Stanley Featherstonehaugh Ukridge
Encyclopedia
Stanley Featherstonehaugh Ukridge is a fictional character
from the short stories and novels of P. G. Wodehouse
.
Ukridge is a schemer who will do anything to increase his funding -- except, of course, work. An alert and creative opportunist, he makes sure that no kindness shown to him, however small, will go unexploited for financial gain. Though Ukridge never achieved the gigantic popularity of the same author's Bertie Wooster
and Jeeves
, Wodehouse retained a certain fondness for him, his last appearance in a Wodehouse story being as late as 1966.
over it; his collar is rarely properly attached to his shirt, and his pince-nez
glasses are held in place with wire from a ginger beer
bottle. By way of contrast, he looks exceptionally smart in evening dress (generally borrowed without permission from his friend Jimmy Corcoran, the narrator of most of the stories).
Ukridge has a fondness for whisky
and cigar
s. He tends to address people as "laddie" or "old horse", and his favourite exclamations are "upon my Sam" and "it's a bit hard", the latter summing up his view of the treatment life invariably seems to mete out to him, although he remains forever cheerful. He always has some visionary scheme which will win him fame and fortune, but is hampered by lack of capital; in borrowing from friends he exhorts them to have "vision" and to maintain the "big, broad, flexible outlook".
Ukridge is forthright and opinionated, and likes to maintain a casual, informal atmosphere. Though rarely meaning to be rude, he often manages to offend those not used to his manner. People are overwhelmed by his personality and are persuaded to give him credit regularly, but become less civil when they find their bills unpaid. He can more than hold his own in a bar-room scrap.
He does occasionally win people over, the ex-butler Bowles who owns his friend Jimmy Corcoran's apartment building being a quite mystifying case-in-point. Ukridge exhibits no snobbery, and is often pally with members of the lower orders, domestic staff, bookies
, and chaps he meets in pubs. For a time Ukridge manages the boxer
"Battling" Billson, who he met at sea.
To those who count themselves his friends (foremost among them being Corcoran, who narrates the shorts, and Jeremy Garnet, narrator of Love Among the Chickens), Ukridge is a difficult and often exasperating companion, but one who is generally well-regarded. Corcoran has a lot of time for him, despite the ordeals he endures at his friend's hand, and their old schoolfellow George Tupper, a man of some wealth and distinction in the Foreign Office
, has some faith in his schemes and is often generous with funds.
He is generally at loggerheads with his fearsomely proper novelist aunt, Julia Ukridge, who lives in a big house off Wimbledon Common, but has occasional periods of reconciliation, which end when he exploits his position in her house to start another scheme.
") were not proud times; expelled from school (later revealed to be Wrykyn) for sneaking out at night to attend a local fair (he had the forethought to wear a false beard, but omitted to remove his school cap), he travelled the world in various capacities, visiting a wide number of countries and getting himself in trouble in almost all of them.
At some point in his youth he was a schoolmaster at a private school
, along with his friend Jeremy Garnet. His time in England seems to be mostly in a state of penury, although he has a wealthy aunt named Julia, who lives in the Wimbledon Common area and with whom he resides from time to time, generally upsetting by abusing her hospitality in some way.
In Love Among the Chickens, the events of which seem to occur some time after those of the shorts, Ukridge is married to Millie, a small young woman who is often described as looking like a little girl, but who is capable and cheerful despite her husband's frequent financial troubles. The events leading to their engagement are recounted in the short story "Ukridge Rounds a Nasty Corner
".
.
In 1968, the BBC
made seven 30-minute adaptations of Ukridge's adventures as part of the World of Wodehouse. He was played by Anton Rodgers
, with Julian Holloway
as his sidekick Corky.
In a series of BBC radio
adaptations aired between December 1991 and January 1992, dramatised by Julian Dutton
and produced by Sarah Smith. Ukridge was played by Griff Rhys Jones
, Corky by Robert Bathurst
, and other members of the cast included Julian Dutton, Simon Godley, Adam Godley
and Rebecca Front
.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
from the short stories and novels of P. G. Wodehouse
P. G. Wodehouse
Sir Pelham Grenville Wodehouse, KBE was an English humorist, whose body of work includes novels, short stories, plays, poems, song lyrics, and numerous pieces of journalism. He enjoyed enormous popular success during a career that lasted more than seventy years and his many writings continue to be...
.
