Yes Minister Yes, Prime Minister
The title card of Yes Minister
Genre	Situation comedy
Created by	Antony Jay Jonathan Lynn
Starring	Paul Eddington Nigel Hawthorne Derek Fowlds
Theme music composer	Ronnie Hazlehurst
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Language(s)	English
No. Sir Antony Rupert Jay, CVO, (born 20 April 1930) is the co-author with Jonathan Lynn, of the successful British political comedies Career Personal life Born in Bath, England, Lynn was educated at Kingswood School, Bath (1954–1961 after which he studied Law at Paul Eddington CBE ( 18 June 1927 – 4 November 1995) was an English Actor best known for his appearances in Sir Nigel Barnard Hawthorne CBE ( 5 April, 1929 – 26 December, 2001) was an English Actor, perhaps best Derek Fowlds (born 2 September 1937) is an English actor Personal life Fowlds was born in Balham London, the son of Ketha Muriel Ronald Hazlehurst (13 March 1928 &ndash 1 October 2007 was an English Composer and Conductor who having joined the BBC in 1961 became its The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States of series	5
No.  of episodes	38[1][2] (List of episodes)
Production
Producer(s)	Stuart Allen Sydney Lotterby Peter Whitmore
Camera setup	Multi-camera
Running time	30 minutes (with one hour-long Christmas episode and several short specials)[1]
Broadcast
Original channel	BBC Two
Picture format	576i (SDTV)
Original run	25 February 1980[1] – 28 January 1988[2]
External links
IMDb profile
TV.com summary

Yes Minister is a multi-award winning satirical British sitcom written by Antony Jay and Jonathan Lynn that was first transmitted by BBC television and radio between 1980 and 1984, split over three seven-episode series. This is a list of Yes Minister and Yes Prime Minister episodes. Sydney Lotterby OBE is a British Television producer and director. The multiple-camera setup (aka multiple-camera mode of production is a method of shooting films and television programs 576i is a standard-definition video mode used in (former PAL and SECAM countries Events 138 - The Emperor Hadrian adopts Antoninus Pius, effectively making him his successor Year 1980 ( MCMLXXX) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar) Events 1077 - Walk to Canossa: The Excommunication of Henry IV Holy Roman Emperor is lifted Year 1988 ( MCMLXXXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar) Satire is often strictly defined as a literary genre or form; although in practice it is also found in the graphic and Performing arts In satire human A British sitcom is a Situation comedy (sitcom produced in the United Kingdom. Sir Antony Rupert Jay, CVO, (born 20 April 1930) is the co-author with Jonathan Lynn, of the successful British political comedies Career Personal life Born in Bath, England, Lynn was educated at Kingswood School, Bath (1954–1961 after which he studied Law at BBC Radio is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927 The sequel, Yes, Prime Minister, ran from 1986 to 1988. In total this made 38 episodes, all but one of which lasts for half an hour.

Set in the private office in Whitehall of a British government cabinet minister (and, in the sequel, in 10 Downing Street), the series follows the ministerial career of Jim Hacker MP, played by Paul Eddington. Whitehall is a road in Westminster in London, England. It is the main artery running north from Parliament Square, towards traditional A minister or a secretary is a Politician who holds significant public office in a national or regional Government. Doctor James 'Jim' George Hacker Baron Hacker of Islington KG PC, BSc (Lond The House of Commons' is the Lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords Paul Eddington CBE ( 18 June 1927 – 4 November 1995) was an English Actor best known for his appearances in His various struggles to formulate and enact legislation or effect departmental changes are opposed by the will of the British Civil Service, in particular his Permanent Secretary (senior civil servant), Sir Humphrey Appleby, played by Nigel Hawthorne. Her Majesty's Civil Service, also known as the Home Civil Service, is the permanent Bureaucracy of Crown employees that supports UK Government Ministers The Permanent Secretary, in most departments officially titled the Permanent Under-Secretary of State (although the full title is rarely used is the most senior civil Sir Humphrey Appleby, GCB, KBE, MVO, MA (Oxon ( April 5, 1929 &ndash December 26, 2001) is one Sir Nigel Barnard Hawthorne CBE ( 5 April, 1929 – 26 December, 2001) was an English Actor, perhaps best His Principal Private Secretary Bernard Woolley, played by Derek Fowlds is usually caught between the two, although heavily influenced by Sir Humphrey. In the British Civil Service the Principal Private Secretary is the Civil Servant who runs a minister's private office Sir Bernard Woolley (born September 2, 1937) is one of the three main fictional characters of the 1980s British sitcom Yes Minister Derek Fowlds (born 2 September 1937) is an English actor Personal life Fowlds was born in Balham London, the son of Ketha Muriel Almost every programme ends with the line "Yes, Minister" (or "Yes, Prime Minister"), uttered (usually) by Sir Humphrey as he quietly relishes his victory over his "political master" (or, occasionally, acknowledges defeat).

