Latest news with #JeevesandWooster
The Herald Scotland
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
Step into the witty world of PG Wodehouse
'Yes, he's got a great story,' says Daws, one of the most familiar faces on television, who has appeared in the likes of Jeeves and Wooster, John Sullivan's Roger Roger. Essex-born Daws became interested in PG 'Plum' Wodehouse (as a child, Wodehouse couldn't pronounce his first name, Pelham, and early attempts sounded like 'Plum,') when at RADA. 'I was given a copy of Right Ho, Jeeves by actor/writer Tom Wilkinson, who was directing at the Academy. I read it and loved it, little knowing that a few years later I'd be starring in a wonderful TV adaptation.' Daws became fascinated with Wodehouse, reading several biographies of the writer. 'I learned about his extraordinary life, including his early career as a Broadway lyricist, which I'd known nothing about. I then called my friend Bill Humble and said, 'Do you think there might be a play about this?'. Incredibly, he told me that he'd just finished working on a screenplay about his life, which wasn't being picked up.' He smiles. 'The screenplay didn't make it, but the play has.' The actor adds; 'I was invited up to do the piece at the Assembly two years ago but couldn't because I was filming. Then Bill died just before Christmas. But I called our producer and suggested we do it this year.' The Wodehouse theatre project is clearly a labour of love. 'I was fascinated to learn that Wodehouse was a man who lived in a little bubble. So few people actually knew what he looked or sounded like. And I had no idea that before he'd become a successful writer, he'd been a contributor of stories to magazines, but then made his fortune in America as a lyricist for the likes of Cole Porter. At one point he had five shows running on Broadway simultaneously, and even if he'd never writer a Jeeves and Wooster, he'd have become famous for helping to create the great American musical, using the American vernacular, which hadn't been done before.' What sort of man was Wodehouse? 'He was guarded and considered quite shy and naïve. He was in some ways a repressed Victorian, separated from his parents for most of his childhood. (His father was a Colonial Civil Servant. Plum was dumped on a nanny from the ages of two to 15 while they worked in Hong Kong). He really did exist in the world he conjured up and was never really happy in the world outside of it. The one time in his world he was forced out of it, it didn't go well at all.' Daws is referring to Wodehouse's connection with Nazi Germany. Living in France when war broke out, he was playing in a cricket match on the June day in 1941 when taken prisoner and sent to an internment camp in Upper Silesia. The Germans manipulated him into making what became known as the 'Berlin broadcast', which was used by the Nazis for propaganda purposes. He wrote a diary of this period entitled Wodehouse in Wonderland. Wodehouse described the period as his 'great shaming.' MI6 later exonerated the writer. 'To be honest, some people are still divided (about Wodehouse's complicity) but I think there is no shadow of a doubt that he was innocent. But stupid? Yes. Interestingly (and sadly) the British government didn't release the report of his innocence until after his death.' Wodehouse was a workaholic, describing himself as 'a writing machine'. 'This was when he was happiest,' says Daws. Was Wodehouse living the life in his head of the sort he couldn't manage for real? 'I didn't think of that, but I think it's spot on. It's often true of writers generally, such as Dickens, but I think it's especially true of Wodehouse.' Daws adds; 'And Plum didn't write about a world which existed. It was historic, but it had a lightness to it, about toffs and rich people and the so-called Roaring Twenties. Yet he's still respected as one the greatest comic writers ever. And he was entirely dedicated to his craft.' The actor laughs. 