Ukridge is a schemer who will do anything to increase his funding -- except, of course, work. An alert and creative opportunist, he makes sure that no kindness shown to him, however small, will go unexploited for financial gain. Though Ukridge never achieved the gigantic popularity of the same author's Bertie Wooster
Bertie Wooster
Bertram Wilberforce "Bertie" Wooster is a recurring fictional character in the Jeeves novels of British author P. G. Wodehouse. An English gentleman, one of the "idle rich" and a member of the Drones Club, he appears alongside his valet, Jeeves, whose genius manages to extricate Bertie or one of...
and Jeeves
Jeeves
Reginald Jeeves is a fictional character in the short stories and novels of P. G. Wodehouse, being the valet of Bertie Wooster . Created in 1915, Jeeves would continue to appear in Wodehouse's works until his final, completed, novel Aunts Aren't Gentlemen in 1974, making him Wodehouse's most famous...
, Wodehouse retained a certain fondness for him, his last appearance in a Wodehouse story being as late as 1966.
Appearances
He appears in the following stories:- Love Among the ChickensLove Among the ChickensLove Among the Chickens is a novel by P. G. Wodehouse, first published as a book in the United Kingdom in June 1906 by George Newnes, London, and in the United States by Circle Publishing, New York, on 11 May 1909, having already appeared there as a serial in Circle magazine between September 1908...
(1906), a novelNovelA novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
about Ukridge - All 10 stories in the omnibus UkridgeUkridge (short stories)Ukridge is a collection of short stories by P.G. Wodehouse, first published in the United Kingdom on June 3, 1924 by Herbert Jenkins, London, and in the United States on March 19, 1926 by George H. Doran, New York, under the title He Rather Enjoyed It....
(1924) (also published as He Rather Enjoyed It). - "Ukridge and the Home from HomeUkridge and the Home from Home"Ukridge and the Home from Home" is a short story by P. G. Wodehouse, which first appeared in the United States in the February 1931 issue of Cosmopolitan and in the United Kingdom in the June 1931 Strand. It was included in the collection Lord Emsworth and Others, published in the U.K in 1937, and...
", "The Come-back of Battling BillsonThe Come-back of Battling Billson"The Come-back of Battling Bilson" is a short story by P. G. Wodehouse, which first appeared in the United States in the June 1935 issue of Cosmopolitan and in the United Kingdom in the July 1935 Strand. It was included in the collection Lord Emsworth and Others, published in the U.K in 1937, and...
", and "The Level Business HeadThe Level Business Head"The Level Business Head" is a short story by P. G. Wodehouse, which first appeared in the United Kingdom in the May 1926 issue of the Strand, and in the United States in the February 1926 Liberty. It was included in the collection Lord Emsworth and Others, published in the U.K in 1937, and in the...
", which all appear in Lord Emsworth and OthersLord Emsworth and Others-External links:* , with a list of characters and publication dates* , with details of published editions, photos of book covers and links to used copies...
(1937). - "A Bit of Luck for MabelA Bit of Luck for Mabel"A Bit of Luck for Mabel" is a short story by P. G. Wodehouse, which first appeared in the United States in the December 26, 1925 issue of The Saturday Evening Post, and in the United Kingdom in the May 1926 Strand. It was included in the collection Eggs, Beans and Crumpets, published in 1940...
", "Buttercup DayButtercup Day"Buttercup Day" is a short story by P. G. Wodehouse, which first appeared in the United States in the November 21, 1925 issue of The Saturday Evening Post, and in the United Kingdom in the December 1925 Strand. It was included in the collection Eggs, Beans and Crumpets, published in 1940...
" and "Ukridge and the Old StepperUkridge and the Old Stepper"Ukridge and the Old Stepper" is a short story by P. G. Wodehouse, which first appeared in the United States in the June 9, 1928 issue of Liberty, and in the United Kingdom in the June 1928 Strand. It was included in the collection Eggs, Beans and Crumpets, published in 1940...
", collected in Eggs, Beans and Crumpets (1940). - "Success StorySuccess Story (short story)"Success Story" is a short story by P. G. Wodehouse, which first appeared in the United States in the March 1, 1947 issue of Argosy, under the title "Ukie Invests in Human Nature"...
" from the collection Nothing SeriousNothing Serious (short stories)Nothing Serious is a collection of ten short stories by P. G. Wodehouse. It was first published in the United Kingdom on 21 July 1950 by Herbert Jenkins, London, and in the United States on 24 May 1951 by Doubleday & Co., New York.-Overview:...
