster for me.
P.G. Wodehouse said firmly that Ian Carmichael was the personification of his vision of Bertie Wooster and I feel his vision was important; he wrote him!
I liked David Niven better. It is art; interpretation's in the eye of the beholder. No artist ever says how their art should be interpreted. DaVinci didn't leave a paragraph about how to take the Mona Lisa, Van Gogh didn't explain ``Starry Night,'' and I am not gonna let any writer tell me how best to interpret their characters. Actually, I'm disappointed that Wodehouse would bother saying which actor he wanted. No composer, certainly, said who should play their works.
So, Agatha Christie telling Joan Hickson she would like her as Miss Marple, authors having a say in who portrays their characters in plays and/or movies or TV shouldn't care how the characters they gave life to are played by those who present themselves as those very characters? Wow. In addition, composers do say exactly how one should play their works. You do know how to read music, don't you? I would hope the composer would say, if a particular orchestra played their music perfectly, that they did so.
I never say ``should.,'' Obviously if they're friends & they exchange opinions, great. An artist can't add an essay after a work is finished to persuade beholders to like their work. Their work stands for itself. It is a product of them and a muse. Not every author is going to have the film aptitude to say who's the best actor & who has the best stage presence.@@jeannemara1600
@quickchris10 If I wrote a character and it was televised, I would strongly insist on casting choice. Agatha Christie hated Margaret Rutherford as Miss Marple (I adored her) but a lot of authors resent casting choices and make no bones about saying so.
Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry are much, much better!!!
Just discovered these. I love Ian Carmichael. He’s a wonderful Bertie Wooster!! :)
Thank you so very much! (New York)
YES! YES! YES! I've waited 40 years to hear that voice again!
I've been down several blind alleys trying to find the owner of those rich, wonderful, many layered tones. I've come across some marvellous actresses during my search, but they never sounded quite right .... & at last, here she is!
Fabulous Fabia Drake. Aunt Agatha. A voice full of wit, irony & simply a delight to listen to. A million thanks to the uploader!
I can scarcely believe I'm about to watch this treasure. The very BEST Jeeves and Wooster. I didn't expect to ever find this again after so many years. Thank you xx
Depends on what you start with like Sherlock, depends on the one you grew familiar.
have vou seen fry and laurie
They were never quite as good.
Would you not concur, sir, that comparisons are inherently a matter of personal discernment? Whether they stand as the paramount representation might merely be a wistful reflection. Permit me to opine that Mr. Fry and Mr. Laurie's portrayal possesses a certain canonical resonance, especially in terms of the characters' age. (Wish I could produce such speech in real life without taking an hour to form a single sentence.)
Fantastic! I remember that episode from when I was about 8 years old and it was my favourite programme. I still love it and Ian Carmichael remains one of my favourite actors.
Not mine. Bertram actor is too old for the playboy. Each to his own.
Delightful. This series was my introduction to P G Wodehouse....who never ceases to amuse ❤️ I've been working my way through the Jonathan Cecil audio readings recently...another innocent pleasure.
I loved fry and laurie just as much as i loved carmichael and price! In my opinion, both series were wonderful adaptations of the woodhouse stories!!
both versions have there own charm. the acting is superb on both.
Omg, I’d forgotten about these two. Brilliant
Price and Carmichael. Two class comedy actors. I love the Fry and Laurie versions and they benefitred from higher budgets and location shooting etc but this pair were also excellent; Price in particular. His aloofness and air of implied superiority was closer to the Jeeces of the novels. Such a pity this is the only surviving episode.
Bloody brilliant! Had no idea the works of Wodehouse had been adapted for television so long ago, and so MAGNIFICENTLY!! Thank you for the opportunity to see these beloved characters so artfully portrayed! I've never before now thought that anyone could do justice to Jeeves and Wooster besides Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry, but now I see where at least some of THEIR inspiration came from. Marvelous! Go maire an saothar Wodehouse go deo! (Irish for: may the works of Wodehouse live forever!)