A huge critical and popular success, the series received a number of awards; including several BAFTAs and in 2004 came sixth in the Britain's Best Sitcom poll. The British Academy Television Awards, also known as the BAFTAs &mdash or to differentiate them from the BAFTA Film Awards, the BAFTA Television Awards Britain's Best Sitcom was a poll conducted in 2004 by the BBC to identify the United Kingdom 's best Situation comedy. It was the favourite television programme of the then British Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher. The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the political leader of the United Kingdom Margaret Hilda Thatcher Baroness Thatcher LG, OM, PC, FRS (born 13 October 1925 ^[3]

Situation

As the series revolves around the inner workings of central government, most of the scenes take place in private locations, such as offices and exclusive lounges. Lynn says "there was not a single scene set in the House of Commons because. The House of Commons' is the Lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . . government does not take place in the House of Commons; some politics. . . and much theatre takes place there. Government happens in private. As in all public performances, the real work is done in rehearsal, behind closed doors. Then the public, and the House, are shown what the government wishes them to see. "^[4]

The dominant running theme is the struggle between (The Rt Hon.) James "Jim" Hacker M.P., the newly-appointed Minister in the (fictional) Department of Administrative Affairs, and his civil servants and ministerial colleagues. The Right Honourable (abbreviated as The Rt Hon) is an Honorific prefix that is traditionally applied to certain Doctor James 'Jim' George Hacker Baron Hacker of Islington KG PC, BSc (Lond A minister or a secretary is a Politician who holds significant public office in a national or regional Government. Chief among his officials are Sir Humphrey Appleby, KCB, MVO, MA (Oxon), who is the department's Permanent Secretary, and Bernard Woolley, Hacker's Principal Private Secretary. Sir Humphrey Appleby, GCB, KBE, MVO, MA (Oxon ( April 5, 1929 &ndash December 26, 2001) is one The Most Honourable Order of the Bath (formerly The Most Honourable Military Order of the Bath) is a British Order of chivalry founded by George The Royal Victorian Order (RVO is a Dynastic order of knighthood and a house order of chivalry in the Commonwealth realms Created by Queen Victoria In the Universities of Oxford, Cambridge and Dublin, the degree of Master of Arts or Master in Arts ( MA) is awarded to Bachelors The University of Oxford (informally "Oxford University" or simply "Oxford" located in the city of Oxford, Oxfordshire, England is the Sir Bernard Woolley (born September 2, 1937) is one of the three main fictional characters of the 1980s British sitcom Yes Minister "Behind the scenes" influence is also exerted when Sir Humphrey consults (or is summoned by) the Cabinet Secretary Sir Arnold Robinson at their St James's Gentlemen's club. Sir Arnold Robinson is a Fictional character in the 1980s British sitcom Yes Minister and its sequel Yes Prime Minister A gentlemen's club is a members-only private Club of a type originally set up by and for English Upper class men

The different ideals and self-interested motivations of the characters are frequently contrasted. Whilst Hacker occasionally approaches an issue from a sense of idealism and a desire to be seen to improve things, he ultimately sees his re-election as the only endorsement of his success. In order to achieve this he must appear to the voters to be effective and responsive to the public will. To his party (and, in the first incarnation, the Prime Minister) he must act as a loyal and effective party member. Sir Humphrey, on the other hand, genuinely believes (along with most of the other civil servants who are depicted) that it is the Civil Service that knows what is best for the country, which is usually "coincidentally" what is best for the Civil Service. Most of Sir Humphrey's actions are motivated by his wish to maintain the prestige, power, and influence he enjoys inside a large, bureaucratic organisation, and also to preserve the numerous perks of his position: automatic honours, a substantial income, a fixed retirement age and a large index-linked pension, and the practical impossibility of being made redundant or being sacked. Indexation is a technique to adjust income payments by means of a Price index. In fact, a good deal of the tension in their relationship comes from Hacker's awareness that it is the politicians who are liable to lose their jobs if civil service ineptitude comes to public attention. In "Doing the Honours" he notes:

Hacker, then, sees his task as the initiation of departmental reforms and economies, a reduction of the level of bureaucracy and staff numbers in the Civil Service, and the government of the country according to his party's policies. Bureaucracy is the structure and set of regulations in place to control activity usually in large organizations and government To do so, or to at least look as if he has, would be a vote-winner. Conversely, Sir Humphrey sees his role as ensuring that politics is kept out of government as much as possible, and that the status quo is upheld as a matter of principle. Status quo is a Latin term meaning the present existing state of affairs or "the state in which" He will block any move that seeks either to prevent the further expansion of the civil service or to reduce the complexity of its bureaucracy.

Much of the show's humour thus derives from the antagonism between Cabinet ministers (who believe they are in charge) and the members of the British Civil Service who really run the country. In the Politics of the United Kingdom, the Cabinet is a formal body composed of the most senior government ministers chosen by the Prime Minister The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located A typical episode centres on Jim Hacker's suggesting and pursuing a reform, and Sir Humphrey's ingenious blocking of all Hacker's lines of approach. More often than not Sir Humphrey prevents him from achieving his goal, while mollifying Hacker with some positive publicity, or at least a means to cover up his failure. Occasionally, however, Hacker does get his way, as in "The Greasy Pole" and "A Victory for Democracy". " The Greasy Pole " is the eleventh episode of the BBC comedy series Yes Minister and was first broadcast 16 March 1981 “A Victory for Democracy” is the sixth episode of the BBC comedy series Yes Prime Minister and was first broadcast 13 February 1986

Initially, Woolley naïvely sees his job as the disinterested implementation of the Minister's policies, but he gradually finds that this conflicts with his institutional duty to the department and, sometimes (since Sir Humphrey is responsible for formally assessing Woolley's performance), his own potential career development. ^[1] Consequently, another recurring scenario is one where Bernard must "walk the tightrope" – that is, arbitrate between his two conflicting duties by resorting to elaborate verbosity (much like Sir Humphrey) to avoid explicitly choosing one over the other.

