The Surrey-born author’s comic creations made their theatrical debut as Jeeves and Wooster in Perfect Nonsense at Richmond Theatre in 2013 before transferring to the West End.

Having won the 2014 Olivier Award for Best New Comedy, the show is now on tour, coming to Kingston’s Rose Theatre from November 12 to 14.

This version has been written by brothers Robert and David Goodale.

Robert, who is also in the three-man cast as Seppings, told Vibe his passion was first ignited decades ago when he shared a flat with his late twin brother, who was a Wodehouse fanatic. His brother and friends used to drink whisky and quote the author’s words at each other.

MORE THEATRE STORIES: 

• Pantomimes 2015: Your guide to the best shows in south London, north Kent and north Surrey this Christmas
• Pirates and monsters setting sail for Kingston
• Jack the Ripper would have been stopped today 'without a shadow of a doubt', says former murder squad detective

“It was hysterical,” said Robert. “And I couldn’t work out whether it was because I was pissed or whether it was because they were genuinely witty.”

After turning the double act into a one-man show, Robert’s other brother David worked with him to create the show that is wowing audiences today.

And what’s special about Jeeves and Wooster is their chemistry as a double act.

Robert said: “The characters of Jeeves and Wooster are just such a perfect duo in the same way that Holmes and Watson are, Laurel and Hardy are and many others. They complement each other so brilliantly on so many levels.

“I think the period is insignificant, it’s the characteristics that are so important.

“It’s the fact that Bertie is such a loveable idiot. He’s not a complete idiot but he’s so lovable because he heart is so completely in the place that we’d like our hearts to be.

“He will do anything to help a friend out and he will be so civil and polite to people. But he is always getting himself into scrapes.

“Jeeves is the perfect complement to him because he is a working class man who is completely self-educated to the point that he is bursting with intelligence and he is always able to get Bertie out of the scrapes that he gets himself into.

“There is an unstated love and loyalty between them that is just there in the writing and is never express because Jeeves could never say ‘I could never work for anyone else but you’.”

Jeeves and Wooster in Perfect Nonsense is at Rose Theatre, Kingston, from Thursday, November 12, to Saturday, November 14. Tickets cost from £12 to £18. Go to rosetheatrekingston.org or call 020 81740090.

Fiction’s great double acts

Sometimes two characters just go together so perfectly that you can hardly consider them apart. Here’s some of our favourites from film, TV and literature, tell us yours by tweeting @JimNewsquest

Baldrick and Blackadder, Blackadder

Across four series and six years – and the odd special – Rowan Atkinson’s Edmund Blackadder schemed his way ineffectually towards power and away from peril. Through the generations - no matter whether they were Tudors, First World War soldiers or in the dark ages – he was ever accompanied by his dim sidekick Baldrick (Tony Robinson).

Laurel and Hardy

Maybe the greatest double act? The thin Englishman and the fat American, Stan and Ollie, wrote the blueprint for virtually every comedy double act that followed and appeared together in 107 films.

Woody and Buzz, Toy Story

A cowboy and a spaceman wouldn’t necessarily be expected to rub along but when they’re both toys belonging to a little boy, as in Pixar’s series of movies, they form a great team. Though they don’t initially get along, Woody and Buzz become practically inseparable.

Wallace and Gromit

What could be more noble than a man and his dog? The Aardman pairing may both be made of clay and one of them’s a dog with no mouth but that doesn’t stop these cheese hungry adventurers from Yorkshire winning a place in our hearts.

Sherlock Holmes and John Watson

It doesn’t seem to matter whether it’s on the page, the big screen or one of the many television adaptations Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s problem solvers are always a winning combination.

Macbeth and Lady Macbeth (Macbeth)

It’s no surprise that history’s greatest playwright new how to write a compelling partnership. While Macbeth and his wife have zero comedy value, they’re still a kind of double act. Without each other, they’re nothing but spurring each other on, there’s plenty of murder and plotting.