'He knew that comedy is a very serious business.' The play is set in the 1950s where we see Wodehouse is in his New York state home, writing another Jeeves and Wooster book. We hear Wodehouse's wife Ethel ('Bunny') occasionally ask for a drink as an off-stage voice, while he writes letters to his beloved daughter 'Snorkles' (his affectionate name for Leonora). He is also pursued by a biographer, whom we don't see, keen to write his story. And Wodehouse occasionally breaks into the songs he has co-written. Read more Daws loves the challenge, but he's eminently qualified to entertain an audience, leaping across characters including Bertie Wooster, Jeeves, Lord Emsworth, Gussie Fink-Nottle and the squashily romantic Madeline Bassett. He has long been a natural performer. Born with feet and leg problems, the actor spent the first five years of his life in and out of hospital. 'I didn't walk until I was five, but I was precocious little brat and cast into the women's ward I sang songs like How Much Is That Doggie in The Window.' He grins. 'I blame my early age handicap for introducing me to the joys of comedy. And then at my ordinary secondary school, I was lucky to have a great drama department. But there were showbiz genes in the family tree, such as grandmother who appeared in Marie Lloyd musicals in the West End and played the Fairy Godmother at Drury Lane.' Robert Daws' talent shone through, accepted into RADA aged just 17, he went on to join the Royal Lyceum Company in Edinburgh and work in acclaimed TV productions such as the award-winning Outside Edge by Richard Harris. He smiles as he rewinds, 'I think I'm so lucky to have worked in rep theatre. You really get the chance to find out what you are good at and hearing the gears crunch when it doesn't work.' Daws grins. 'In this play I do almost everything, play so many characters. It's almost like going back to the days when I played the back end of a pantomime camel in Dick Whittington.' But the reason he can shine in this production is because he was that half of a camel. 'Yes, you do learn as you go along.' He laughs out loud. 'I do owe an awful lot to Esmarelda. For one thing, she got me my Equity Card.' Wodehouse in Wonderland, Assembly George Square Studios, until August 24, (excluding 18), at 6:10pm
Yahoo
18-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Hugh Laurie 'doesn't care' about House fans or reliving TV show
Oxford-born actor Hugh Laurie has brutally revealed he "doesn't care" about House, M.D. fans and doesn't want to relive the show. The star was born in the city and grew up in Blackbird Leys before going on to star in projects such as Jeeves and Wooster, Blackadder and The Night Manager. He is perhaps best known globally for his role as the titular character in House, which ran for eight seasons between 2004 and 2012. The show, which is available on Prime Video, was popular at the time but has gained a huge additional following in the years since its final episode. READ MORE: Emma Watson 'heartbroken' after Harry Potter snub by JK Rowling Hugh Laurie starred as House in the show. Despite its success and fanship, it was recently revealed that Mr Laurie does not care about its audience. A recent episode of the Doctor Mike podcast saw host Dr. Mikhail 'Mike' Varshavski interview Noah Wyle. In the interview, Mr Varshavski said: 'I love that you're still connected to your characters very much. "Most that play a role like John Carter get tired of that association. In fact, we invited Hugh Laurie to our show.' READ MORE: Gordon Ramsay discusses moving to the Cotswolds with Beckhams Experience the pulse of Oxford at your fingertips 🗞️ With our flash sale, Oxford Mail keeps you updated for less: only £4 for 4 months or save 40 per cent on an annual subscription. Don't miss out on what's happening locally #DigitalDeal #LocalJournalismhttps:// — Oxford Mail (@TheOxfordMail) June 16, 2025 'His staff was like, 'Oh, this is a good fit, we're going to reach out to him and see what he thinks. "I'm going to read you quote-unquote what he said: 'He is not interested in opportunities like this, frankly doesn't care about the audience or reliving the show.'' Mr Wyle responded by laughing and said: 'That's so baller.' 'It's just such a direct and honest reply," added Mr Varshavski. "It's not that he doesn't want to do your show, just he doesn't want to be House MD ever again.'
