Wodehouse Playhouse is not your typical comedy series: instead of having a continuing setting and cast of characters, each episode is a completely different and self-contained story with different characters... but with recurring actors in those different roles. As with Series 1 and Series 2, the episodes in Series 3 are based on the popular comic stories of P.G. Wodehouse, featuring eccentric characters and absurd situations.

Series 1 was by far the best of the Wodehouse Playhouse seasons so far: fresh and funny, with the comic team of John Alderton and Pauline Collins bringing a lively spark to the stories. Series 2 was less engaging, with some funny episodes interspersed with more lackluster ones that relied on clumsy physical humor rather than wit. Unfortunately, the downward trend continues unabated in the third season of the show, with seven episodes that are flat and unengaging.

A major blow to Series 3 is the absence of Pauline Collins as Alderton's partner-in-comedy (and real-life wife). The only reason I've been able to find for Collins' disappearance from the show is that she simply wasn't interested in continuing; she and Alderton are still married and in fact went on to collaborate in other series. In any case, it's a loss to Wodehouse Playhouse, as of the two, she was the stronger comic actor, with an amazing range of acting talent and a charming streak of demented cheerfulness. In Series 3, Alderton again plays a variety of roles, but this time paired with a new and rather uninspired actress, who doesn't even get equal billing as Collins did.

All seven of the Series 3 episodes are based on stories by P.G. Wodehouse; the difference from the first two series is in the source of the stories. Here, only three of the stories involve the Mulliner family ("The Smile That Wins," "Big Business," and "Mulliner's Buck-U-Uppo"). We get one golf-related story, "Tangled Hearts," and the remaining three episodes, "Trouble Down at Tudsleigh," "The Luck of the Stiffhams," and "The Editor Regrets," are stories from Wodehouse's "Drones Club" setting, involving various characters whose common thread is their tendency to swap stories at the club. On the whole, the stories used in Series 3 tend to be from the later stories that Wodehouse wrote (the late 1930s rather than the 1920s and early to mid 1930s), and perhaps a shift in Wodehouse's style, or a tendency to re-use familiar tropes, accounts for the lack of freshness in these later tales.

All in all, Wodehouse Playhouse is watchable, but the stories lack the charm and spontaneity of the earlier ones; it feels as though the episodes are somewhat awkwardly paced and drawn out. Viewers who found Alderton to be their favorite actor in the earlier Wodehouse episodes will probably find the Series 3 episodes at least somewhat to their liking; if what appealed to you was the zany humor and freshness of the first series, it's probably best to stay away from this final set.

The DVD

Wodehouse Playhouse: Series 3 is packaged in a two-volume set, with the two DVDs in their own keepcases inside a glossy paper slipcover.

Video

The third series of Wodehouse Playhouse looks quite good overall, though its image quality is uneven. Any footage that's filmed outdoors looks pale and washed-out, with a substantial amount of noise and flaws in the image. In contrast, the indoor footage looks excellent, with a sharp, clean image that offers robust and natural colors. Overall, it definitely merits above-average marks for a 1978 production, and fans of the show will be pleased with the transfer.

The episodes are presented in their original 1.33:1 aspect ratio.

Audio

The Dolby 2.0 soundtrack for Series 3 continues to be reasonably good, as it was in the Series 2 set. Dialogue is clear, natural-sounding, and easy to understand, and the music is well balanced with the rest of the track. While I don't care for the laugh track (it sounds particularly canned here, probably because most of the episodes just aren't very funny), it's not overly loud with respect to the dialogue.

Extras

There's not a whole lot here for special features: just a text biography of P.G. Wodehouse and cast filmographies. An insert in the first DVD case provides an interesting summary of the background to the stories; Wodehouse fans will find this information particularly pleasing, since it lists all the episodes and indicates which story each one was based on.

Final thoughts

Devoted fans of P.G. Wodehouse and the Wodehouse Playhouse will be satisfied with the Series 3 set, which presents seven more episodes with a good-quality video and audio transfer. More casual viewers, however, may not find Series 3 to be to their tastes; especially with the departure of Pauline Collins, the series has become flatter, less fresh, and certainly less funny. If you're intrigued but haven't seen any Wodehouse Playhouse episodes, Series 1 is your best bet. On the whole, I'll give Series 3 a "rent it" as a recommendation.