Bertram "Bertie" Wilberforce Wooster: An amiable English gentleman and one of the "idle rich", Bertie appears alongside his valet, Jeeves, whose intelligence manages to save Bertie or one of his friends from numerous awkward situations. Bertie is pleasant and amiable, according to Jeeves. A well-intentioned and honorable young gentleman, he has a strong moral code and prides himself on helping his friends. Tending to be unworldly and naive, Bertie is often tricked by con artists. By no means an ambitious man, Bertie seeks neither a prestigious job nor a socially advantageous marriage. In his own words, Bertie is the sort of person who is "content just to exist beautifully". Bertie is the narrator and central figure of most of the Jeeves short stories and novels. Bertie Wooster and Jeeves have been described as "one of the great comic double-acts of all time".

Reginald Jeeves, usually referred to as just Jeeves, is the highly competent valet of Bertie Wooster. First appearing in print in 1915, Jeeves continued to feature in Wodehouse's work until his last completed novel Aunts Aren't Gentlemen in 1974, a span of 60 years. Often wearing "an expression of quiet intelligence combined with a feudal desire to oblige", Jeeves consistently preserves the calm and courteous demeanor of a dutiful valet, and hardly displays any emotions. The premise of the Jeeves stories is that the brilliant valet is firmly in control of his rich and unworldly young employer's life. Jeeves becomes Bertie Wooster's guardian and all-purpose problem solver, devising subtle plans to help Bertie and his friends with various problems. Bertie is usually unaware of the extent of Jeeves's machinations until all is revealed at the end of the story.