Charles Pooter
Charles Pooter is a fictional character, the supposed author and leading character of
The Pooters live at The Laurels, Brickfield Terrace, Holloway, London, in a nice six-roomed residence, not counting basement, with a front breakfast-parlour, a little front garden, and a flight of ten steps up to the front door. A nice little back garden runs down to the railway, which causes no nuisance, other than the cracking up of the garden wall.[1] The exact location of the real "Laurels" had always been a subject of speculation, but in 2008 journalist Harry Mount claimed to have found the original in Pemberton Gardens, a road that cuts from Upper Holloway Road to Junction Road in Archway.[2] Pooter's intimate friends Cummings and Gowing always let themselves in at the side entrance, thus saving the housemaid the trouble of going to the door.[1] He sometimes drinks Madeira.[3]
The character has spawned the word Pooterism (Pooterish, Pooteresque), which means taking oneself far too seriously: believing that one's importance or influence is far greater than it really is.[4][5][6]
A 1984 edition of
Portrayals
- Bryan Pringle: film by Ken Russell (1964)
- Arthur Lowe: audio version (1977)
- Terrence Hardiman: television adaptation (1979)
- BBC Radio World Serviceversion (1990)
- Hugh Bonneville: BBC Four version (2007)
- Johnny Vegas: BBC Radio 4 (2012)
References
- ^ a b c d The Diary of a Nobody by George Grossmith and Weedon Grossmith - Project Gutenberg
- ^ Finding Pooter's House The Spectator, 8 October 2008
- Diary of a Nobody)
- ^ Few knew I was in such a bad way - article by Allison Pearson in The Daily Telegraph, 19 September 2003
- ^ It's uncut, leftwing and Pooterish - article by Mark Lawson in The Guardian, London, 23 April 2005
- ^ Debt and inflation - article by Robert Pedition of eston on his BBC blog, 18 June 2008
- ^ Pooter caricature from The Diary of a Nobody - Phil Hood's website
- ^ Philip Hood - Arena Illustration Portfolios