Character guide

Jeeves

major

Also known as Jove, Old Jeeves, good old Jeeves

Jeeves presides over Bertie's wardrobe, morning tea, and tangled love life with the same unflappable courtesy, offering solutions in the tone of a man discussing the weather. His quiet war with Bertie over purple socks and scarlet cummerbunds reveals a valet with firm convictions about taste and propriety. When Bertie's schemes collapse, Jeeves is already three steps ahead, and his ingenious fixes drive the comedy of nearly every story.

Bertie Wooster

major

Also known as Mr. Wooster, Bertram, Egbert, Bertram Wooster

Bertie narrates his own misadventures with breezy slang and a fatal weakness for helping friends in love, which repeatedly drags him into engagements, house parties, and police stations. He bristles at Jeeves's quiet superiority and resolves to solve problems alone, a vow that never survives contact with reality. His running battles with Aunt Agatha and his loyalty to hopeless pals make him the warm, hapless center of the book.

Bingo Little

major

Also known as young Bingo Little, Old Little, Old Bingo, Young Bingo

Bingo tumbles into love roughly once a fortnight, each time convinced it is destiny and each time requiring Bertie's diplomatic services with a stingy uncle or disapproving relative. His enthusiasms are as sincere as they are short-lived, and his talent for landing Bertie in awkward interviews is unmatched. He embodies the romantic folly that keeps the stories spinning, forever certain that a look across a crowded room means fate.

Aunt Agatha

supporting

Also known as Agatha, my Aunt Agatha

Five-foot-nine of eagle eye and grey hair, Aunt Agatha can reduce Bertie to jelly with a single glance and has done so since his childhood. She regards him as a feckless wastrel in need of molding and marriage, and her letters arrive like thunderbolts, dispatching him to French resorts and country houses against his will. Her relentless matchmaking and disapproval provide the engine for many of Bertie's most reluctant adventures.

Gussie Mannering-Phipps

supporting

Also known as Gussie, Phipps, Mannering - Phipps, young Gussie

Gussie is the sort of pal who turns up needing a steady hand, whether he is tongue-tied before a girl or tangled in a scheme gone sideways. His anxieties and good intentions make him easy prey for the complications that swirl around Bertie's circle. His predicaments give Bertie ample opportunity to play the competent friend, a role he embraces with more enthusiasm than skill.

Sir Roderick Glossop

supporting

Also known as old Glossop, Roderick, old Sir Roderick

Sir Roderick regards Bertie with the clinical interest of a man diagnosing a fascinating case, a habit that grows more awkward as their families entangle. His eminence in nervous disorders and his daughter Honoria's reforming zeal combine to make him a looming threat to Bertie's peace. His presence turns ordinary social occasions into examinations, and his verdicts carry weight that Bertie can never quite escape.

Honoria Glossop

supporting

Also known as Miss Glossop, the Glossop, Miss Honoria Glossop

Honoria Glossop is the sort of forceful, purposeful woman who, once engaged to Bertie, immediately sets about reorganising his life—beginning with the dismissal of Jeeves. Her father, the nerve specialist Sir Roderick, is cautiously vetting Bertie's sanity before permitting the match, which only intensifies the pressure. Honoria matters because she represents the precise kind of matrimonial doom Bertie spends the early stories dodging, and her brisk, unshakeable confidence makes her a genuinely alarming prospect.

Rocky Todd

supporting

Also known as dear old Rocky, old Rocky, Dear old Rocky

Rocky Todd is a poet of the quiet, nature-loving variety who has arranged his life in the country precisely to avoid the intrusions of relatives and society. His aunt, however, has other plans, and her determination to draw him into a poetry competition—complete with a substantial prize—threatens the very seclusion he prizes. He matters because his predicament illustrates the Wodehouse theme of gentle souls besieged by well-meaning relatives, and his reliance on Bertie and Jeeves to extricate him drives the comic machinery.

Cyril Bassington-Bassington

supporting

Also known as Bassington - Bassington, the chump Cyril, old Bassington - Bassington

Cyril Bassington-Bassington is a young man of imposing pomposity who has decided to grace the theatrical profession with his presence, much to the horror of his uncle, a bishop. His uncle's insistence that he abandon the stage and take up something respectable sets in motion a series of schemes involving Bertie and Jeeves. Cyril matters because his oblivious vanity and the family pressure bearing down on him create the kind of social minefield Bertie is perpetually stumbling through, and his fate hinges on Jeeves's ingenuity.

Claude and Eustace

supporting

Also known as Lord Claude, Claude, Eustace, young Eustace, Mr. Eustace

Claude and Eustace are a matched pair of cheerful scroungers whose Oxford careers seem to consist chiefly of extracting money and hospitality from their elder cousin Bertie. They are candidates for a college club called The Seekers, though what they seek is never made clear, and their talent for landing in scrapes is matched only by their shamelessness in escaping them. They matter because they embody the freeloading-relative menace that Wodehouse renders so funny, and their presence invariably signals that Bertie's peace is about to be shattered.