Thank you for uploading this. It was this series that made me fall in love with the works of P.G. Woodhouse.
Thanks again
Same here. Still read them. The audiobooks are superb.
@@stephenreeds3632it’s a crime that so few of these were kept.
This version of Jeeves and Wooster is one I didn't see, as it pre-dates my existence. I well remember watching the Fry and Laurie rendition in the early 90s, when I would have been in my early twenties!
Amazing! I'd given up on ever being able to see one of these again. Thanks.
Only two exist!! This was my first Wooster. Brilliant!!!
Absolutely loved, with a passion “The World of Wooster “ look forward to catching up with more episodes on TH-cam...thank you they should be back on BBC!
Though I do like the fry and lauire version more for a number of reasons, this one still has it's own special charm! I love the look jeeves gives when wooster mentions shrimp and the way jeeves's cup trembles when Agatha mentions the twins
Takes me back to when I was a kid, nice!
I can remember watching this as a kid- probably 1966- the tram regulator particularly stuck in my memory. Even Simon Ward has died- last year- how time flies!
I am enjoying this. what schoolboy did not read Jeeves? As Waugh said, it is a world that can never stale...
And what schoolgirl did not read Jeeves either! The three volumes of short stories are the best in my own opinion. However I found the full-length novels boring and repetitive and the characters are weary, stale, flat and unprofitable.
Mairwen 99 Noooooooooo! Read them again. Utter classics. Start with a Right Oh Jeeves.
“The Code of the Woosters”. Longish, but gripping. One damn thing after another, all surprises.
Note the difference in public ethics. Not once does Jeeves sell a story to the Sun with the headline :”How Mr. Wooster Was Pressured Into Stealing A Silver Cow Creamer, And I Had To Cover It All Up”.
Excellent posting.For a while ,I had begun to think I had imagined the series. Mention to others drew blank stares, then I found the intro posted and was relieved.The poster wasn`t sure any episodes had survived the BBC purging.Glad this survived.Good Fun,What?
P.S. I enjoyed Fry and Laurie`s version.
This is funnier and better done than the Fry-Laurie - the embellishments on Wodehouse notwithstanding. (No girl in Wodehouse ever tells a young man that he has what it takes.)
Sir Humphrey played by Clive Morton, who was the prison governor in Kind Hearts and Coronets, probably Dennis Price's finest moment.
Notice the cheek bones on 'Claude', played by Timothy Carlton. 40-odd years he was to play alongside his wife to play the parents of their real life son who was playing the title role in the BBC series of Sherlock Holmes. Mr Carlton's full name is Timothy Carlton Congdon Cumberbatch, and his son (with the same cheek bones) is Benedict.....
Wow!
Benedict really does look like his dad!!!
OMG!
Great never seen before really enjoyed it I thank you...:-)
The great Libra humourists: Sir Pelham Grenville Wodehouse (15 October 1881 - 14 February 1975). Almost all the video recordings of this classic series have been lost, "wiped", incredible as it seems. This blurred version seems to be the sole survivor.
So sad only the two exist now, but they were very popular when broadcast, and Dennis Price is the definitive Jeeves. Ian Carmichael came up with the stammer himself, he said he needed a hook to hang the character on........Fry and Laurie had better scripts, and Hugh Laurie played Bertie better. The half hour format forced the story changes, Clive Exton did far better in the longer shows.
The BBC were very relieved the show went so well with Dennis Price, he was renown as a drinker, and they expected troubles, but none came up. Over all the series had very large audiences.
Very interesting snippets of info about the world of wooster series that I didn't know about. Thanks. It really is a pity that so little survived. The beeb lost a fair few tv shows in the past it seems, which is sad.
Surely you mean "somdomite"?
sodomite?