The first series featured Frank Weisel, Hacker's political adviser, played by Neil Fitzwiliam. Neil Fitzwiliam is an English Actor, having made several appearances in Theatre, Film and Television productions While his name is pronounced W-"eye"-sel, Sir Humphrey and Bernard persistently call him "Mr Weasel". Weisel does not appear after the first series, following his convenient acceptance of a position on a quango (Quasi-Autonomous Non-Governmental Organisation) tasked, appropriately, with investigating the appointment of other quangos. The acronyms Qango and Quango, variously spelt out as QUAsi Non-Governmental Organization, QUasi-Autonomous Non-Governmental Organization, and ^[1] After the third series, following Sir Humphrey's promotion to Cabinet Secretary, Hacker becomes Prime Minister and requests that Bernard Woolley continue as his Principal Private Secretary. A Cabinet Secretary is almost always a senior official (almost always a civil servant who provides services and advice to a Cabinet of Ministers. The first series of Yes, Prime Minister introduced Dorothy Wainwright (played by Deborah Norton) as a highly able Special Political Adviser to the Prime Minister. Deborah Norton is a British actress best known for her appearances in Yes Prime Minister and A Bit of Fry and Laurie. Her experience and insight into many civil service tricks ensures a lasting mutual distrust between her and Sir Humphrey (he once refers to her as "the Wainwright female") and an invaluable second opinion for Hacker. ^[5]

Hacker's home life is shown occasionally throughout the series. His wife, Annie (Diana Hoddinott), is clearly frustrated by the disruptions caused by her husband's political career and is at times somewhat cynical about her husband's politics. Diana Hoddinott is an English actress. She is best known for playing the wife of Jim Hacker, in Yes Minister and Meanwhile, his sociology student daughter, Lucy (Gerry Cowper), becomes an environmental activist in one episode (her only on-screen appearance, despite several other mentions), campaigning against one of her father's departmental policies. Geraldine Cowper, (aka Gerry Cowper, Geri Cowper, Gerri Cowper or Gerry Cooper) (born 23 June 1958) is an English

Sir Humphrey's personal characteristics include his complicated sentences, his ineffable snobbery, his cynical views on government, and his superciliousness. Logorrhoea or logorrhea ( Greek λογορροια, logorrhia, “ Word - Flux ” is defined as an “excessive flow of words” Hacker's attributes include occasional indecisiveness, and a tendency to launch into ludicrous Churchillian speeches. Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, KG, OM, CH, TD, FRS, PC, PC (Can ( 30 November 1874 Bernard is apt to linguistic pedantry. Sir Humphrey often discusses matters with other Permanent Secretaries, who appear similarly sardonic and jaded, and the Cabinet Secretary (whom he will eventually succeed in Yes, Prime Minister), Sir Arnold Robinson (John Nettleton) an archetype of cynicism, haughtiness and conspiratorial expertise. John Nettleton (born 5 February 1929 in London) is a British actor This fairly counter-intuitive view of government administration is not only Sir Humphrey's: it is completely taken for granted by the civil service.

The Yes, Prime Minister episode "The Bishop's Gambit" parodied liberal theology and politics in the Church of England. “The bishop’s gambit” may also refer to a variation of the Chess opening: the King’s Gambit. For liberal political views within Christianity see Christian left. The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England, the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Hacker thought that the church is a Christian institution, but Sir Humphrey gleefully informed him that most of the bishops do not believe in God, and that a theologian's job is partly to explain why an agnostic or atheist can be a church leader. A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight God is the principal or sole Deity in Religions and other belief systems that worship one deity. Theology is the study of a god or the gods from a religious perspective Agnosticism ( Greek: α- a-, without + γνώσις gnōsis, knowledge after Gnosticism) is the philosophical view that the Atheism

Almost all the episodes end with one of the characters (usually Sir Humphrey) saying "Yes, Minister" or "Yes, Prime Minister" accordingly. Each episode of the former was more or less self-contained, but the first series of Yes, Prime Minister had a loose story arc relating to Hacker's attempts to reform the United Kingdom's armed forces, while the second was mostly devoted to concluding storylines and character arcs that had been seen over the course of the show. A story arc is an extended or continuing storyline in episodic storytelling media such as Television, Comic books Comic strips

Politics

Lynn joined the union society in his first year at the University of Cambridge because he thought that he might like to enter politics. The Cambridge Union Society, commonly referred to simply as the Cambridge Union, is a debating society in Cambridge, England and is the The University of Cambridge (often Cambridge University) located in Cambridge, England, is the second-oldest university in the "All of the main debaters there, aged twenty, were the most pompous, self-satisfied, self-important bunch of clowns that I've ever clapped eyes on. They were all behaving as if they were on the government front bench, and twenty years later they all were: Michael Howard; John Selwyn Gummer; Kenneth Clarke. Michael Howard QC (born 7 July 1941 is a British Politician, a Conservative MP since the 1983 General Election for the constituency of John Selwyn Gummer MP (born 26 November 1939) is a British politician and Conservative MP for Suffolk Coastal Kenneth Harry "Ken" Clarke QC MP (born 2 July 1940) is a British Politician. I thought at that point that the only way that I could ever contribute to politics is making fun of the politicians. "^[5]

