Talk:Willikins

Isn't there a reference in Night Watch to Willikins being just the mere under-boy's assistant gofer, or something equally minimalist, in the Ramkin household? It's the scene where Vimes has been pitched back in time 30 years but, not being fully aware of this, sprints back "home" to a house that isn't his home any more, bursts in, demands to speak to Willikins. The then butler (who really isn't paid for this sort of thing, and certainly does not have Willikins' street-fighting acumen) gets haughty, tells Vimes that if he's family he should know better than to come to the front door... Vimes then punches him out, and is only forced to leave by a ten or eleven or twelve year old Sybil going for him with a two-handed broadsword. (At this point he realises he really HAS fallen thirty years into the past: it also enables the ungallant to put an age to Sybil). So maybe worth mentioning: Willikins has spent a lifetime in the Ramkin family service, punctuated briefly by mili tary service. I don't have Night Watch to hand right now, though, so I can't remember Willikin's exact lowly position in the below-stairs heirarchy at this time.--AgProv 11:18, 3 December 2007 (CET)

Another thought that occurs here..... as annotation, doesn't one Bruce Wayne have a butler who is perfect in all the standard butlering skills, including the optional extras of helping to actively deter assassins, martial arts, streetfighting and so forth? As Bruce Wayne is also a crimefighter who has to wear a silly uniform involving tights, this may be pertinent--AgProv 11:24, 3 December 2007 (CET)...

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe that Willikins has an (unnamed) appearance as the anonymous family butler of the Rankin household near the end of Guards! Guards!? He opens the door for Vimes to tell him that Sybil's around back with the dragons. Doctor Whiteface 04:19, 24 December 2009 (UTC)

He'd be very old, now, in that case. The butler at the time was named "Forsythe"; Willikins was mentioned but did not appear as the Boy. --Old Dickens 15:03, 24 December 2009 (UTC)

Regarding the connection to Jeeves, I'm not sure that Wilikins could be considered as more intelligent than Sam, and also appears to set great store by Sam's opinions (from memory he seeks reassurance about joining the regiments in Jingo), something that PG Wodehose's character would not do. He reminds me more of Parker from the Thunderbirds. --Megahurts 08:27, 11 March 2010 (UTC)

But they all proceed from Jeeves (and The Admirable Crichton before him). --Old Dickens 15:08, 11 March 2010 (UTC)