The Marquess of Queensberry's misspelling, when he accused Oscar Wilde of being homosexual. Sodomite's a bad term anyway: Wilde didn't care for anal sex, and many other gay men don't either.
EricG The beeb deleted a lot of the tapes of these old series for some mysterious reason of their own. To my mind it amounts to wilful destruction.
Just loved these thank you so much. ❤️❤️❤️
I remember seeing Dennis Price whilst walking around on as a teenager in family holiday in Sark. A small island in the Channel Islands.
By far the best...
Wonderful ! Thank you so much.
This is much funnier and loonier than the Fry and Laurie version
I never thought I would see anything of this show! I do not recall Bertie's monocle or the comic stammer in any of the books & it's also interesting to hear the audience laughter as Wodehouse was subtle in the comedy writings, one doesn't tend to think of it as sitcom!
Magazine illustrators liked to give give him a monocle, and so do stage productions. But he is never mentioned as having one, so, tho it fits the character, I don’t think his creator meant him to have one.
Is that Simon Ward at 01.33?
Ian Carmichael is the definitive Bertie Wooster.
Actually, Bertie is about 24, not as old as Carmichael, and Hugh Laurie looks more like my idea of him. But Dennis Price is exactly right, IMHO.
Your smoking something my friend ,hugh laurie is MILES closer to Bertie,who's in his 20s,this one much to old ,NO WAY is he the definite Bertie,Hugh is Bertie
Didn't you guys just see the David Niven one in this playlist, ``Thank You, Jeeves?'' I like him better than this yahoo.
Carmichael and Price delivery genius.
I say! This is bloody brilliant :)
Absolutely, but Ian said he invented the stutter to "hang the character" on, and PG did not really approve till he saw the first episode. Dennis Price is simply perfect in the part, a llttle trick was used by the director, they rarely show Dennis Price walking through doors etc, "he appears", duplicating the "shimmying in" that PG describes.
Fry and Laurie were not bad, but nowhere as good as Ian and Dennis.
It is disgraceful that the BBC wiped the tapes.
Nobody cares what the writer thinks. It's like asking Beethoven if he'd rather Vienna or New York symphonies played his music. He would of course say, ``all of the above! We want as many orchestras playing it, as often as possible.''
I would love to see some more of these hint hint wink wink nudge nudge ...:-)
Dennis Price's is my favourite Jeeves. Fry's character was more prominent in his help of Bertie Wooster and also in the way he dressed,at times he looked better dressed that B.W. Well he certainly knew how to dress better than his boss but he could not afford it.Price's character was always one step back.
You hafta be joking.Hugh Lauries Wooster was mouth-wateringly Beautifully suited.Superb English tailoring,but probably too understated for the hoi polloi to appreciate.
Margaret Galloway You're missing the point. I'm talking about Jeeves.
It is a great pity that some idiot at the BBC decided to delete those tapes.
I saw that series and they were immensely enjoyable. Have you ever seen them?
Hello all Dennis Price fans! Elaine Parker is soon to have her biography published this November by Fonthill Media, so watch this space for an update.
Famous connections: Benedict Cumberbatch's dad - Timothy Carlton - playing Claude.
I’m hoping they find the whole series on some dusty shelf somewhere very soon. There were Blandings episodes and Psmith episodes too.
They were wiped.
Simon Ward of the film "Young Winston" (1972) plays Eustace.
(BTW, this series was recorded in 1965-1966.)
What a treat! TYSM
Wonderful to see this great show once more, any chance of uploading the other surviving episode? I really hope some more will turn up in the Bob Monkhouse collection. Maybe even in Zimbabwe when Mugabe is retired.
Hi, I was just looking up the locations for "School For Scoundrels" (1960, Ian Carmichael / Terry-Thomas), it was on t.v., Sat. 07 May 2016. (The location for the tennis match was Corus Hotel, Edgewarebury Lane, Elstree, by the way : I want to have a look on Google Earth in a minute...)