The series, then, intended to satirise politics and government in general, rather than any specific party. The writers placed Hacker at the centre of the political spectrum, and were careful to identify his party headquarters as "Central House" (a combination of Conservative Central Office and Labour's Transport House). Conservative Campaign Headquarters (CCHQ formerly known as Conservative Central Office (CCO is the headquarters of the British Conservative Party The terms "Labour" and "Conservative" are scrupulously avoided throughout the series, favouring terms such as "the party" or "the Government" and "the opposition. The Labour Party is a Political party in the United Kingdom. Founded at the start of the 20th century it has been since the 1920s the principal party of the The Conservative Party (officially the Conservative and Unionist Party) is a Political party in the United Kingdom. "^[1] In the first scene of the first episode, "Open Government", Hacker is shown at the declaration of his constituency result wearing a white rosette, with other candidates sporting the red and blue rosettes associated with the two leading British parties. "Open Government" is the first episode of the BBC comedy series Yes Minister, first broadcast 25 February 1980. The one exception to this neutrality occurs very briefly in "The National Education Service", when Sir Humphrey explains to Bernard how the policy of comprehensive education is retained through successive governments, using different arguments according to which party is in power. "The National Education Service" is the fifteenth episode of the BBC comedy series Yes Prime Minister and was first broadcast 21 January A comprehensive school is a Secondary school and State school for children from the age of 11 to at least 16 that does not select children on the basis of academic Even there, Humphrey does not reveal which party Jim Hacker represents. Despite this, the overall thrust was toward government reduction rather than expansion. The episode "Jobs for the Boys", for example, rejected corporatism. "Jobs for the Boys" is the seventh episode of the BBC comedy series Yes Minister and was first broadcast 7 April 1980 Historically corporatism (corporativismo refers to a political or Economic system in which power is held by civic assemblies that represent Economic

In a 2004 documentary, Armando Iannucci compared Yes Minister to George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four in how it has influenced the public's view of the state. Armando Iannucci (ɑrˈmændoʊ jəˈnuːtʃɪ (born 1964 is a Scottish Comedian, Writer, Satirist and Radio producer. Eric Arthur Blair (25 June 1903 – 21 January 1950 who used the Pseudonym George Orwell, was an English writer Nineteen Eighty-Four (also titled 1984) by George Orwell (the pen name of Eric Arthur Blair) is a 1949 English Novel Although Lynn comments that the word "spin" has "probably entered the political vocabulary since the series,"^[4] Iannucci suggests that the show "taught us how to unpick the verbal tricks that politicians think they can get away with in front of the cameras. In Public relations, spin is a usually Pejorative term signifying a heavily biased portrayal in one's own favor of an event or situation it is a Euphemism "^[5] The series depicted the media-consciousness of politicians, reflecting the public relations training they undergo to help them deal with interviews and reading from autocue effectively. Public relations (PR is the practice of managing the flow of Information between an Organization and its Publics Public relations - often referred This is particularly evident in the episode "The Ministerial Broadcast," in which Hacker is advised on the effects of his clothes and surroundings. “The Ministerial Broadcast” is the second episode of the BBC comedy series Yes Prime Minister and was first broadcast 16 January The episode "A Conflict of Interest" humorously lampoons the various political stances of Britain's newspapers through their readership. " A Conflict of Interest " is the twelfth episode of the BBC comedy series Yes Prime Minister and was first broadcast 31 December 1987

(In fact this joke is a slight reworking of one previously used on television by Dave Allen. David William Allen ( July 6, 1936 – March 10, 2005) better known as Dave Allen, was an Irish Comedian, popular )

The series has been criticised by Adam Curtis in his three-part documentary The Trap as "ideological propaganda for a political movement",^[6] and highlights Yes Minister as indicative of a larger movement of criticism of government and bureaucracy, centred upon public choice economics. Adam Curtis (born 1955 is a British Television documentary maker who has during the course of his television career worked as a writer producer Public choice in economic theory is the use of modern Economic tools to study problems that are traditionally in the province of Political science. This ideological basis is supported by Jay himself:

Inspirations

The writers were inspired by a variety of sources, including sources inside government, published material and contemporary news stories. Some situations were conceived as fiction, but were later revealed to have real-life counterparts. The episode "The Compassionate Society" depicts a hospital with five hundred administrative staff but no doctors, nurses or patients. "The Compassionate Society" is the eighth episode of the BBC comedy series Yes Minister and was first broadcast 23 February Lynn recalls that "after inventing this absurdity, we discovered there were six such hospitals (or very large empty wings of hospitals) exactly as we had described them in our episode. "^[4]

In a programme screened by the BBC in early 2004, paying tribute to the series, it was revealed that Jay and Lynn had drawn on information provided by two insiders from the governments of Harold Wilson and James Callaghan, namely Marcia Williams and Bernard Donoughue. James Harold Wilson Baron Wilson of Rievaulx, KG, OBE, FRS, PC (11 March 1916 &ndash 24 May 1995 was one of the most prominent British politicians Leonard James Callaghan Baron Callaghan of Cardiff, KG, PC (27 March 1912 – 26 March 2005 was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1976 to 1979 Marcia Matilda Falkender Baroness Falkender CBE (born March 10, 1932) formerly Marcia Williams, previously Marcia Field is a British Bernard Donoughue Baron Donoughue, (born 8 September 1934) is a British politician businessman and author ^[5] The published diaries of Richard Crossman^[8] also provided inspiration. Richard Howard Stafford Crossman, known as Dick Crossman, ( 15 December 1907 &ndash 5 April 1974 was a British Labour Party ^[4]

The episode entitled "The Moral Dimension", in which Hacker and his staff engage in the scheme of secretly consuming alcohol on a trade mission to the fictional Islamic state of Qumran, was based on a real incident that took place in Pakistan. " The Moral Dimension " is the eighteenth episode of the BBC comedy series Yes Minister and was first broadcast 2 December For other meanings including people named 'Islam' see Islam (disambiguation. This list of fictional places in Yes Minister elaborates on the details provided in Antony Jay and Jonathan Lynn 's Yes Minister and Pakistan () officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country located in South Asia, Southwest Asia, Middle East and Jay says that "I can't tell you where, I can't tell you when and I can't tell you who was involved; all I can tell you is that we knew that it had actually happened. That's why it was so funny. We couldn't think up things as funny as the real things that had happened. "^[9] Media historian Andrew Crisell suggests that the show was "enriched by the viewers' suspicion that what they were watching was unhealthily close to real life. "^[10]