(1950). - "A Tithe for Charity" from A Few Quick OnesA Few Quick OnesA Few Quick Ones is a collection of ten short stories by P. G. Wodehouse. It was first published in the United States on 13 April 1959 by Simon & Schuster, New York, and in the United Kingdom on 26 June 1959 by Herbert Jenkins, London....
(1959). - "Ukridge Starts a Bank Account" from Plum PiePlum PiePlum Pie is a collection of nine short stories by P. G. Wodehouse, first published in the United Kingdom on September 22, 1966 by Herbert Jenkins, London, and in the United States on December 1, 1967 by Simon & Schuster, Inc., New York....
(1966)
Character
Standing around 6' 2" tall, with large ears and a loud voice, Ukridge makes a striking figure, generally found wearing worn grey flannel trousers and a golf coat with a bright yellow MackintoshMackintosh
The Mackintosh or Macintosh is a form of waterproof raincoat, first sold in 1824, made out of rubberised fabric...
over it; his collar is rarely properly attached to his shirt, and his pince-nez
Pince-nez
Pince-nez are a style of spectacles, popular in the 19th century, which are supported without earpieces, by pinching the bridge of the nose. The name comes from French pincer, to pinch, and nez, nose....
glasses are held in place with wire from a ginger beer
Ginger beer
Ginger beer is a carbonated drink that is flavored primarily with ginger and sweetened with sugar or artificial sweeteners.-History:Brewed ginger beer originated in England in the mid-18th century and became popular in Britain, the United States, and Canada, reaching a peak of popularity in the...
bottle. By way of contrast, he looks exceptionally smart in evening dress (generally borrowed without permission from his friend Jimmy Corcoran, the narrator of most of the stories).
Ukridge has a fondness for whisky
Whisky
Whisky or whiskey is a type of distilled alcoholic beverage made from fermented grain mash. Different grains are used for different varieties, including barley, malted barley, rye, malted rye, wheat, and corn...
and cigar
Cigar
A cigar is a tightly-rolled bundle of dried and fermented tobacco that is ignited so that its smoke may be drawn into the mouth. Cigar tobacco is grown in significant quantities in Brazil, Cameroon, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Honduras, Indonesia, Mexico, Nicaragua, Philippines, and the Eastern...
s. He tends to address people as "laddie" or "old horse", and his favourite exclamations are "upon my Sam" and "it's a bit hard", the latter summing up his view of the treatment life invariably seems to mete out to him, although he remains forever cheerful. He always has some visionary scheme which will win him fame and fortune, but is hampered by lack of capital; in borrowing from friends he exhorts them to have "vision" and to maintain the "big, broad, flexible outlook".
Ukridge is forthright and opinionated, and likes to maintain a casual, informal atmosphere. Though rarely meaning to be rude, he often manages to offend those not used to his manner. People are overwhelmed by his personality and are persuaded to give him credit regularly, but become less civil when they find their bills unpaid. He can more than hold his own in a bar-room scrap.
He does occasionally win people over, the ex-butler Bowles who owns his friend Jimmy Corcoran's apartment building being a quite mystifying case-in-point. Ukridge exhibits no snobbery, and is often pally with members of the lower orders, domestic staff, bookies
Bookmaker
A bookmaker, or bookie, is an organization or a person that takes bets on sporting and other events at agreed upon odds.- Range of events :...
, and chaps he meets in pubs. For a time Ukridge manages the boxer
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
"Battling" Billson, who he met at sea.
To those who count themselves his friends (foremost among them being Corcoran, who narrates the shorts, and Jeremy Garnet, narrator of Love Among the Chickens), Ukridge is a difficult and often exasperating companion, but one who is generally well-regarded. Corcoran has a lot of time for him, despite the ordeals he endures at his friend's hand, and their old schoolfellow George Tupper, a man of some wealth and distinction in the Foreign Office
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office, commonly called the Foreign Office or the FCO is a British government department responsible for promoting the interests of the United Kingdom overseas, created in 1968 by merging the Foreign Office and the Commonwealth Office.The head of the FCO is the...
, has some faith in his schemes and is often generous with funds.
He is generally at loggerheads with his fearsomely proper novelist aunt, Julia Ukridge, who lives in a big house off Wimbledon Common, but has occasional periods of reconciliation, which end when he exploits his position in her house to start another scheme.