Noticed I.Carmichael & Dennis Price in n episode of "The World of Wooster", "Jeeves and the Delayed exit....",
Dennis Price I think was the best Jeeves.
Steven Wallin wrote in about I.C's stammer being added, and that P.G. didn't much like it.
I don't like it much either, but it does give Bertie a slightly more gauche aspect, making him very slightly ridiculous / innocent/different......... and that seems to be needed for the character. Just a thought.
I do like to see how different actors tackle the roles.
With Fry & Laurie, I really liked the part where Bertie wanted Jeeves to join in singing 'Minnie The Moocher' :
retaining his dignity when it came to the response to "Hi-de-hi-de-hi-de hi", Jeeves muttered,
"Hi-de-hi-de-hi-de-ho, Sir..."
+Toby Paws Part of the directors ideas was to have Price appear from nowhere, as described in the books, and also not to show him walking onto the set through doors, but be there already. In this episode it does not show much, but was effective in showing Jeeves "shimming" up to Bertie. They made a running joke of Jeeves anticipating every request from Bertie. An addition to the stories was Bertie always financially rewarding Jeeves after each adventure.
What Ho! Wonderful stuff don't you know! is this the only surviving episode?
No, another one was announced found only yesterday.
This episode is “Jeeves and the Delayed Exit of Claude and Eustace.”
This is all very well, but I'm totally smitten by Laurie and Fry. And I don't think a change of opinion is likely ;-).
I never knew Ian Carmichael was a Bertie.
Ian Carmichael and Dennis Price were my childhood images of Wooster and Jeeves. I just can't accept other people in these roles. However, I don't think this was one of the best episodes of the series.
It's one of 2 that exist. Be thankful.
I seem to notice a considerable age difference between wooster and jeeves. I haven't read the books though, is it so in them? I've always assumed they were about the same age, or Jeeves only a little older.
Andrés Marchant Yep! Jeeves is older in the books
Fry and Laurie had to have them the same age...don't be coloured by that series. Jeeves was a surrogate father to Bertie.
Top hole and so true to the original idea.
Thanks. I really enjoyed his Lord Peter Wimsey series, I believe 6 were made. He mentioned the Wooster series in an interview, and I am glad to see one. Although I see they suffered the same fate as over 100 Doctor Who episodes.
*WHOVIAN DETECTED!*
What happened to them? We’re they thrown out? Why on Earth??
@@bernie4268Coz it's THE BBC!
thank you from manhattan ©2025
Dennis Price.........The Ultimate Jeeves......better than Michael Hordern,Stephen Fry or Maurice Denham and Ian Carmichael !!!!!!!! Words fail me!
Richard Briers and MH surely the best being a radio version the words are important and Bertie's narration is brilliantly transposed... all this is lost with every TV version...sorry HL and SF the medium you work inis against you.
In total agreement that Dennis Price is the definitive and Ultimate Jeeves. He is sublime and portrays all of the stuff, as if the character floated off the page. Sincere thanks for sharing this.....it gives me a reminder of my childhood interests, books and superior half hour comedy programmes that were commonplace when I was 8,9,10 years old.
Hmmm...
Personally, I find Dennis Price a bit too cold for Jeeves. Despite Jeeves's characteristic stoicism conveyed in the books, there is still a quiet warmth about him that radiates softly through his phlegmatic persona. I thought Stephen Fry captured this quality very well, along with the "sympathetic face" that Wodehouse ascribed to Jeeves's countenance. Wodehouse also wrote that Jeeves had a "soft and respectful" voice. I don't aim to suggest that Price's voice is far off from this outline, but it simply doesn't hold a candle to Stephen Fry's in my opinion. Fry's vocal attributes *perfectly* align with Wodehouse's description of Jeeves's voice. I also like Fry's delivery better than Price's overall. I thought Fry portrayed Jeeves in a way that makes the character seem several steps ahead of everyone else; as though he is observing that everything is unfolding as he's planned it. Dennis Price, by contrast, I thought acts almost as though he is lagging behind a step. In a few parts in this episode, he was unable to complete his sentence as the scene progressed ahead of him whilst he tried to catch up with it. Personally, I think that Stephen Fry makes Jeeves appear a bit more intelligent than Dennis Price does. But, of course, my opinion is purely subjective. To each their own, I guess. (And I fully respect the opinion of those who prefer Dennis Price as Jeeves.)
