Unfallen

I really must get down to viewing all the unviewed stuff I've got on DVD. Earlier this evening I sat down to a Jeeves & Wooster episode and found myself wondering why on earth I've not watched all twenty-three (it’s the complete collection of all four Granada series) repeatedly in the course of the year. It's as if I've been holding back on a major treat for a perfect time when any time at all is perfect.

And speaking of perfection, is there any way in which the series falls short of that happy state, being so utterly spot-on in almost every respect? Was Stephen Fry too young to essay the mighty Jeeves? I don't think so, though the criticism has been leveled in some quarters. The idea of Jeeves as being of the same generation as Bertie makes perfect sense - and implies the kind of elegant energy necessary to resolve the constant crises in their lives. Above all Laurie and Fry (and the whole production team) understood the style fundamental to Wodehouse's comic vision, and it's wonderful to wallow in that visually and verbally.

I'm enjoying myself just thinking of all the wallowing to come.