I think he could pull it off, but that Fry got the part because the producers actually wanted to tone down the books instead of making Jeeves meaner.
There are a couple of spots in the script that, I feel, if done by someone without as kind a presence as Fry can be, would be more devilish than they really wanted for tv.
In the show, there isn't a way to have Bertie's cheery and effervescent stream of consciousness color the perceptions of the audience. It's a third person perspective focused on Bertie.
By default, if the show was to keep the same spirit of happiness, the meanness towards Bertie would have to be toned down. And that's something I don't think Atkinson could do as well as Fry.
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There are a couple of spots in the script that, I feel, if done by someone without as kind a presence as Fry can be, would be more devilish than they really wanted for tv.
In the show, there isn't a way to have Bertie's cheery and effervescent stream of consciousness color the perceptions of the audience. It's a third person perspective focused on Bertie.
By default, if the show was to keep the same spirit of happiness, the meanness towards Bertie would have to be toned down. And that's something I don't think Atkinson could do as well as Fry.