Scottish Sun
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
Victorian English seaside town with no arcades or loud rides that has one of the UK's best beaches & is loved by celebs
Plus, a UK seaside town crowned top place in the world to take bored kids this summer SANDS GREAT Victorian English seaside town with no arcades or loud rides that has one of the UK's best beaches & is loved by celebs Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A PICTURESQUE town in Devon is home to one of the UK's most beautiful beaches - complete without arcades and rides. The Victorian town of Sidmouth in east Devon has a 200million-year-old coastline, being the gateway to the Jurassic Coast. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 4 The Victorian town of Sidmouth in east Devon has a pretty beach and even has no arcades Credit: Alamy 4 The town and beach are part of the Jurassic Coast Credit: Alamy What's more is that the town is also loved by celebs including Jeremy Vine and Stephen Fry. Fry stayed nearby the town when starring in the TV adaptation of Jeeves and Wooster. As for Jeremy Vine, the radio presenter got married nearby and spends summers returning to the town. In fact, when he set his first whodunnit novel called Murder on Line, in the town, he included a scene where a wave sweeps a radio station manager and her just-sacked DJ into the water together. Vine noted in The Guardian: "What I love most about Sidmouth is that it feels like a town going places. "It's chintzy in places, drab in others, but it feels real. "And real by the sea is a different kind of beauty." But celebrity visitors also extended to literary legends and royalty. Jane Austen - famous for her novels Pride and Prejudice and Northanger Abbey - spent the summer of 1801 in Sidmouth. The town had become a popular spot among high society due to its spa waters, mild climate and calming atmosphere. Trendy English seaside town has rooftop bar that 'feels like the Med' During the summer Austen was in Sidmouth, she had a fling with a young man - however, it had a tragic end. Her suitor caught typhus and died, ending the fleeting relationship. Austen isn't the only writer to have spent some time in the town - JRR Tolkien, the creator of Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit also holidayed at the seaside resort. Tolkien used to stay at Kennaway House, which is rumoured to be the location where he wrote the first parts of Lord of the Rings. And in the town itself, one of the pubs is believed to have inspired Aragon's introduction. Later, in April 1908, Beatrix Potter was also in Sidmouth. On family holidays, the popular children's writer would stay at the Hylton - where there is now even a plaque commemorating her stays. Potter used to talk of the views, her local walks in the area and also the atmosphere - which helped her to complete the Tale of Little Pig Robinson. 4 Celebrities including Jeremy Vine and royalty such as Queen Victoria have visited the town Credit: Alamy As for royalty, Queen Victoria (who at the time of visiting was Princess Alexandrina) also frequented the town. In 1819, she stayed at Woolbrook Cottage - now known as the Royal Glen Hotel. However, the holiday was not particularly happy as her father became ill and died. For things to do in Sidmouth, there is plenty of choice, with the beach undoubtedly being the main attraction. This year Sidmouth Town Beach was awarded a Blue Flag for the sixth year in a row - recognising the pebble beach as being under excellent management including beach safety and water quality. Being amongst the cleanest beaches in the UK, it is a great spot to go for a dip when the sun is shining before heading into the town and grabbing an ice cream. My own experience of Sidmouth GROWING up, I always associated Sidmouth with 'that place that had donkeys'. This is due to Sidmouth being home to the free-to-visit Donkey Sanctuary that has over 100 donkeys that they have improved the lives of. It's a great spot for children and learning about animal welfare. Away from the sanctuary, I also visited the beach on occasions growing up. Sidmouth is pretty, but I often think people also forget how impressive it is with the dramatic cliffs dating back 200million years. They are part of the Jurassic Coast - which is made of vibrant reed sandstone cliffs from the Triassic period. They are a wonder to see and within the area, there are many places to go and things to do where families can learn more about the Jurassic Coast. But if you aren't done with exploring, you could always head over to Hill View along the coastal walk, which boast amazing views across the sea. One particularly special thing about Sidmouth though, is that it doesn't have any amusement arcades, loud sports bars or dodgy street food vendors. Instead, the places that these would usually be have been filled with galleries and antiques shops, independent retailers and tearooms. To get to the quaint town, from London it takes around four hours to drive. Alternatively, also from London, you could hop on a train to Honiton, taking around two-and-a-half hours before catching a bus from Honiton to Sidmouth. Britain's 'trendiest' beach town is also set for biggest transformation in a decade as fresh plans unveiled. Plus, a UK seaside town crowned top place in the world to take bored kids this summer.
