Character guide

Psmith

major

Also known as P. G. Wodehouse Psmith, Sieur de Psmith, Psmith Baffled, Outwardly Psmith, Shropshire Psmith, Smithy

Psmith arrives at the New Asiatic Bank with an eyeglass, an unshakeable drawl, and a genius for turning dull routine into comedy. Beneath the languid pose lies a patient strategist: he studies Manchester United trivia for a fortnight simply to win over the football-mad Mr. Rossiter, then quietly sets his sights on haunting Mr. Bickersdyke at the club. His loyalty to Mike, whom he christens Comrade Jackson, gives the story its warmest and funniest alliance.

Mike Jackson

major

Also known as Mike, Jackson, Mr. Mike, Comrade Jackson

Mike enters the bank world with his cricket triumphs behind him and his father's financial troubles pushing him into a clerk's stool he never wanted. Painfully self-conscious in company, he upsets a water jug into a jam tart at a stranger's dinner table and spends the rest of the meal scarlet to the ears, yet his instinctive sympathy for the worn-down Mr. Waller reveals a decency that draws people to him. As Psmith's straight man and anchor, he grounds the novel's comedy in genuine feeling.

Mr. Bickersdyke

supporting

Also known as Mr. John Bickersdyke, Bickersdyke, John, Comrade Bickersdyke, old Bick, Bick

Mr. Bickersdyke presides over the New Asiatic Bank with the gravity of a man who expects to be somebody in politics, and belongs to the Senior Conservative Club chiefly for its excellent cuisine. He has no idea that a tall young man with an eyeglass is studying his habits, waiting on staircases and biding his time with the patience of a successful general. His collision with Psmith supplies the novel's central contest of wit against pomposity.

Mr. Waller

supporting

Also known as Waller, Edward, Teddy, Master Edward Waller, old Waller, Comrade Waller

Mr. Waller is the genial host whose dinner party dissolves into a family row over Women's Suffrage, and the cashier whose years of habit keep him shovelling money to customers while his mind sits at a sick child's bedside. When his son Edward battles pneumonia, he comes to work fagged and beaten, and Mike's silent understanding of his suffering marks the novel's first real note of pathos. His recovery, and Edward's, restores the warmth that the bank's grind had nearly extinguished.

Rossiter

supporting

Also known as Mr. Rossiter, Comrade Rossiter

Mr. Rossiter patrols the postage desk with a watchdog's zeal, forever catching Psmith mid-conversation and warning that the bank pays him to work, not to talk about football. Psmith, undeterred, deduces from a single sighting at Chelsea that the man is nuts on Manchester United, then spends a fortnight mastering League trivia until the entente cordiale is complete. His unlikely friendship with Psmith clears the ground for the haunting of Mr. Bickersdyke.

Mr. Gregory

minor

Also known as old Gregory, the aggrieved Mr. Gregory, Comrade Gregory

A bank clerk who is often irritated by Psmith's antics.

Bristow

minor

Also known as Comrade Bristow

A clerk at the bank who interacts with Mike and Psmith.

Prebble

minor

Also known as Comrade Prebble

A clerk at the bank, part of the office staff.

Bannister

minor

Also known as Comrade Bannister, the Bannister, Mr. Bannister

A clerk at the bank, often mentioned in the office.

Joe Jackson

minor

Also known as Joe, brother Joe

Mike's older brother, a professional cricketer.

Mr. Jackson

minor

Also known as Jackson

Mike's father, who sends him to work at the bank.

Bill

minor

Also known as Comrade Bill, Little Willie

A young boy who works as a messenger at the bank.

William

minor

Also known as Willis

A clerk or employee at the bank.

Mr. Richards

minor

Also known as Young Mr. Richards, young Mr. Richards

A clerk at the bank.

Harold

minor

Also known as Harry Lauder, Mr. Harry Lauder

A singer mentioned in the story.

Father

minor

Mike's father, referred to in dialogue.

Sir John Morrison

minor

Also known as Sir John

A political figure mentioned in the story.

Comrade Jellicoe

minor

Also known as that record blitherer, Comrade Jellicoe

A clerk at the bank.

Bob

minor

A friend or acquaintance mentioned in passing.

young Tom Barlow

minor

A young man mentioned in the narrative.

Ada

minor

A female character mentioned briefly.

West

minor

A clerk or employee at the bank.

Comrade Wotherspoon

minor

A clerk at the bank.

Reggie

minor

A friend or acquaintance mentioned in passing.

Strowther

minor

Also known as Mr. Strowther

A clerk at the bank.

Bagley

minor

A clerk at the bank.

Peters

minor

A clerk at the bank.

Sandy Turnbull

minor

Also known as the brothers Turnbull

A cricketer mentioned in the story.

Ballard

minor

A clerk at the bank.

Comrade Outwood

minor

A clerk at the bank.

George Barstead

minor

Also known as George

A cricketer mentioned in the story.

Keene

minor

A clerk at the bank.