Life
Ukridge's early years (as recounted in "Ukridge's Dog CollegeUkridge's Dog College
"Ukridge's Dog College" is a short story by P. G. Wodehouse, which first appeared in the United States in the April 1923 issue of Cosmopolitan, and in the United Kingdom in the May 1923 Strand...
") were not proud times; expelled from school (later revealed to be Wrykyn) for sneaking out at night to attend a local fair (he had the forethought to wear a false beard, but omitted to remove his school cap), he travelled the world in various capacities, visiting a wide number of countries and getting himself in trouble in almost all of them.
At some point in his youth he was a schoolmaster at a private school
Private school
Private schools, also known as independent schools or nonstate schools, are not administered by local, state or national governments; thus, they retain the right to select their students and are funded in whole or in part by charging their students' tuition, rather than relying on mandatory...
, along with his friend Jeremy Garnet. His time in England seems to be mostly in a state of penury, although he has a wealthy aunt named Julia, who lives in the Wimbledon Common area and with whom he resides from time to time, generally upsetting by abusing her hospitality in some way.
In Love Among the Chickens, the events of which seem to occur some time after those of the shorts, Ukridge is married to Millie, a small young woman who is often described as looking like a little girl, but who is capable and cheerful despite her husband's frequent financial troubles. The events leading to their engagement are recounted in the short story "Ukridge Rounds a Nasty Corner
Ukridge Rounds a Nasty Corner
"Ukridge Rounds a Nasty Corner" is a short story by P. G. Wodehouse, which first appeared in the United States in the January 1924 issue of Cosmopolitan and in the United Kingdom in the February 1924 Strand...
".
Inspiration and impersonation
Ukridge appears to be based on an acquaintance of Wodehouse's friend of school days, William Townend. Both Love Among the Chickens and the Ukridge collection are dedicated to Townend, and in the Love Among the Chickens dedication, Wodehouse mentions a letter he received from Townend describing an acquaintance who, like Ukridge, starts a chicken farm in the West countryWest Country
The West Country is an informal term for the area of south western England roughly corresponding to the modern South West England government region. It is often defined to encompass the historic counties of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset and Somerset and the City of Bristol, while the counties of...
.
In 1968, the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
made seven 30-minute adaptations of Ukridge's adventures as part of the World of Wodehouse. He was played by Anton Rodgers
Anton Rodgers
Anton Rodgers was an English actor and occasional director. He performed on stage, in film and in television dramas and sitcoms.-Life and career:...
, with Julian Holloway
Julian Holloway
Julian Holloway is an English actor now based in Hollywood, CA, United States. He is the son of the comedy actor and singer Stanley Holloway and former chorus dancer and actress Violet Lane...
as his sidekick Corky.
In a series of BBC radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
adaptations aired between December 1991 and January 1992, dramatised by Julian Dutton
Julian Dutton
Julian Dutton is an English comedy writer and performer, principally for television and radio, whose work has won a British Comedy Award and a BAFTA....
and produced by Sarah Smith. Ukridge was played by Griff Rhys Jones
Griff Rhys Jones
Griffith "Griff" Rhys Jones is a Welsh comedian, writer, actor, television presenter and personality. Jones came to national attention in the early 1980s for his work in the BBC television comedy sketch shows Not the Nine O'Clock News and Alas Smith and Jones along with his comedy partner Mel Smith...
, Corky by Robert Bathurst
Robert Bathurst
Robert Guy Bathurst is an English actor. Bathurst was born in the Gold Coast in 1957, where his father was working as a management consultant. His family moved to Dublin, Ireland, in 1959 and Bathurst was enrolled at an Anglican boarding school...
, and other members of the cast included Julian Dutton, Simon Godley, Adam Godley
Adam Godley
Adam Godley is an English actor.-Biography:Adam Godley has appeared in numerous movies including Love Actually, Elizabeth: The Golden Age and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory ....
and Rebecca Front
Rebecca Front
Rebecca Front is a BAFTA Award–winning English comedian and actress best known for her performances in The Thick of It in the late 2000s, and series of critically acclaimed satirical comedies in the early 1990s: On The Hour, The Day Today and Knowing Me, Knowing You...with Alan Partridge...
.
See also
- A complete list of Wodehouse's Ukridge stories
External links
- "Ukridge" (1968) on the BBC Comedy Guide site