Ronan Vibert, Jeeves and Wooster, Jeeves, Wooster, Vibert, Stephen Fry

~ Jeeves and Wooster
n. Safety in New York
- TV Series (Granada/ITV) 1992: Series 3, Episode 1
Ronan content: approx 35%
Character: Lord Wilmot 'Mottie' Pershaw, peculiar houseguest Cast: Stephen Fry Jeeves, Hugh Laurie Wooster, Robert Daws Tuppy, 
Ronan Vibert Wilmot, Moyra Fraser Lady Malvern, Kymberly Huffman Pauline
Availablity: PAL -  Series 3 collection (2 videos @ £15)
Plot/Comments:

Superbly-done series with Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie. Perfectly captures the spirit of the books and shot beautifully (gorgeous Art Deco furnishings of the liner cabin and Jeeves' NYC apartment).
Jeeves escapes marriage by boarding a luxury liner to New York aiming for prohibition booze, jazz, and good times. Lady Pershaw saddles him for two weeks with her utterly henpecked , bullied, spineless mother's-boy of a son, Wilmot (Ronan Vibert), while she explores America. With strict instructions of early nights, vegetarian meals, and a teetotal lifestyle, Jeeves is desperate to evade the life-draining limpet that Mottie Pershaw appears to be. Once in New York, however, Mottie transforms into a flapper-chasing  boozer who sees the two weeks in the city as his one big chance to 'establish a disreputable past' for himself. Chaos and farcical complications ensue for Jeeves to sort out...
Ronan content:

Once again, Ronan captures the character in all the little details, such as taking off his gloves (which may as well be tied together with a piece of string inside his character's jacket) with his mouth, chewing the top of his walking cane, and lots of shy-sulky browbeaten child looks for the bullied wallflower that is the initial Mottie.
           Vibert appears to have become something of a specialist in Drunk Toff [TM] acting (this was filmed a year before his star turn in Edith Wharton's The Buccaneers), and he manages to get in some supremely floppy body movement (not to mention some great nerdy, drunk, lizardesque dancing) when Mottie transforms from toddler to spoilt, boozing, adolescent.
Back Birds of a Feather
Next Lovejoy
VIBERTOGRAPHY
The contrast between the painfully shy, ultra clean-living Mottie and the hellraising house guest is well done (this could easily have been pure caricature), and there's enough depth in the characterisation that--especially in his former incarnation--you actually do sympathise with the rather Oedipul Lord Pershaw. 
Typical Ronan Character Quotes:
  • "Pip Pip" 
  • "Mother doesn't like me saying 'What Ho'…"