This February, I asked readers to nominate their favourite romances from the world of P.G. Wodehouse and to cast their votes in numerous polls on Twitter and Facebook. It’s an admittedly frivolous exercise, but we Wodehouse fans need not be steeped to the gills with serious purpose all the time. If our comments and discussion over the past month have led anyone to pick up a Wodehouse book, we have done our little bit to help spread sweetness and light in the world.
And there’s a lot of sweetness and light to spread — over 80 couples nominated from 58 different novels and story collections published between 1909 (The Gem Collector) and 1974 (Aunts Aren’t Gentlemen). Fans applied a liberal interpretation of ‘romance’ to include favourite couples Dolly and Soapy Molloy, Dahlia and Tom Travers, Bertie and Jeeves, and even Lord Emsworth and The Empress of Blandings –not romantic plots within the strict meaning of the act perhaps, but too beloved to leave out.
Over 660 votes and 130 comments were calculated, crunched and analysed to produce the ‘Top 50’ list below – a wonderful source of reading suggestions if you’re working your way through Wodehouse’s work.
While it would be a mistake to place too much importance on their order of appearance, a few clear favourites emerged. The central romance of Psmith & Eve Halliday in Leave it to Psmith was the stand-out favourite, 22 votes ahead of the second placed romance between Madeline Bassett and Gussie Fink-Nottle (and 38 votes ahead of third). As the leading lovers in Wodehouse’s best-known series, the inclusion of La Bassett and Spink-Bottle makes sense, despite the deplorable drippiness of these characters.
| TOP 50 WODEHOUSE ROMANCES |
||
| Couple | (First) Appear in |
|
| 1 | Psmith & Eve Halliday | Leave it to Psmith (1923) |
| 2 | Madeline Bassett & Gussie Fink Nottle | Right Ho, Jeeves (1934) |
| 3 | Bingo Little & Rosie M. Banks | The Inimitable Jeeves (1923) |
| 4 | Ashe Marson & Joan Valentine | Something Fresh (1915) |
| 5 | Ronnie Fish & Sue Brown | Summer Lightning (1929) |
| 6 | George ‘Piggy’ Wooster & Maudie Wilberforce | Indian Summer of an Uncle in Very Good, Jeeves (1930) |
| 7 | Jimmy Crocker & Ann Chester | Piccadilly Jim (1918) |
| 8 | George Bevan & Lady Maud Marshmoreton | A Damsel in Distress (1919) |
| 9 | Cuthbert Banks & Adeline Smethurst | The Clicking of Cuthbert (1922) |
| 10 | Agnes Flack & Sidney McMurdo | Those in Peril on the Tee in Mr Mulliner Speaking (1929) |
| 11 | Esmond Haddock & Corky Pirbright | The Mating Season (1949) |
| 12 | Maudie Stubbs & Sir Gregory ‘Tubby’ Parsloe-Parsloe | Pigs Have Wings (1952) |
| 13 | Archibald Mulliner & Aurelia Cammarleigh | The Reverent Wooing of Archibald in Mr Mulliner Speaking (1929) |
| 14 | Sally Fairmile & Joss Weatherby | Quick Service (1940) |
| 15 | Hugo Carmody & Millicent Threepwood | Summer Lightning (1929) |
| 16 | Sally Nicholas & Ginger Kemp | The Adventures of Sally (1922) |
| 17 | William Bates & Jane Packard | Rodney Fails to Qualify in The Heart of a Goof (1926) |
| 18 | Dolly & Soapy Molloy | Sam the Sudden (1925) |
| 19 | Mordred Mulliner & Annabelle Sprockett-Sprockett | The Fiery Wooing of Mordred in Young Men in Spats (1936) |
| 20 | Jeff Miller & Anne Benedick | Money in the Bank (1942) |
| 21 | Beatrice Chavender & J.B. Duff | Quick Service (1940) |
| 22 | “Nobby” Hopwood & Boko Fittleworth | Joy in the Morning (1947) |
| 23 | Madeline Bassett & Spode | Stiff Upper Lip, Jeeves (engaged) (1963) |
| 24 | Pauline Stoker & Chuffy Chuffnell | Thank You, Jeeves (1934) |
| 25 | Sacheverell Mulliner & Muriel Branksome | The Voice from the Past in Mulliner Nights (1933) |
| 26 | Jill Mariner & Wally Mason | Jill the Reckless (1921) |
| 27 | Tipton Plimsoll & Veronica Wedge | Full Moon (1947) |
| 28 | Sam Shotter & Kay Derrick | Sam the Sudden (1925) |
| 29 | Monty Bodkin & Sandy Miller | Pearls, Girls and Monty Bodkin (1972) |
| 30 | Lord Emsworth & The Empress of Blandings | Pig-Hoo-o-o-o-ey in Blandings Castle (1935) |
| 31 | Jerry Vail & Penny Donaldson | Pigs Have Wings (1952) |
| 32 | Billie Dore & Lord Marshmoreton | A Damsel in Distress (1919) |
| 33 | Bill Chalmers & Elizabeth Boyd | Uneasy Money (1917) |
| 34 | George Mulliner & Susan Blake | The Truth About George in Meet Mr Mulliner (1927) |
| 35 | Stiffy Byng & Stinker Pinker | The Code of the Woosters (1938) |
| 36 | Ramsden Waters & Eunice Bray | The Rough Stuff in The Clicking of Cuthbert (1922) |
| 37 | Bill Lister & Prue Garland | Full Moon (1947) |
| 38 | Aunt Dahlia & Tom Travers | Clustering Round Young Bingo in Carry On, Jeeves (1925) |
| 39 | Berry Conway & Ann Moon | Big Money (1931) |
| 40 | Joe J. Vanringham & Jane Abbott | Summer Moonshine (1937) |
| 41 | Adrian Mulliner & Lady Millicent Shipton-Bellinger | The Smile that Wins in Mulliner Nights (1933) |
| 42 | Annabel Purvis & Freddie Fitch-Fitch | Romance at Droitgate Spa in Eggs, Beans and Crumpets (1940) |
| 43 | Horace Appleby & Ada Cootes | Do Butlers Burgle Banks? (1968) |
| 44 | Bobbie Wickhham & Reggie ‘Kipper’ Herring | Jeeves in the Offing (1960) |
| 45 | Bertie & Jeeves | The Inimitable Jeeves (1923) |
| 46 | Pat Wyvern & John Carroll | Money for Nothing (1928) |
| 47 | Jane Hunnicut & Jerry West | The Girl in Blue (1970) |
| 48 | Galahad Threepwood & Dolly Henderson | Summer Lightning (mention only – Dolly never appears) (1929) |
| 49 | Captain Brabazon-Biggar & Mrs Spottsworth | Ring for Jeeves (1953) |
| 50 | Freddie Widgeon & Sally Foster | Ice in the Bedroom (1961) |
That’s just the top 50 — there’s another 30 nominated romances where they came from!