Biffy

supporting

Also known as Old Biffy, old Biffy, Poor old Biffy

Charles Edward Biffen—Biffy to his friends—is a man so vague that he cannot reliably remember whether his lost love's father ran a milk-walk or a boot-shop, or indeed the name of the hotel where she was staying. He met Mabel on a transatlantic liner, proposed behind a pile of trunks, and then lost her to the chaos of customs and his own distracted nature. He matters because his romantic predicament, told in his own meandering fashion, is both a comic set-piece and a genuine plea for help that draws Bertie and Jeeves into another rescue operation.

Sippy

supporting

Also known as poor old Sippy, old Sippy, Old Sippy

Sippy—Mr. Sipperley—is a Cambridge man whose anxieties have landed him in a predicament requiring Bertie's intervention and Jeeves's most improbable solution: Bertie impersonating Sippy at Cambridge. His troubles stem from an inferiority complex that makes him doubt his own abilities, and his plight is serious enough that Jeeves sees no other way out. He matters because his dilemma showcases Jeeves's willingness to bend propriety to breaking point, and because Bertie's willingness to risk arrest for a friend reveals the loyalty beneath the flippancy.

Bicky

supporting

Also known as dear old Bicky, old Bicky, poor old Bicky, Old Bicky

A woolen-headed old pal of Bertie's whose broken heart and hopeless vagueness turn a simple errand into a comedy of errors.

Corky

supporting

Also known as poor old Corky, old Corky, Poor old Corky

An artist friend of Bertie's whose dependence on a quick-tempered aunt makes one reckless lark spiral into a full-blown crisis.

Freddie Bullivant

supporting

Also known as old Freddie, dear old Freddie

A good-hearted polo player and snooker-pool coming man, hopeless in a romantic crisis and helpless without Bertie's schemes.

Florence Craye

supporting

Also known as Lady Florence Craye, Lady Florence

A formidable intellectual who sets out to improve Bertie's mind, a project that reliably produces more friction than philosophy.

Aunt Dahlia

supporting

Also known as Dahlia

Bertie's more forgiving aunt, a magazine proprietor with a hearty appetite and a habit of dragging Bertie into her schemes.

Steggles

supporting

Also known as Mr. Steggles, the blighter Steggles

Steggles moves through Bertie's world as the sort of fellow whose bright ideas about horses and wagers tend to land other people in hot water. His schemes appeal to Bertie's weakness for easy money and his reluctance to seem a spoilsport, creating the kind of low-grade crisis that Jeeves exists to resolve. He matters because he represents the recurring temptation of Bertie's social circle: the plausible chum whose plans sound capital until the bill comes due.

Uncle Willoughby

supporting

Also known as Willoughby

Uncle Willoughby holds the purse strings that keep Bertie in socks and club dinners, which makes his literary ambitions a matter of urgent family concern. His manuscript, packed with indiscreet recollections of relatives and their misadventures, transforms a harmless vanity project into a weapon aimed at the family's respectability. The panic he sets off shows how thoroughly Bertie's comfortable world rests on the goodwill of eccentric elders, and why Jeeves's discretion is worth its weight in gold.

Old Heppenstall

minor

Also known as old Heppenstall

A clergyman who participates in the great sermon handicap.

Waterbury

minor

Also known as old Waterbury, Mr. Waterbury, the bloke Waterbury

A man involved in a romantic mix-up with Bertie's friends.

Duke of Chiswick

minor

Also known as old Chiswick, the Duke

A duke who appears in the great sermon handicap story.

Tuppy Glossop

minor

Also known as young Tuppy Glossop, young Tuppy

Sir Roderick's nephew, a friend of Bertie's.

Miss Hemmingway

minor

Also known as a Miss Hemmingway, the Hemmingway

A woman who appears in a story about Bertie's friends.

Mary Burgess

minor

Also known as Miss Mary Burgess, Miss Burgess

A woman who appears in a story about Bertie's friends.

Ray Denison

minor

Also known as Ray

A character who appears in a story about Bertie.

Motty

supporting

Also known as Darling Motty, Motty darling, young Motty

A young man packed off to New York by his father to keep him out of mischief, which naturally invites fresh mischief.

Lady Malvern

minor

A formidable society woman who visits New York with her son.

Mr. Little

minor

Also known as Young Mr. Little, old Mr. Little

Bingo Little's wealthy uncle who disapproves of his nephew's choices.

Rosie M. Banks

minor

Also known as the Rosie M. Banks

A famous romantic novelist who becomes involved with Bingo Little.

Comrade Butt

minor

Also known as Butt, old Butt, the chappie Butt

A socialist agitator who causes trouble for Bertie and his friends.

Old Chiswick

minor

Also known as old Chiswick

A duke who appears in connection with various social events.

Charlotte Corday Rowbotham

minor

Also known as Charlotte Corday, Charlotte, old Rowbotham

A woman with a dramatic name who appears in a story about Bicky.

