On Sunday evening (Feb 3)) I watched something called “Blandings” on BBC 1. This is based on a book of Wodehouse short stories called “Lord Emsworth Acts for the Best.”

This particular episode was based on a story called “The Crime Wave at Blandings.” The main features of the story are an airgun, on the one hand, and Lord Emsworth’s stormy relationship with his niece Jane, on the other, and it is the latter which provides much of the fun and by far the best of the dialogue which is such a delightful feature of this story, as written.

On Sunday night I waited in vain for Jane to appear. She had been airbrushed out of existence and with her went that dialogue. In her place I found Freddie Threepwood, Lord E’s younger son, who was not in the Wodehouse version of the story, and his friend, Georgia, who as far as I know had no Wodehouse provenance of any sort.

I cannot remember ever seeing a worse adaptation of anything, and it is sad that such a violation should be inflicted on the work of a master who has kept the world laughing out loud for the best part of a century, without needing the help of adaptors. It is also sad because the cast is excellent and deserves better. But there it is, and I am afraid that there is more… and possibly worse … to come.

Next Sunday, 10^th Feb, we are to see the next episode, based on “Lord Emsworth and the Girlfriend.” That  particular story is an exceptionally good one, and in some ways quite unusual for the late great PGW. If they mess it up I shall spit with rage, but at least I know that story well, having read it quite a long time ago, and I can switch off as soon as I like! I don’t know what to advise the rest of the world, but at least you have been warned. If in doubt, read the original.

Is there a logic behind this tirade against Aunty? I hope so. It appears that this monolith, this bastion, this arsenal of all that is good and true, has turned into something so sick that not even Wodehouse can escape its talent for contamination. This tirade is a cry for help. This is Dunkirk. Where are the little ships?