Love Among the Chickens · Character

Professor Derrick

A formidable academic and Phyllis's father, whose stern dignity and uncertain temper make him the most dangerous guest at any dinner table he graces.

supporting

Also known as Professor, Old Derrick, old Derrick, Mr. Derrick

First appearance: VII: The Entente Cordiale Is Sealed

As a supporting figure in Love Among the Chickens, Professor Derrick is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

Elderly Irish gentleman; Phyllis's father; shares the compartment and smokes a cigar.

In the storyWaterloo Station, Some Fellow-Travellers, and a Girl with Brown HairOpen this moment free

See Professor Derrick in Waterloo Station, Some Fellow-Travellers, and a Girl with Brown Hair Book page

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Professor Derrick moves through the novel as the visiting paterfamilias whose approval Garnet must somehow win, a man whose gloomy silences and volcanic irritability keep everyone around him tiptoeing. His fondness for the pleasures of the table becomes a running source of comedy, since a snatched-away dinner or a swashbuckling cheese can push him toward the frame of mind in which men turn and rend their nearest and dearest. He matters because his presence turns every social occasion into a test of nerve, and because his daughter's hand is the prize Garnet can only reach through him.

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The fuller portrait of Professor Derrick sits in Reading Lens — open the free preview to keep reading with notes on the page.

See Professor Derrick in VII: The Entente Cordiale Is Sealed

Character Web

17 connections

A slice of how Professor Derrick sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.

Relationship types

Family
Rivalry
Social
Other

Character groups

Core farm characters
Protagonist

+12 more in the full Character Web

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.

Setup
Escalation
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

This is the story's dramatic climax because it represents the emotional and psychological peak where the prota…

Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.

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Relationships

Phyllis Derrick
family · positive
Phyllis is Professor Derrick's daughter, and their relationship is marked by his… How this plays out →
Tom Chase
rivalry · negative
Harry Hawk
professional · ambivalent
Jeremy Garnet
social · ambivalent
Phyllis Derrick
family · positive
Phyllis is Professor Derrick's daughter, and their relationship is marked by his… How this plays out →
Tom Chase
rivalry · negative
Jeremy Garnet
social · ambivalent
Tom Chase
rivalry · negative
Phyllis Derrick
family · positive
Phyllis is Professor Derrick's daughter, and their relationship is marked by his… How this plays out →

Phyllis Derrick
Phyllis is Professor Derrick's daughter, and their relationship is marked by his protective, often overbearing, paternal concern.
Tom Chase
Professor Derrick disapproves of Tom Chase as a suitor for his daughter, viewing him as an unsuitable match.
Harry Hawk
Harry Hawk works as a farmhand for Professor Derrick, and their relationship is that of employer and employee, with occasional tension.
Jeremy Garnet
Jeremy Garnet is acquainted with Professor Derrick through Ukridge, and their interactions are polite but strained by Derrick's temper.
Phyllis Derrick
Phyllis is Professor Derrick's daughter, and their relationship is marked by his protective, often overbearing, paternal concern.
Tom Chase
Professor Derrick disapproves of Tom Chase as a suitor for his daughter, viewing him as an unsuitable match.
Jeremy Garnet
Jeremy Garnet is acquainted with Professor Derrick through Ukridge, and their interactions are polite but strained by Derrick's temper.
Tom Chase
Professor Derrick disapproves of Tom Chase as a suitor for his daughter, viewing him as an unsuitable match.
Phyllis Derrick
Phyllis is Professor Derrick's daughter, and their relationship is marked by his protective, often overbearing, paternal concern.

Relationship notes

How these ties play out is in the reading companion — open the free preview.

See Professor Derrick in VII: The Entente Cordiale Is Sealed

In the story

Professor Derrick appears across 14 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

Waterloo Station, Some Fellow-Travellers, and a Girl with Brown Hair
Elderly Irish gentleman; Phyllis's father; shares the compartment and smokes a cigar.
VII: The Entente Cordiale Is Sealed
Elderly Irish professor; spends summers at Combe Regis; invites Garnet to lunch and suggests a round of golf.
A Little Dinner at Ukridge's
Guest, grows increasingly irritable due to the poor meal and Ukridge's interruptions.
IX: Dies Irae
Persists in cutting Garnet after the dinner incident, both on the beach and on the golf links, showing no sign of relenting.
X: I Enlist the Services of a Minion
Seen fishing from a boat; Garnet watches him and later decides to stage a rescue to win his approval.
The Brave Preserver
Is rescued by Garnet, reconciles with him, and bonds over golf, showing a forgiving and friendly demeanor.
Tea and Tennis
Mentioned as the victim of Hawk's boat capsizing and as someone who dislikes being kept waiting for dinner.
XIV: A Council of War
Wins his golf match and reaches the semifinal, greeted by Garnet.
XV: The Arrival of Nemesis
Sends Garnet a furious letter ending their acquaintance after learning of the boat incident.
XVI: A Chance Meeting
Mentioned as having been told the truth by Hawk; passes Garnet with Phyllis without acknowledgment.
XVII: Of a Sentimental Nature
Mentioned as the offended party in the boat accident and the one who may never forgive Garnet.
Ukridge Gives Me Advice
Mentioned as the primary obstacle to the engagement due to his anger over the staged rescue.
Asking Papa
Phyllis's father, who is furious about the staged rescue and refuses Garnet's request for his daughter's hand.
Scientific Golf
Garnet's opponent in the golf tournament; cold and forbidding, he suffers visibly as Garnet beats him hole after hole, his golf game deteriorating into wild frustration.

Chapter companion notes

Spoil-light check-ins for Professor Derrick unlock in the free preview.

See Professor Derrick in VII: The Entente Cordiale Is Sealed

See Professor Derrick in Waterloo Station, Some Fellow-Travellers, and a Girl with Brown Hair