Bertie Wooster

Bertram (Bertie) Wooster is a fictional character from the short stories and novels of P. G. Wodehouse, who is widely regarded as one of the great comic writers of the 20th century, once described as "English literature's performing flea.".

Bertie and his all-knowing valet Jeeves are one of the best-known comic duos in modern English literature. Bertie's family is filthy rich, but Bertie must rely on an allowance from his aunt. Bertie is indolent, a parody of Edwardian Era playboys from Wodehouse's youth, yet due to a good heart, sweetness of nature, and unbreakable naivete he remains in the reader's good graces, even as he struggles to extracate himself from such mishaps as getting engaged to unsuitable women or being mistakenly accused of crimes. Jeeves, whose omniscience borders on the supernatural, always saves the day.

Bertie's foppish foolishness was not popular with everyone, however. Papers released by the Public Record Office have disclosed that when Wodehouse was recommended for a Companion of Honour in 1967, Sir Patrick Dean, British ambassador in Washington, argued that it "would also give currency to a Bertie Wooster image of the British character which we are doing our best to eradicate."

Bertie is the narrator of all but one of the tales, which exist in a timeless world based on an idealized version of England before World War II, and take place in three main locations: London, where Bertie has a flat and is a member of the raucous Drones Club; at various stately homes in the English countryside; or in New York City and a few other locations in the U.S.

Bertie Wooster has been portrayed on television series by Hugh Laurie in the early 1990s, and by Ian Carmichael in the 1960s.