Fusing inspiration and invention, Lynn and Jay worked on the story "for anything from three days to two weeks," and only took "four mornings to write all the dialogue. After we wrote the episode, we would show it to some secret sources, always including somebody who was an expert on the subject in question. They would usually give us extra information which, because it was true, was usually funnier than anything we might have thought up. "^[4] Designers Valerie Warrender and Gloria Clayton were given access to the Cabinet Rooms and the State Drawing Rooms. For security purposes, the arrangements of the rooms were altered, and the views from the windows were never shown, in order to conceal the layout of the buildings. ^[11]

Main characters

James "Jim" Hacker

The three main characters in the Minister's Office of the Department of Administrative Affairs: from left, Sir Humphrey Appleby, Bernard Woolley and Jim Hacker.

Jim Hacker (Paul Eddington) was an academic political researcher, polytechnic lecturer and editor of a newspaper, Reform, before entering Parliament, where he apparently spent a good deal of time in Opposition before his party won the general election. Doctor James 'Jim' George Hacker Baron Hacker of Islington KG PC, BSc (Lond Paul Eddington CBE ( 18 June 1927 – 4 November 1995) was an English Actor best known for his appearances in Institute of technology, and polytechnic, are designations employed in a wide range of learning institutions awarding different types of degrees and operating often at variable A general election is an Election in which all or most members of a given political body are up for election In Yes Minister he is the Minister for Administrative Affairs (a fictitious ministry of the British government) and a Cabinet Minister. Hacker received his degree from the London School of Economics, for which he is frequently derided by the Oxford-educated Sir Humphrey. The London School of Economics and Political Science, more commonly referred to as The London School of Economics or LSE, is a specialist college of the The University of Oxford (informally "Oxford University" or simply "Oxford" located in the city of Oxford, Oxfordshire, England is the His early character is that of a gung-ho, but naïve, politician, bringing sweeping changes to his department. Before long, Hacker begins to notice that Civil Service tactics are preventing his planned changes being put into practice. As he learns he becomes more sly and cynical, and uses some of the Civil Service ruses himself. While Sir Humphrey initially held all the aces, Hacker now and again plays a trump card of his own.

Throughout Yes Minister, Hacker is often portrayed as a publicity-mad bungler, incapable of making a firm decision, prone to potentially embarrassing blunders, and who elicits bad press and stern lectures from the party apparatus, particularly the Chief Whip. The Chief Whip is a political office in some Legislatures assigned to an elected member whose task is to administer the whipping system that ensures that members of In Yes, Prime Minister Hacker quickly develops statesmanlike skills. He practises more grandiose speeches, dreams up his "grand design", and hones his diplomatic skills, and these nearly all land him in trouble. In a Radio Times interview to promote Yes, Prime Minister, Paul Eddington stated, "He's beginning to find his feet as a man of power, and he's begun to confound those who thought they'd be able to manipulate him out of hand. For the US radio series see WHYY-FM. Radio Times is the BBC 's weekly Television and Radio programme "^[12]

Sir Humphrey Appleby

Sir Humphrey Appleby (Nigel Hawthorne) serves throughout the series as Permanent Secretary under the ministry of James Hacker at the Department of Administrative Affairs. Sir Humphrey Appleby, GCB, KBE, MVO, MA (Oxon ( April 5, 1929 &ndash December 26, 2001) is one Sir Nigel Barnard Hawthorne CBE ( 5 April, 1929 – 26 December, 2001) was an English Actor, perhaps best The Permanent Secretary, in most departments officially titled the Permanent Under-Secretary of State (although the full title is rarely used is the most senior civil He is appointed Cabinet Secretary just as Hacker's party enters a leadership crisis, and is instrumental in Hacker's elevation to Prime Minister. He is committed to maintaining the status quo for the country in general and for the Civil Service in particular. Status quo is a Latin term meaning the present existing state of affairs or "the state in which" Her Majesty's Civil Service, also known as the Home Civil Service, is the permanent Bureaucracy of Crown employees that supports UK Government Ministers ^[5] Sir Humphrey is a master of obfuscation and manipulation, baffling his opponents with technical jargon and circumlocutions, strategically appointing allies to supposedly impartial boards, and setting up interdepartmental committees to smother his Minister's proposals in red tape. Obfuscation is the concealment of meaning in Communication, making it Confusing and harder to Interpret. Social influence is when the actions or thoughts of individuals are changed by other individuals A minister or a secretary is a Politician who holds significant public office in a national or regional Government. " Red tape " is a derisive term for excessive Regulation or rigid conformity to formal rules that is considered redundant or bureaucratic and hinders or prevents

In Britain's Best Sitcom, Stephen Fry comments that "we love the idea of the coherence and articulacy of Sir Humphrey. Stephen John Fry (born 24 August 1957 is an English Humorist, Writer, Wit, Actor, Novelist, filmmaker . . it's one of the things you look forward to in an episode of Yes Minister. . . when's the big speech going to happen? And can I see if he's reading it from an idiot board. . . he's really learned it, and it's superb. "^[5] Derek Fowlds posited to a concerned Eddington that these speeches were the reason why Hawthorne won a BAFTA for Best Comedy Performance four times in a row, while Eddington didn't win at all. ^[5]