Thanks to everyone who participated. It has been a real pleasure for me to revisit old favourites, and be reminded of some wonderful characters I’d forgotten. I hope you find this list whets your appetite to read or re-read a Wodehouse romance again soon.
HP
Plumtopia 
What a uniquely delightful piece of work!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Reblogged this on ashokbhatia and commented:
There are indeed times when one ends up ignoring the sage counsel of Stephen Fry exhorting lesser mortals to merely bask in the sunlit brilliance of P G Wodehouse and not to analyse it. Here is an analysis which is bound to make some of us wear asbestos vests and start scouring around for several long forgotten narratives dished out by Plum.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Kind words indeed, Ashok. I’ve tried to go light on the analysis, and heavy with the sweetness and light. Thank you so much for sharing.
LikeLiked by 1 person
My pleasure, Honoria!
LikeLike
Well done you, Honoria! Do you mid if I give this a mention in the June Wooster Sauce?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Of course. Any time, old girl. Thanks for the kind words.
LikeLike
I guess the poll result was inevitable. I still don’t get it — this obsession with Psmith and Eve. Good fun though.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Noel.
I know — I’m sorry about that (I love them myself). It would be patronising of me to say ‘read it again’. You know your own mind on this, but perhaps can take some pleasure in not following the crowd (I certainly would).
I note your Mulliner favourite did well though.
Chawk-chawk-chawk, old bean!
LikeLike
I share the surprise that Psmith & Eve rated so highly, but I last read Leave It to Psmith a very long time ago, so I’ll gladly take your advice and re-read. Happy to see my personal favorites, Madeline & Gussie and Bingo & Mrs. Bingo, so high on the list. Would have loved to see Stiffy & Stinker (“It oomps everything to us”) a bit higher, but glad they’re there, as well as Nobby & Boko. Thanks for this lovely list!
LikeLiked by 1 person
There are so many fabulous couples to choose from. I do hope you enjoy re-reading Leave it to Psmith. It’s place as a favourite is well deserved, I think.
LikeLike
A study well done – and worth doing. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks so much for the kind words, Morten — and for your excellent contribution to the list.
LikeLike
Oh lovely. There are so many I had forgotten and a couple I don’t think I’ve ever read. Especially love Tipton and nice but dim Veronica – a marriage of true mind is ever I read one.
Thank you, Honoria.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Sophie. I hope you have time to explore some of the Wodehouse couples you haven’t encountered before. I’d forgotten some of them so I’m looking forward to revisiting a few titles I haven’t read for a while.
LikeLike
This was a lovely birthday treat for me! Also delighted to encounter some couples I’ve never read, and to see Hugo and Millicent featuring quite highly. Will definitely have to re-read Psmith.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wonderful to hear it, Lesley. I hope you had a great birthday.
LikeLike
Tipton Plimsoll & Veronica Wedge at N° 27 is perfect: just my lucky number!
LikeLike
Hello,
I have been a Wodehouse fan since 1959 thanks to my uncle who introduced Plum to me.
I am trying to locate free ebooks from dsources like Gutenberg.
and creating a website.
https://sites.google.com/site/pgwodehousebooks/home
Though I have read almost all the Jeeves, PSmith, Uncle Fred, Blandings Castle, Mulliner, Ukridge and Golf stories and novels, I am of the opinion that there are about 40 GREAT NOVELS which do not bring in the above characters. ( Dr.Sally, and the like)
For want of a better name, I call them Random Romances.
https://sites.google.com/site/pgwodehousebooks/home/random-romance-novels
I need your help to get 5 more titles in this group.
I follow your blog.
Thank you.
LikeLike
Hello and thanks for your message– I do agree with you about the stand alone novels. There are some terrific ones, which readers often overlook or aren’t aware of.
Best of luck with your project. I would urge you to check copyright on the titles before adding them to your site. It is a complex business, and varies from country to country (I certainly don’t understand all of the details, but Wodehouse’s publisher should be able to confirm for you).
Best wishes.
LikeLike