Thank you drp, I had about given up hope of ever seeing this! It's made my day. Sadly I have to say that, even though Denis Price and Ian Carmichael are great favourites of mine, this episode simply wasn't a patch on the Fry and Laurie.
Its not bad...but I definitely prefer the Fry and Laurie version...maybe its because I grew up with it...but this version does seem to take more liberties with the actual stories. I mean...why is the neurologist father sir Humphrey rather than Sir Roderick Glossop? Why is his potential love interest Marion and not Honoria? The twins are after a Marion in the actual stories but she is a singer. I suppose the format for this show was shorter than Fry and Lauries so there has to be some cuts and reduction of character...but still...I also don't care much for the Bertie stammer either. Also Clive Exton, the man behind the Fry and Laurie Jeeves and Wooster adaptations, was brilliant at adapting stories. He was also behind the David Suchet Poirots.
The Suchet Poirot is certainly the definitive version. It's great that they made so many. No other actor can touch David Suchet in that role.
Tommy Black Totally agree about David Suchet...amazing portrayal...but it wasn't just him that made that series work...I mean I can watch him now as Poirot, but the first 4 or 5 series were in a whole other class, and I believe that was because the quality of the adaptation by Clive Exton was so high. That and the production values, the supporting cast (Hugh Frasier also made Hastings his own, and Philip Jackson is amazing as Japp) all have great chemistry...same with the Fry and Laurie Jeeves and Wooster! I believe Brian Eastman was also the producer on both Poriot and Jeeves and Wooster, and he got a great stable of talent together! Two definitive versions of two beloved literary creations! Not bad going...and you don't really see that done very well these days...although I guess Downton abby is the closest...only seen one or two episodes of that, and I know its popular, but it looks to Photoshop to me...whereas Poriot and Jeeves and Wooster really seem to speak of their period in terms of look and acting.
Okay, I love Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry the best but I also love watching different interpretations of characters and see what various actors and writers do differently. So watching the OG Bertie and Jeeves is quite a treat. (Well actually the real OGs were technically David Niven and Arthur Treacher but Ian Carmichael and Dennis Price were pretty close.)
If you like different interpretations try searching out the (BBC) radio adaptation I grew up with. Richard Briars as Wooster and Michael Horden as Jeeves. This will always be my favourite, although I enjoy every version.
I think it was recorded live which makes it even better. Better in its way than the Fry and Laurie version. Best thing Carmichael ever did.
I barely recognize Dennis Price with his face so puffy. What time frame is this. anyone?
tom wright 1965 - 1967 according to the IMDB
this is actually funnier than most modern british TV imo
I have never seen Carmichael acting as Bertie, but just heard his audio books.
The only Bertie i had ever seen, was Hugh Laurie. Amazing.
Ian is very excellent, these two, side by side, seem like the would be brothers, so similar in a familiar way, but singular in enough ways as to make them a wee bit different, see? Natural brothers.
🎙️ I want to see/ hear either, or both, do Raffles, the gentleman thief.
They would be
DELUSION. M.
USA. 🎉
First time I ever saw anything of this series. I was under the impression it was lost, and the only series of Wodehouse stories I saw were those with Pauline Collins and the series with Steven Fry and Hugh Laurie. I read this story years ago. There was an added kicker in the story that evened things out for Bertie with his two cousins, courtesy of Jeeves. It is missing from this teleplay.