Loquacious and verbose, he frequently uses both his mastery of the English language and even his superb grasp of Latin and Greek grammar both to perplex his political master and to obscure the relevant issues. Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Greek (el ελληνική γλώσσα or simply el ελληνικά — "Hellenic" is an Indo-European language, spoken today by 15-22 million people mainly In a Radio Times interview to promote the second series of Yes, Prime Minister, producer Sydney Lotterby stated that he always tried to give Eddington and Hawthorne extra time to rehearse as their scenes invariably featured lengthy dialogue exchanges. For the US radio series see WHYY-FM. Radio Times is the BBC 's weekly Television and Radio programme ^[13]

Bernard Woolley

Bernard Woolley (Derek Fowlds) is Jim Hacker's Principal Private Secretary. Sir Bernard Woolley (born September 2, 1937) is one of the three main fictional characters of the 1980s British sitcom Yes Minister Derek Fowlds (born 2 September 1937) is an English actor Personal life Fowlds was born in Balham London, the son of Ketha Muriel In the British Civil Service the Principal Private Secretary is the Civil Servant who runs a minister's private office His loyalties are therefore split between his Minister and his Civil Service boss, Humphrey Appleby: while he is theoretically responsible to Hacker personally, it is Sir Humphrey who writes his performance reviews and influences Bernard's Civil Service career. This leads to difficult situations for the young civil servant. He usually handles these situations well, and maintains his reputation in the Civil Service as a "high flier" (as opposed to a "low flier supported by occasional gusts of wind"). ^[14]

Woolley is always quick to point out the physical impossibilities of Sir Humphrey's or Hacker's mixed metaphors, with almost obsessive pedantry. Metaphor (from the Greek: μεταφορά - metaphora, meaning "transfer" is language that directly compares seemingly unrelated subjects A pedant, or pædant, is a person who is overly concerned with Formalism and Precision, or who 'makes a show of learning' He can occasionally appear rather childlike, by making animal noises and gestures or by acting out how such an analogy cannot work.

Woolley does tend to side with Hacker when new policies are announced because they appear radical and democratic, only for Sir Humphrey to point out the disadvantages of the policy to the Status quo and the civil service in particular. Status quo is a Latin term meaning the present existing state of affairs or "the state in which" ^[15] At times when Sir Humphrey fails to get his way, Woolley can be seen smiling smugly at him over his defeat. ^[16]

In a 2004 retrospective, Armando Iannucci commented that Fowlds had a difficult task because he had to "spend most of his time saying nothing but looking interested in everyone else's total and utter guff" but "his one line frequently had to be the funniest of the lot. Armando Iannucci (ɑrˈmændoʊ jəˈnuːtʃɪ (born 1964 is a Scottish Comedian, Writer, Satirist and Radio producer. " Iannucci suggests that Bernard is essential to the structure of the show because both Hacker and Appleby confide in him, "which means we get to find out what they're plotting next. "^[5]

Other characters

The series featured a cast of recurring characters. Frank Weisel (often deprecatingly called weasel), played by Neil Fitzwiliam, was Hacker's political adviser in the first series. Neil Fitzwiliam is an English Actor, having made several appearances in Theatre, Film and Television productions It was not until Yes, Prime Minister that another such character appeared regularly: Dorothy Wainwright, special adviser to the Prime Minister, who was played by Deborah Norton. Deborah Norton is a British actress best known for her appearances in Yes Prime Minister and A Bit of Fry and Laurie. Hacker also had a Press Secretary, Bill Pritchard, played by Antony Carrick. A press secretary or press officer is a senior advisor who provides advice on how to deal with the News media and using News management techniques helps Meanwhile, Sir Humphrey's civil service colleagues were regularly featured. They included Sir Arnold Robinson (played by John Nettleton), Cabinet Secretary in Yes Minister and later President of the Campaign for Freedom of Information; Sir Frederick Stewart (played by John Savident), Permanent Secretary of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, known as "Jumbo" to his friends; and Sir Frank Gordon, who appeared in both series as Permanent Secretary to the Treasury (played by Peter Cellier). John Nettleton (born 5 February 1929 in London) is a British actor John Savident (born January 21, 1938, Guernsey, Channel Islands) is a British Actor, best known for playing the part The Foreign and Commonwealth Office, commonly called the Foreign Office or the FCO, is the British government department responsible for promoting HM Treasury, in full Her Majesty's Treasury, informally The Treasury, is the United Kingdom government department responsible for developing and executing Peter Cellier (born 1928 is an English actor who has appeared in film stage and television Sir Humphrey also had an old acquaintance: Sir Desmond Glazebrook (played by Richard Vernon), who was Board member, then Chairman, of Bartlett's Bank. Richard Vernon ( 7 March 1925 &ndash 4 December, 1997) was a British Actor. He became Governor of the Bank of England in the Yes, Prime Minister episode "A Conflict of Interest". The Bank of England (formally the Governor and Company of the Bank of England) is a state-owned institution and the Central bank of the United Kingdom " A Conflict of Interest " is the twelfth episode of the BBC comedy series Yes Prime Minister and was first broadcast 31 December 1987 (This was to avoid, as one possibility, Britain's expulsion from the Commonwealth. )

Hacker's family comprised his wife, Annie (played by Diana Hoddinott), who appeared in several episodes, and his daughter, Lucy (played by Gerry Cowper), who only featured on-screen in one, "The Right to Know", but is referred to intermittently throughout. Diana Hoddinott is an English actress. She is best known for playing the wife of Jim Hacker, in Yes Minister and Geraldine Cowper, (aka Gerry Cowper, Geri Cowper, Gerri Cowper or Gerry Cooper) (born 23 June 1958) is an English "The Right to Know" is the sixth episode of the BBC comedy series Yes Minister and was first broadcast 31 March 1980 At one point (in "Party Games") it is suggested that the Hackers have more than one child, but as this occurs when stating a well-rehearsed rebuttal, this could be seen as one more instance where the Minister has become "house trained" to conform to departmental convenience (even though the Minister is in the running for the leadership). “ Party Games ” is the twenty-second and final episode of the BBC comedy series Yes Minister.

