Earlier was better

Colliam7

The delightful 'Jeeves and Wooster' series offers a chance to observe the influence of director and casting in a subtle but revealing way. In particular, the episodes directed by Robert Young and Simon Langston appear to be more faithful (and therefore far more enjoyable) to the original Wodehouse stories than those of Ferdinand Fairfax, whose style suggests that he (mistakenly) believes the Wodehouse stories were written as slapstick. Much of the consummate subtlety and dry wit of the Young / Langston episodes is notably (and very regrettably) lacking in the later productions.  In addition, while some of the casting changes appear to work well (the portrayal of the Washburns and Madeline Basset, for example), others are much less appealing (Pip Torrens as Bingo Little was terrible, and Richard Brame's portrayal of Gussie Fink-Nottle was decidedly inferior to that of Richard Garnett).  All in all, a very enjoyable series which not only entertained but offered a certain instruction in film-making as well.

score /10

Colliam7 29 January 1999

Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw0277789/