Please correct me if I'm wrong but can it be that just in the beginning one of the two guests (the right one) is the father of Benedict Cumberbatch, i. e. Timothy Carlton??? There is a resemblance.. I'm not sure as far as the dating is concerned.... Please help me here, thanks.
It seems long fogotten that the real reason so many programs were not stored was Equity, the Actors Union. In those days they demanded no repeats without full fees, and no repeats at all after about 5 years,(without special raised fees), rendering all stored material near worthless. Well intentioned to protect jobs, but times changed and these days actors benifit from the repeats, and curse the shortsighted view of the 50/60/70/early 80 period. All stored material was basicaly a record of a series, not the full content, a requirement from Equity.
Stephen.
Ah. So that's why the programs were erased. Unions are a pain. The UK. musicians' union stopped American jazzmen from playing in the U.K. for many years. That included Philly Joe Jones, who was here for two years but unable to perform. How stupid. The American musicians' union prevented jazz from being recorded from July 1942 through 1944, and as a result, the vital big bands of Earl Hines and Billy Eckstein were not recorded when they contained Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie. There was another recording ban in 1948, but fortunately, it was defied. Unions are a curse. Anyway, it's great to have this episode of the Jeeves and Wooster program. I saw all of this series when it was first aired, and the story was that none of the episodes had survived. The Laurie and Fry versions are superb, but by no means definitive, because the Carmichael and Price performances were also marvelous. Thank you to the uploader, and let's abolish all unions; they have plagued the U.K. and other countries, such as le Canada, for far too long. Go to Russia, comrades, and don't come back.
interesting. i like a lot of the originals better than the remakes.
I wonder if Dave Allen was following this tradition when he had it written into his contract that any of his episodes could only be repeated once. I had always thought him rather original in that although it didn't cover Australia where I am led to believe they have been shown many times.
The musicians' union also hampered the career of flautist Harold McNair which still is a real shame as what more excellent recordings we might have had from people like that.
Anyway getting back to Bertie and Jeeves, I did not even know about this original TV serialisation, what a bonus as I was looking up the Fry & Laurie version. Thanks muchly. The jury is out as far as I am concerned, like them both and I am more than happy to settle for that.
Brilliant, the first time I’ve seen this version of J and W 🤪
I used to love this series back in the 60s but now I'm sorry to say it does seem rather dated! And personally I prefer Hugh Laurie as Bertie and Stephen Fry as Jeeves, although their version of the original stories isn't as good. The director or producer (or whoever is responsible) focused far too much on the short stories set in New York and on the full-length novels, which meant that very little attention was given to the short stories set in the UK. Those that did receive attention were combined with parts of other stories, which made for rather a messy whole, especially for those of us who've read the books.
The Fry and Laurie American stories were awful. Didn't rate Fry's cardboard Jeeves either. Laurie, however, was inspired as Wooster in the English based escapades.
The us episodes were ok when they stuck to plums plots. When they tried to do more than adapt those, they got lost.
Dated? The stories were written in the first 2 decades of the 20th century! Of course they're dated. Don't need location shots if you've got an imagination.
Yes Jeeves, petty thievery has always been a time-honored liberal skill acquired at Oxford.
IMO you can't beat your own imagination. Wodehouse was meant to be read, not watched.
Read or listened to. On the radio the pictures are better.
This can be said for many writers. However, these adaptions brought this duo to a new audience, some of whom might read the books and become enlightened 🌈
Thanks so much. Fry & Laurie are impeccable choices but no doubt Ian Carmichael was born to play an English aristo too. I had such high hopes but the laughs makes it hard to watch and hear. (Not your fault, of course). I very much doubt Agatha ever said Jeeves makes the worst coffee in London or that it tastes like he grinds it with his heel (how could that hurt it anyway?) So appalling when BBC writers think they can improve on the master.
Class act, every bit as good and Fry & Laurie.
Good grief... how old is Bertie meant to be??
