“Jeeves, the Aunt, and the Sluggard”
(original transmission date: 6/6/1965)
“Jeeves, the Aunt, and the Sluggard” is the second episode of the first series of The World of Wooster, and was adapted by Richard Waring. It was shown to Wodehouse in his Long Island home by Frank Muir shortly after broadcast.
It is one of the only two complete episodes of the series confirmed to exist, the other being “Jeeves and the Delayed Exit of Claude and Eustace”. A 16mm telerecording is held in the Kaleidoscope Archive.
Synopsis
“For a man who cannot bear the pace of life in London, or in any other big, gay city for that matter, Cornwall could be the place for a spot of the old peace and quiet—especially if he wants to commune with nature away from it all and write a bit of verse. Biffy Biffen...seems to think so, but he has a problem on his hands. What to do with his rich Aunt Isabel, who has a secret yearning for the gay night life and wants Biffy to paint the town red?”
An adaptation of “The Aunt and the Sluggard”. Although the plot is mostly the same, characters and locations have been altered to offer a more English setting. In the original story, Bertie is over in New York and lends a hand to his American friend Rocky. In Richard Waring's script, London is the backdrop and it is another of Bertie's friends, Biffy, who is forced to flee his quiet life in Cornwall for the bustling London. Biffy's rich aunt Isabel instructs him to send detailed reports on the city night life, which—as a retiring countryside poet—he abhors. Jeeves volunteers to supply him with the latest news and trends, but soon Aunt Isabel joins in on the fun. Only a visit to Speaker's Corner could save the situation.
Cast
Bertie Wooster: Ian Carmichael
Jeeves: Dennis Price
Biffy: Desmond Walter-Ellis
Aunt Isabel: Athene Seyler
Speaker: Donald Morley
Also starring: Bruce Wightman, Richard Stewart
Broadcasts
First broadcast
Sun 6th Jun 1965, 21:40 (BBC One London)1
Repeated
Thu 2nd Sep 1965, 20:45 (BBC One London)2
Sun 14th May 1967, 23:20 (BBC Two England)3
1. BBC Genome
2. BBC Genome
3. BBC Genome
Related material
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