Carry On, Jeeves

One of literature’s most celebrated fictional duos, lovable fop Bertie Wooster and his clever valet Jeeves, take center stage in these hilarious tales. In the first four, Jeeves saves Bertie from some serious scrapes involving stolen manuscripts, unfortunate engagements, marital scandals, and jailbird friends. The other four find Bertie exiled to 1920s New York, where Jeeves rescues him from American aunts, visiting Brits, poetic chumps, and femme fatales. “Jeeves Takes Charge” is chronologically the first in the series, telling how the canny valet entered Wooster’s life. “Jeeves and the Unbidden Guest” expands the canvas to include Bertie’s young cousin who goes wild under his wing. “The Rummy Affair of Old Biffy,” “Clustering Round Young Bingo,” and “The Artistic Career of Corky” are variations on the Wodehousian theme of dastardly rascals who scheme to take advantage of Bertie’s hopeless naivete. The author’s witty wordplay, eccentric characters, and incisive comedics are well served by Martin Jarvis’s pitch-perfect performance.