Opening Lines - Joy in the Morning
Ian Sansom, sitting in for John Yorke, takes a look at Joy In the Morning, the 44th Jeeves and Wooster novel by PG Wodehouse. Published in 1946, it revolves around Bertie Wooster’s attempts to avoid a series of social and romantic calamities. The omniscient Jeeves, of course, remains the great calm at the centre of the novel’s storm, devising ingenious solutions just when disaster seems inevitable. Readings from the book are by Stephen Fry, who also describes why he’s such an enthusiast for Wodehouse so much, and what it is he loves about this adventure in the Jeeves and Wooster canon.
Ian Sansom is a novelist, journalist and broadcaster. He is the author of more than 20 books, including the Mobile Library and the County Guides series of detective novels and his work has been translated into more than a dozen languages. He has worked as a columnist for The Guardian and The Spectator and currently writes for the TLS, The Irish Times and The Dublin Review. He is a regular broadcaster on BBC Radio 4 and Radio 3. He was formerly the Director of the Oscar Wilde Centre at Trinity College Dublin and a Professor and Head of English at Queen’s University Belfast.
With readings and contributions from Sir Stephen Fry
Archive:
Archive 1961 BBC Interview – Alistair Cooke speaks to P.G. Wodehouse
Archive 1972 BBC Interview – Keith Dewhurst speaks to P.G. Wodehouse
Reader: Sir Stephen Fry
Producer: Laura Grimshaw
Executive Producer: Sara Davies
Programme Hub Co-ordinator: Nina Semple
Researcher: Henry Tydeman
Sound: Sean Kerwin
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4
Published on Tuesday, 23rd December 2025.
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