Young Men in Spats

I’ve listened to a lot of Wodehouse, but *Young Men in Spats* stands out for two reasons: the stories are tighter than some of his novel-length farces, and Jonathan Cecil’s narration is *exactly* what this material demands. Take ‘The Amazing Hat Mystery,’ where Barmy Fotheringay-Phipps tries to outwit a rival by swapping hats—Cecil’s ability to voice Barmy’s mix of self-importance and cluelessness had me laughing out loud on my commute. The production quality is crisp, with no distracting edits, though I’ll admit the occasional background hiss (likely from the original recording) is noticeable if you’re listening on high-end headphones. That said, this isn’t Wodehouse’s *most* iconic work—no Jeeves or Blandings Castle here—so if you’re new to his world, start with *Right Ho, Jeeves* first. But for fans, the joy is in the details: the way ‘Uncle Fred Flits By’ turns a simple train journey into a slapstick nightmare, or how Cecil nails the exasperated aunt figures with just a hint of vocal frost. My only real critique? A few stories (‘The Code of the Mulliners’) lean a bit too hard on repetitive gags, but even those are saved by Cecil’s impeccable timing. If you love wit that’s both polished and playfully ridiculous, this is six hours of pure, undiluted delight.