Woolley’s character is noted for his remarkable intelligence, diplomacy, and moral sensitivity, which often leave him navigating a tightrope between the conflicting agendas of the politically driven Hacker and the institutionally conservative Sir Humphrey.

His humour, typically delivered with dry wit and subtle irony, often serves to lighten tense moments and highlights the absurdities within the government’s bureaucracy.

(Bernard may, like Sir Humphrey, have read Literae Humaniores, but equally a basic knowledge of Greek and Latin may merely suggest a standard classical schooling.)

In the last scene of "The Tangled Web", the final episode of Yes, Prime Minister, Woolley, of his own accord, both saves Sir Humphrey from public embarrassment and gives Hacker a lasting weapon to use against him, by acquiring a tape of Sir Humphrey describing the British public in many unpleasant ways, spoken off the record after a radio interview.

In the novelisations of the series, it is stated that Bernard eventually rises to the post of Head of the Home Civil Service and is appointed a Knight Grand Cross of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath (GCB).

[2] The novels take the form of diaries written by Hacker and Sir Humphrey Appleby's personal papers (said to have been donated to Oxford University after his death).

He seems to have studied past civil service actions in depth, occasionally recommending historically proven responses (such as the "Rhodesia Solution" for a potential arms scandal in "The Whisky Priest").

In "A Victory for Democracy", Bernard is genuinely outraged when he learns that the Foreign Office is conducting its own policy with little regard for the Prime Minister's wishes.

On the other hand, Bernard is frequently forced to hide something, at which point he tries to mimic Sir Humphrey's distinctive style of confusing never-ending sentences in order to play for time with the Minister.

At other times, he follows Sir Humphrey's lead in defending the civil service's position: When asked by Hacker if "...all this is to prevent Cabinet from enacting its policies?