Hacker's chauffeur, George (Arthur Cox), appeared in five episodes. Arthur Cox is a British Actor of television and film His most regular role was as George the driver of Jim Hacker in the comedy Yes Minister He is a character who is always more in touch with current events than the Minister—anything from empty NHS hospitals to Cabinet reshuffles. The National Health Service is the name commonly used to refer to the four Publicly-funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom collectively or individually (although In the Parliamentary system a cabinet shuffle or reshuffle is an informal term for an event that occurs when a Head of government rotates or changes the This often irritates Hacker, who when asking George where he got the information, is usually told that it is common knowledge among the Whitehall drivers. Well-known broadcasters who played themselves included Robert McKenzie, Ludovic Kennedy and Sue Lawley. Robert Trelford McKenzie ( September 11, 1917 &ndash October 12, 1981) was a Vancouver, Canada -born professor of Politics Sir Ludovic Henry Coverley Kennedy (born 3 November, 1919) is a British Journalist, broadcaster, and Author. Sue Lawley (born 14 July 1946) is an English broadcaster Born in Sedgley, Staffordshire, England and brought up in Robert Dougall regularly played a newsreader, which was his own real life profession. Robert Dougall MBE ( 27 November 1913 - 19 December 1999) was a British broadcaster and ornithologist, mainly known as a

Episodes

Main article: List of Yes Minister and Yes, Prime Minister episodes

A total of thirty-eight episodes were made, and all but one are of 30 minutes' duration. This is a list of Yes Minister and Yes Prime Minister episodes. As was standard BBC practice for situation comedies at the time, they were videotaped in front of a studio audience. The actors did not enjoy filming as they felt that the studio audience added additional pressure. Lynn, however, posits that the studio audience on the soundtrack was necessary because laughter is a "communal affair. " The laughter also acted as insurance: Jay observes that politicians would be unable to put pressure on the BBC not to "run this kind of nonsense" if "200–250 people were falling about with laughter. "^[5] There were occasionally film inserts of any location sequences, and some shots of Hacker travelling in his car were achieved by means of chroma key. Chroma Key is the name under which ex- Dream Theater Keyboardist Kevin Moore records Each instalment usually comprised around six scenes.

The pilot was produced in 1979 but not transmitted until 1980 in fear that it could influence the results of the 1979 UK General Election. Background Callaghan had succeeded Harold Wilson as Labour Prime Minister after the latter's surprise resignation in April 1976 ^[5] Yes Minister ran for three series, each of seven episodes, between 1980 and 1982. These were followed by two Christmas specials: one 10-minute sketch as part of an anthology presented by Frank Muir,^[17] and then the hour-long "Party Games", in 1984. Christmas themes have long been an inspiration to artists writers and weavers of folklore Frank Herbert Muir (5 February 1920 - 2 January 1998 was an English Comedy writer radio and television personality and raconteur “ Party Games ” is the twenty-second and final episode of the BBC comedy series Yes Minister. The latter's events led to Hacker's elevation to Prime Minister, dovetailing into the sequel, Yes, Prime Minister. This ran for two series, each of eight episodes, from 1986 to 1988.

Opening titles and music

Gerald Scarfe's caricature of Paul Eddington as Hacker

The opening titles were drawn by artist Gerald Scarfe, who provided distinctive caricatures of Eddington, Hawthorne and Fowlds in their respective roles to represent distortion. Gerald Anthony Scarfe, CBE (born 1 June, 1936 in St John's Wood, London) is an English Cartoonist and Illustrator A caricature is either a Portrait that exaggerates or distorts the essence of a person or thing to create an easily identifiable visual likeness or in literature a description ^[5] He animated them as 'self-drawing' by positioning the camera above his paper, adding parts of lines, and then photographing two frames at a time. The bouncing ball animation (below consists of these 6 frames The sequence ended with the title of the episode superimposed on a facsimile of an edition of the House of Commons Weekly Information Bulletin. Curiously, the legend Compiled in the Public Information Office of the House of Commons Library was left in the sequence. Scarfe created a second set of graphics for Yes, Prime Minister, including a different title card for each episode. Derek Fowlds wanted to buy an original drawing but was unable to afford it. ^[5] The series' performance credits typically only featured those of the actors who appeared in the particular episode, not the names of characters.

The theme music was composed by Ronnie Hazlehurst and is largely based on the Westminster Quarters: the chimes of Big Ben. The phrase theme music usually refers to that of a radio program, Television program, or Movie. Ronald Hazlehurst (13 March 1928 &ndash 1 October 2007 was an English Composer and Conductor who having joined the BBC in 1961 became its Description The melody consists of five different Permutations of four pitches which can be played in any key The Clock Tower is the world's largest four-faced chiming Clock. When asked in an interview about its Westminster influence, Hazlehurst replied, "That's all it is. It's the easiest thing I've ever done. "^[18] Scarfe's and Hazlehurst's work was not used for the first episode, "Open Government". "Open Government" is the first episode of the BBC comedy series Yes Minister, first broadcast 25 February 1980. The final version of the titles and music had yet to be agreed, and both differ substantially from those used for subsequent instalments. The opening and closing title caption cards feature drawings of most of the cast, but are less exaggerated than those of Scarfe, while the unaccredited music is a more up-tempo piece for brass band. A brass band is a Musical group generally consisting entirely of Brass instruments, most often with a percussion section The Scarfe and Hazlehurst credits were used for some repeat broadcasts of the first episode, but the original pilot credits were retained for the DVD release.

