20 supremely cozy books and movies for hibernation season

8. Jeeves and Wooster

Here’s another series to dive into, with both a delightful set of books and an equally good television adaptation starring none other than Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie in the title roles.

The original Reginald Jeeves was a fictional butler created by P.G. Wodehouse in 1915. He appeared for nearly six decades of Wodehouse’s writing, becoming a beloved British character. He’s the incredibly competent and unflappable valet of the young Bertie Wooster. Jeeves has a lot of work ahead of him, given that Bertie is, well, a bit of a dullard. Don’t get me wrong; young Bertie is okay at the end of the day. He’s just so wealthy and lazy that he can’t help but get into one awkward situation after another.

The “Jeeves” works encompass 35 short stories and 11 separate novels. Many of the short stories (which generally preceded the novels) appeared in various magazines throughout the 20th century. You might start with The Man with Two Left Feet (1917). This contains the first-ever published Jeeves story, “Extricating Young Gussie”, which was originally published in 1915.

Carry On, Jeeves, published in 1925, collects 10 different stories, making this collection more rich for the budding Jeeves and Wooster enthusiast. If you’d prefer a proper novel, then start with Thank You, Jeeves (1934), which was Wodehouse’s first full-length novel.

That isn’t all, however. There’s also the British comedy series to peruse. Jeeves and Wooster aired on ITV from 1990 to 1993. Hugh Laurie, who began his acting career diving into comedic roles, plays the doofy young Wooster. Stephen Fry takes on the role of Jeeves himself.

The pair were already a popular comedy act known as Fry and Laurie. At the time Jeeves and Wooster began airing, the duo was already acting on their own BBC show, A Bit of Fry & Laurie (which aired 1987-1995).