Jeeves and Wooster: The Once and Future Ex

Jeeves and Wooster: The Once and Future Ex
ITV
23 May 1993
Historical Comedy
DVD
C-

And this is probably the worst episode of Series Four, if not the entire programme.  Lazy, sloppy, and boring, it contains one of the worst performances of J & W: Nigel Whitmey's as the recast Georgie Caffyn.  He appeared on one episode of Josie and would soon be on Paul Merton: The Series, but presumably on neither sketch show was he allowed to suck the energy off the screen like he does here.  It doesn't help that he's involved in the less interesting plot, where two old guys try to meet in secret to close a business deal, while George wants Bertie's help in getting together with the richer old guy's niece, for which George promises to reveal a secret way to break an engagement, and then it turns out that was a bluff.  And sub-Janos-Prohaska gorilla costumes are involved (for both a fake and a supposedly real gorilla).

Francesca Folan, who was the first Madeline Basset, here becomes the second Florence Craye, and this time Bertie's engagement to her is not at all intentional on his part.  She is better cast here, more brisk and much less bitchy than Fiona Gillies (who did, however, have fabulously permed hair).  Nicholas Palliser does fine in his role of uppercrust policeman Stilton Cheesewright, and we'd see more of them and their fractured romance.

As for the laziness and sloppiness, one example is that we see a newspaper dated August 23, 1931, which would be cool, except that it's in a scene set a few days before a Fourth of July costume party.  And we catch glimpses of Georgie's show, but none of the fun production numbers like for Ask Dad!,  instead a listless dance number rehearsed enough times that the chorus girls look as sick of it as we are.  Worst of all though is that, on top of no real pay-off to the deal with George, there's no pay-off to Jeeves secretly attending the costume party and shaping events; there's a close-up of his mask but no indication that Bertie has a clue about it.

Joseph Mydell is back as Coneybear, given a little more to do here, although still less than his predecessor.  In contrast, Sam Douglas returns as Corrigan the cop and is given a lot more to do.  Domini Winter is again a Choreographer, while Kim Barrand, Di Cooke, and Nola Haynes are Chorus Girls like last year.  And Peter Carlisle would return as the Bookseller.