The Irish Sun
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
Victorian English seaside town with no arcades or loud rides that has one of the UK's best beaches & is loved by celebs
A PICTURESQUE town in Devon is home to one of the UK's most beautiful beaches - complete without arcades and rides. The Victorian town of Sidmouth in east Devon has a 200million-year-old coastline, being the gateway to the Jurassic Coast. Advertisement 4 The Victorian town of Sidmouth in east Devon has a pretty beach and even has no arcades Credit: Alamy 4 The town and beach are part of the Jurassic Coast Credit: Alamy What's more is that the town is also loved by celebs including Fry stayed nearby the town when starring in the TV adaptation of Jeeves and Wooster. As for Jeremy Vine , the radio presenter got married nearby and spends summers returning to the town. In fact, when he set his first whodunnit novel called Murder on Line, in the town, he included a scene where a wave sweeps a radio station manager and her just-sacked DJ into the water together. Advertisement Vine noted in "It's chintzy in places, drab in others, but it feels real. "And real by the sea is a different kind of beauty." But celebrity visitors also extended to literary legends and royalty. Advertisement Most read in News Travel Exclusive Exclusive Jane Austen - famous for her novels Pride and Prejudice and Northanger Abbey - spent the summer of 1801 in Sidmouth. The town had become a popular spot among high society due to its spa waters, Trendy English seaside town has rooftop bar that 'feels like the Med' During the summer Austen was in Sidmouth, she had a fling with a young man - however, it had a tragic end. Her suitor caught typhus and died, ending the fleeting relationship. Advertisement Austen isn't the only writer to have spent some time in the town - JRR Tolkien, the creator of Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit also holidayed at the Tolkien used to stay at Kennaway House, which is rumoured to be the location where he wrote the first parts of Lord of the Rings. And in the town itself, one of the pubs is believed to have inspired Aragon's introduction. Later, in April 1908, Beatrix Potter was also in Sidmouth. Advertisement On family holidays, the popular children's writer would stay at the Hylton - where there is now even a plaque commemorating her stays. Potter used to talk of the views, her 4 Celebrities including Jeremy Vine and royalty such as Queen Victoria have visited the town Credit: Alamy As for royalty, Queen Victoria (who at the time of visiting was Princess Alexandrina) also frequented the town. Advertisement In 1819, she stayed at Woolbrook Cottage - now known as the Royal Glen Hotel. However, the holiday was not particularly happy as her father became ill and died. For things to do in Sidmouth, there is plenty of choice, with the beach undoubtedly being the main attraction. This year Sidmouth Town Beach was awarded a Advertisement Being amongst the My own experience of Sidmouth GROWING up, I always associated Sidmouth with 'that place that had donkeys'. This is due to Sidmouth being home to the free-to-visit Donkey Sanctuary that has over 100 donkeys that they have improved the lives of. It's a great spot for children and learning about animal welfare. Away from the sanctuary, I also visited the beach on occasions growing up. Sidmouth is pretty, but I often think people also forget how impressive it is with the dramatic cliffs dating back 200million years. They are part of the Jurassic Coast - which is made of vibrant reed sandstone cliffs from the Triassic period. They are a wonder to see and within the area, there are many places to go and things to do where families can learn more about the Jurassic Coast. But if you aren't done with exploring, you could always head over to Hill View along the One particularly special thing about Sidmouth though, is that it doesn't have any amusement arcades, loud sports bars or dodgy street food vendors. Instead, the places that these would usually be have been filled with galleries and antiques shops, independent retailers and Advertisement To get to the quaint town, from London it takes around four hours to drive. Alternatively, also from London, you could hop on a train to Honiton, taking around two-and-a-half hours before catching a bus from Honiton to Sidmouth. Read more on the Irish Sun Plus, a Advertisement 4 Reporter Cyann Fielding has been to the town and loves it for it's unique feel Credit: Alamy
