This drawing in pen, ink and grey watercolour is one of a series of five that Quentin Blake made to accompany the book “Thanks to Jennings” that was narrated by Ronnie Corbett on Jackanory in 1969. The illustration is of a large scale as it was made to be shown on television. In this illustration Jennings and Darbyshire are shown on the right looking up at the Physics teacher Mr Wilkins, who is standing by a blackboard on a platform. The innocent gaze of the boys contrasts with that of their teacher, who is apparently trying to explain something to them. Wilkins looks distressed and about to lose his temper, presumably as a result of one of Jennings and Darbyshire’s pranks.

“Thanks to Jennings” comes from a series of 25 Jennings books which Anthony Buckeridge (1912-2004) wrote between 1950 and 1994. These humorous children’s books were set in a boy’s boarding school during the years after World War Two. The humour of the books draws on the combination of this setting with the misunderstandings resulting in the actions of by the impulsive Jennings his more cautious best friend, Darbyshire. While illustrating a moment from “Thanks to Jennings” this work effectively creates a sense of the different personalities of the characters, such as the angry temper of Wilkins which contrasts with the mild mannered Darbyshire and impulsive Jennings.