Sebastian Beach is a fictional character in the Blandings stories by P. G. Wodehouse. He is the butler at Blandings Castle, seat of Lord Emsworth and his family, where he serves for over eighteen years.

Inspiration

Beach's name was inspired by Beach Road, a road in the town of Emsworth, England, that leads to the seashore. The road is located near a cottage called Threepwood, which Wodehouse rented in the early 1900s.

Background and character

Like all butlers in properly run Edwardian homes, Beach is always known by his surname. He is a heavy-set man, whose favourite pastime is drinking port in the pantry, though he occasionally switches to brandy during crises. He has a pleasant singing voice, a mellow baritone reminiscent of a cask of very old, dry sherry.

He is somewhat more emotional than Wodehouse's other famous domestic servant, Jeeves, although, when in the company of his masters, Beach generally limits himself to a slightly raised eyebrow, even when strongly moved. According to Richard Usborne, Beach is a hypochondriac in Something Fresh and complains about corns, an ingrowing toenail, swollen joints, nervous headaches, and the lining of his stomach. However, this is not the case in the later books. Raymond Rollett portrayed the character in televised plays adapted from "Pig-hoo-o-o-o-ey" and "Lord Emsworth and the Girl Friend" in 1956.

  • In the BBC's 1967 series of Blandings short-story adaptations, broadcast as the first series of The World of Wodehouse, Stanley Holloway played Beach.
  • John Savident portrayed Beach in the 1981 television film Thank You, P. G. Wodehouse.
  • In the 1995 television film Heavy Weather made by the BBC and partners, broadcast in the United States by PBS, Beach was played by Roy Hudd.
  • In the 2013–2014 BBC series Blandings, he was played by Mark Williams in the first series and Tim Vine in the second series.

;Film

  • In the 1933 film Leave It to Me, Beach was played by Syd Crossley.
  • Beach was portrayed by Miles Malleson in the 1933 film Summer Lightning.

;Radio

  • In 1939, J. B. Rowe voiced Beach in a radio dramatisation of "The Crime Wave at Blandings".
  • Ralph Truman portrayed Beach in 1940 BBC radio plays adapted from "Pig-hoo-o-o-o-ey" and "Lord Emsworth Acts for the Best".
  • Beach was portrayed by Ellis Dale in the 1981 BBC Radio 4 adaptation of Leave It to Psmith.
  • In the 1985–1992 Blandings radio series, Beach was voiced in different episodes by Lockwood West, Timothy Bateson, John Rapley, and Harold Innocent.
  • In 1999, Derwent Watson voiced Beach in a radio adaptation of the novel Full Moon.
  • In Blandings radio adaptations dramatised by Archie Scottney and broadcast on BBC Radio 4, Beach was portrayed by Morgan Sheppard in Something Fresh (2009), Tim Pigott-Smith in Summer Lightning (2010), Kenneth Danziger in Uncle Fred in the Springtime (2012), and Lloyd Owen in Leave it to Psmith (2020).

References

  • "Blandings Castle" (1967) at the BBC Comedy Guide