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Jeeves and Wooster - The Village Sports Day at Twing (or, The Gambling Event)
episode 1.3
UK 1990
produced by Granada Television/ITV
directed by Robert Young
starring Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie, Mary Wimbush, Richenda Carey, Jack Watling, Richard Braine, Michael Siberry, Ruth Burnett, Kelly Cryer, Paula Jacobs, Georgia Allen, Ben Davis, Richard Dixon, John Duval, James Patten Eagle, Beryl King, Margaret Lawley, Norman Lumsden, Jack May, Jelena Michell, James Patten, Cheryl Pay, Nicholas Selby, Richard Stirling, Michael Ripper, Deddie Davies
screenplay by Clive Exton, based on the stories by P.G. Woodhouse
TV-series Jeeves and Wooster
review by Mike Haberfelner
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This time it'as off to the country for Bertie Wooster (Hugh Laurie) and
his valet Jeeves (Stephen Fry) for the Village Sports Day at Twing
- basically a charity event for the church that includes such disciplines
as sack race, three legged race and a race for the mature (meaning
elderly). Bertie however wastes no time at all to set up a gambling
syndicate, with Rupert Staggles (Richard Braine) being the bank - despite
the fact that Bertie's aunt Lady Wickhammersley (Richenda Carey), one of
the hosts of the event, is strictly against gambling after her husband
(Jack Watling) almost lost their house in a bet.
Bertie thinks he has placed all the right bets, but Staggles uses every
trick in the book to keep Bertie from winning, and ultimately it's all
down to the last race, the running for the mature competition, in
which Bertie's friend Bingo (Michael Siberry), a man in his 20's, is sure
to beat all the elderly ... but during the run he is caught off-guard by a
lovely lady and falls, making some 65 year old guy win the race ...
As it turns out, this was all a trick set up by Jeeves, who just
couldn't see his master losing and therefore bet all of Bertie's money on
the 65 year old guy, who had a 15 to one chance. And after Jeeves collects
Bertie's money, he sees to it that Lady Wickhammersley closes down
Staggles' operations ...
Not particularly well scripted, not particularly funny and actually a
bit childish, this one is nevertheless very well played, which makes up
for most of its deficiencies. No masterpiece, but totally watchable.
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