Evening Standard
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Evening Standard
Graydon Carter's guide to London: Maison François, Anderson & Sheppard and collecting canoes
Sign up for the best picks from our travel, fashion and lifestyle writers. Sign up I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice. Graydon Carter, whose new book is out now, has never owned a flat in London; these are his favourite spots when he visits from New York. Home is … Greenwich Village. I've lived in New York for almost half a century. Our current apartment is about 200 feet from my first apartment. I know, a distinct lack of imagination. Where do you stay in London? We used to love the Draycott, just off Sloane Square. No spa or proper dining room. And the bathroom showers were tortuous. But it was charming, filled with books, and the rooms had gas fireplaces. Nina Campbell had done the interiors. It was sold recently and went through a renovation that stripped it of all its charm. Where was your first flat in the city? I've never owned a London flat — my loss. I was fired from the Evening Standard by fax by the editor Paul Dacre. I couldn't really blame him Graydon Carter What was your first job in London? I did a column for this paper once. It was about the goings on in New York. I was fired by fax by the editor Paul Dacre. I couldn't really blame him. The column wasn't particularly good. Where would you recommend for a first date? A walk along the Embankment. It's peaceful and you get a sense of the vast history of the city as well as the bustling newness of it. Which shops would you visit to buy presents? I do believe that the Anderson & Sheppard haberdashery shop is about as perfect as perfect gets. I also love Anya Hindmarch's little village of shops in Chelsea. My wife and I love to split a pasta starter and then a branzino The best London meal you've had? At the River Café, with my wife, our youngest son Spike and his wife Pip, and two dear friends, Lucy and Mark Cornell. My wife and I love to split a pasta starter and then a branzino. The River Cafe in Hammersmith Courtesy What would you do if you were Mayor for the day? Allow smoking in restaurants. Outlaw any car worth more than £100,000. Switch driving lanes to the right side. Force the owners of the Draycott to restore the hotel to its former self. Who is the most iconic Londoner? Gussie Fink-Nottle from the Jeeves novels. Or Admiral Nelson. Maybe Tony Hancock. Richard Garnett as Augustus 'Gussie' Fink-Nottle and Hugh Laurie as Bertie Wooster in the 1990 'Jeeves and Wooster' TV adaptation Rex Features Where do you have fun? I happen to love restaurants. So somewhere to eat. And drink. Where do you exercise in London? I don't. I know, shameful. Have you ever had a run-in with a London police officer? No, thankfully. Where do you let your hair down? Not really enough hair to let down anymore. Also, you must think that I'm a much younger person than I am. What's your biggest extravagance? It used to be Anderson & Sheppard suits. Now it's brightly coloured Hermès handkerchiefs. I've downsized. What's your London secret? The roast chicken at Maison François. Dishes at Maison Francois Steven Joyce What's your favourite work of art in London? What are you up to at the moment for work? I have a memoir called When the Going Was Good to promote. And organising and editing the next issues of our weekly news, features and arts dispatch, Air Mail. What do you collect? I have five canoes of varying size. All of them made by the Old Town Canoe Company in Maine. One of them is a hundred-year-old war canoe that can hold 12. Which podcast are you currently obsessed with? The Rest is History and The Rest is Entertainment. Your favourite grooming spot? If I ever do decide to experience a professional shave, I'd probably go to Taylor on Jermyn Street. What apps do you depend on? Nothing too exotic. Uber and Google Maps. I'm hopeless with directions. Who is your hero? Si Newhouse, my old boss at Condé Nast. No man who held so much sway over the minds and tastes of the upper reaches of civilisation ever wore his influence more lightly. He was like a second father to me. And I adored him.