Even Carmichael, years later, said that he was much too old to play Wooster.
I adore Ian Carmichael and for those who prefer Peter Wimsey, in Murder Must Advertise, he is referred to as "rather resembling Bertie Wooster! Different men entirely! Cannot compare the roles, does not compute!
Absolutely no chemistry and Jeeves never makes the worst anything. He is also in the strictest of confidences with the social set.
IC is also wonderful as Lord Peter Wolsey.
Enjoyed this greatly but do have 2 point out that Bertie did not have a stutter
Shame on the beeb for wiping the tapes! They had a nasty habit of doing that to footage that some back-room oik decided was not populist enough. They actually kept some awful, badly acted and produced dross, and they are still doing it. Commissioning editors today are "meeja-studdys" grads (a mickey mouse degree if there ever was one), usually 25-year-olds who cater for their own tastes (and those of their "right-on, down-with-the-kids" social groups). People are switching channels in droves. Get a grip, "Auntie beeb"!
As I think has been pointed out a few times on other channels - they wiped the tapes because they were hugely expensive - tapes cost much more than the average house price for a series. Also most programs were only ever made on the basis for one showing and one repeat - the concept of Dave style repeats had not been thought of as yet !! Therefore keeping tapes which needed fee renegotiation in order to be shown was not cost effective. A few episodes per series were sometimes kept for reference purposes and "transcription versions" which were tele-cine transferred to 16mm film often survive
Alastair MacQueen Not that expensive to the largest broadcaster in the world, with huge income from licences. They were about £700 from memory, a fraction of the total production costs, the real reason they did not stored was Equity, the Actors Union, who would not allow repeats..
Good point, Stephen. Rip people off with license fees (what an outrage in the first place) and then give very little back. That is very British. Anyway, I don't pay them, and there is nothing that they can do about it. They don't even send me form letters anymore. In 2016, it is time that this anachronism was made to pay for itself. I don't watch live TV anymore. There is nothing that I want to see. TH-cam, torrent downloads, Kodi etc. have made live TV obsolete.
Annemarie Fleming
Is that Simon Ward?
I see. Didn't take a look at the end credits. Thanks for letting me know, though. Now we know where these impressive cheekbones came from ;-)
I know a lot of people like the Fry and Laurie version but dammit, those episodes just don't seem to have the same charm as this.
I don't agree.
Yes, Price and Carmichael are much better.
Yep, it's a very young Simon Ward as Eustace.
Yes, it is Timothy Carlton.The other "twin" is Simon Ward.It`s in the end credits. ;)
alas old fruit if I had it I would upload it! I'm not even sure where this one came from, aside from being from 'The Internet.' Wonderful thing, isn't it?
One can see the progression from "I'm alright Jack" towards Lord Peter Whimsey
"Answering the door these days, Bertie?"
Hello everyone. Elaine Parker's biography of Dennis Price will be published in April 2018 by Fonthill Media. "The Price of Fame" will retail at £20.00 from all bookshops and on Amazon.
Read the books!
i do read books but i live in vietnam and choice tends to be "new york times #1 bestseller" [how many could be #1?]/self help/pulp.....
. i would really enjoy some of the originals with carmichael and price but, apparently, not available.
According to imdb, that´s indeed Timothy Carlton, playing Claude :)
And yes it was as Eustace!! Poor old thing passed away in July.
Also, this was live action television and really a play televised! And you meant you were not lucky enough see chemistry; don't know between what or who?
"So, the Duke is off his rocker, uh"?
Bertie indeed wore a monacle. But in his twenties with two prominent front teeth giving him a permanent askance expression and the utter picture of innocence. Completely deceiving of course.
what a joy
Simon Ward eh?
this looks better
Ian Carmichael plays the part ^_^
Can anyone upload all episodes? It is written on IMDb that 18 of 20 episodes from World of Wooster are lost.
9:13 HENNIMORE!!!!!