Alexander Worple

minor

Also known as Mr. Worple, old Worple, Mr. Alexander Worple

A businessman and father of a girl involved with one of Bertie's friends.

Muriel Singer

minor

Also known as Muriel

A woman who becomes engaged to Bingo Little.

Mr. Biffen

minor

Also known as Charles Edward Biffen, Charles Biffen, Charles Edward

A man whose marriage announcement causes complications.

Mr. Filmer

minor

Also known as Filmer, the Right Hon. A. B. Filmer

A politician who appears in a story about Bertie's adventures.

Old Rowbotham

minor

Also known as old Rowbotham

A character mentioned in connection with Bicky's schemes.

Blumenfield

minor

Also known as Old Blumenfield, old Blumenfield

A wealthy man who hires Jeeves temporarily.

Old Bittlesham

minor

Also known as old Bittlesham

A lord involved in the betting schemes at the races.

Jane

minor

Also known as Aunt Jane

An aunt of one of Bertie's friends who appears briefly.

Richard Little

minor

Also known as Richard

Bingo Little's cousin who appears in a story.

Oliver Sipperley

minor

Also known as Oliver Randolph Sipperley

A friend of Bertie's who suffers from an inferiority complex.

Elizabeth Vickers

minor

Also known as Miss Elizabeth Vickers, Miss Vickers, Vickers

A woman involved in a romantic subplot with one of Bertie's friends.

Anatole

minor

Also known as good old Anatole

A brilliant French chef who works for Bertie's aunt.

Miss Rockmetteller

minor

Also known as Rockmetteller

An American heiress who appears in a story.

Gwendolen Moon

minor

Also known as Miss Gwendolen Moon, Miss Moon

A woman who becomes involved with one of Bertie's friends.

Roberta Wickham

minor

Also known as Miss Roberta Wickham, Miss Wickham

A lively young woman who appears in a story about Bertie.

Tootles

minor

A minor character mentioned in passing.

Cuthbert

minor

Also known as Uncle Cuthbert, dear old Uncle Cuthbert

An uncle of one of Bertie's friends.

Sidney

minor

Also known as brother Sidney, Soapy Sid, Sid

A character involved in the betting schemes.

George Wilson

minor

Also known as Wilson, young Wilson

A minor character mentioned in a story.

Danby

minor

Also known as old Danby, Old Danby

A character who appears in a story about Bertie's friends.

Mabel

minor

Also known as Cousin Mabel

A cousin of one of Bertie's friends.

Jimmy Mundy

minor

Also known as Jimmy

A character who appears in a story about Bertie.

Miss Wardour

minor

A woman involved in a romantic subplot.

Mr. Digby Thistleton

minor

Also known as Mr. Thistleton

A former employer of Bertie's who appears in a story.

Mr. Mundy

minor

A character who appears in a story about Bertie.

Sir George

minor

Also known as George

A minor character mentioned in passing.

Mr. Corcoran

minor

A character who appears in a story about Bertie.

Rev. G. Hayward

minor

Also known as G. Hayward, Hayward, Good old G. Hayward

A clergyman who participates in the great sermon handicap.

Mrs. Travers

minor

A character mentioned in a story about Bertie's aunt.

Sarah Mills

minor

A woman who appears in a story about Bertie's friends.

Marion Wardour

minor

A woman involved in a romantic subplot.

Mr. George Travers

minor

Also known as George, Mr. Travers

A character who appears in a story about Bertie's aunt.

Abe Riesbitter

minor

Also known as old Abe Riesbitter, old Riesbitter

A character involved in the betting schemes.

Miss Pringle

minor

A minor character mentioned in a story.

Aubrey Fothergill

minor

Also known as poor old Aubrey Fothergill

A friend of Bertie's who gets into trouble.

Lord Worplesdon

minor

Also known as old Worplesdon

A lord who appears in a story about Bertie's friends.

Prudence Baxter

minor

Also known as Little Prudence Baxter, young Prudence

A young woman who appears in a story about Bertie.

Lord Pershore

minor

Also known as a Lord Pershore

A lord who appears in a story about Bertie's friends.

Miss Watson

minor

Also known as Watson

A minor character mentioned in a story.

Lord Wickhammersley

minor

Also known as old Lord Wickhammersley, old Wickhammersley

A lord who appears in a story about Bertie's friends.

Rev. Cuthbert Dibble

minor

Also known as Dibble, old Cuthbert

A clergyman who participates in the great sermon handicap.

Lady Wickhammersley

minor

A lady who appears in a story about Bertie's friends.

Mr. Wingham

minor

Also known as the Reverend Mr. Wingham, Wingham

A clergyman who participates in the great sermon handicap.

Mr. Van Alstyne

minor

Also known as Van Alstyne

A character who appears in a story about Bertie.

Mr. Bullivant

minor

A character who appears in a story about Bertie.

Lady Wickham

minor

A lady who appears in a story about Bertie's friends.