Reception

The series gained high audience figures, and 90+ on the audience Appreciation Index. An Appreciation Index ( AI) is a score between 0 and 100 which is used as an indicator of the public's approval for a particular television programme or broadcast service in the ^[11] Critics, such as Andrew Davies in the Times Educational Supplement and Armando Iannucci, have noted that the show demanded high expectations from its audience. The Times Educational Supplement ( TES) is a weekly UK Publication covering the world of primary, secondary ^[11] Lynn posits that the public are more intelligent than most situation comedies, which often patronise, give them credit for being. Jay believes that the audience was just as intelligent as the writers, but there were some things that they didn't know that they ought to. ^[5]

Yes Minister won the BAFTA award for Best Comedy Series for 1980, 1981 and 1982, and the "Party Games" special was nominated in the Best Light Entertainment Programme category for 1984. The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA is a British charity that hosts annual awards shows for film television television craft video games and forms of animation Yes, Prime Minister was short-listed for Best Comedy Series for both 1986 and 1987. Nigel Hawthorne's portrayal of Sir Humphrey Appleby won the BAFTA Award for Best Light Entertainment Performance four times (in 1981, 1982, 1986 and 1987). Eddington was also nominated on all four occasions. ^[19] Yes Minister came sixth in a 2004 BBC poll to find 'Britain's Best Sitcom'. Britain's Best Sitcom was a poll conducted in 2004 by the BBC to identify the United Kingdom 's best Situation comedy. ^[20] In a list of the 100 Greatest British Television Programmes drawn up by the British Film Institute in 2000, voted by industry professionals, Yes Minister and Yes, Prime Minister were jointly placed ninth. The British Film Institute ( BFI) is a charitable organisation established by Royal Charter to encourage the development of the arts of film television They were also placed 14th in Channel 4's The Ultimate Sitcom, a poll conducted by people who work in sitcoms. Channel 4 is a public-service Television and Radio broadcaster in the United Kingdom centred around a television channel of the same name which began ^[21]

The series have been cited by political scientists for their accurate and sophisticated portrayal of the relationships between civil servants and politicians,^[22] and are quoted in some textbooks on British politics. Political science is a branch of Social sciences that deals with the theory and practice of Politics and the description and analysis of Political systems ^[4] The series was highly rated by critics and politicians. The shows were very popular in government circles. The Guinness Television Encyclopedia suggests that "real politicians . . . enjoyed the show's cynical dismissal of Whitehall intrigue and its insights into the machinations of government. Whitehall is a road in Westminster in London, England. It is the main artery running north from Parliament Square, towards traditional "^[23] They were the favourite programme of then Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher. She told The Telegraph that "its clearly-observed portrayal of what goes on in the corridors of power has given me hours of pure joy. "^[11] Gerald Kaufman described it as "The Rt. Sir Gerald Bernard Kaufman (born 21 June 1930 is a British Labour Member of Parliament who was a government minister during the 1970s Hon. Faust MP, constantly beset by the wiles of Sir Mephistopheles. Faust or Faustus ( Latin for "auspicious" or "lucky" is the protagonist of a classic German Legend in which he makes Mephistopheles (also Mephistophilus Mephistophilis Mephostopheles Mephisto and variants is a name often given to one representation of The devil or Satan "^[11] As a supporter of Thatcher, Jay embraced her appreciation, although the more leftist Lynn was concerned. ^[5]

Hawthorne and Eddington performing the sketch with Thatcher in January 1984.

Thatcher performed a short sketch with Eddington and Hawthorne on 20 January 1984 at a ceremony where the writers were presented with an award from Mary Whitehouse's NVLA^[24], an event commemorated on the cover of the satirical magazine Private Eye ^[25]. Events 250 - Emperor Decius begins a widespread persecution of Christians in Rome. Year 1984 ( MCMLXXXIV) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1984 Gregorian calendar) Mary Whitehouse CBE ( 13 June 1910 – 23 November 2001) was a British campaigner for values of Morality mediawatch-uk, formerly known as the National Viewers' and Listeners' Association (NVALA is a special interest Pressure group in the United Kingdom, which Private Eye is a fortnightly British satirical Magazine, edited by Ian Hislop. Various sources attribute authorship of the sketch. In Britain's Best Sitcom, Bernard Ingham says that he wrote it; other sources give Thatcher sole credit, while Michael Cockerell says that she wrote it with Ingham's help. Sir Bernard Ingham (born 21 June 1932) is a journalist best known as Margaret Thatcher 's Chief Press Secretary whilst she was Prime Minister Michael Cockerell is the BBC 's most established political documentary maker with a long award-winning career of political programming spanning television and radio ^[3] Another source gives renegade credit to Charles Powell. This article is about the British diplomat politician and businessman ^[11] The actors, who were both starring in separate West End plays at the time, were not enthusiastic at the idea and asked Lynn to "get them out" of it. West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London 's "Theatreland" The writer, however, was not in a position to help. Hawthorne says he and Eddington resented Thatcher's attempts to "make capital" from their popularity. ^[9] Ingham says that it "went down a bomb", while Lynn brands it a "dreadful sketch" that was only funny because Thatcher was doing it. ^[5] Accepting the award from the NVLA, Lynn thanked Thatcher "for taking her rightful place in the field of situation comedy. " Everyone, except the Prime Minister, laughed. ^[9]

When Paul Eddington visited Australia during the 1980s, he was treated as a visiting British PM by the then Australian leader, Bob Hawke, who was obviously a great fan of the show. Robert James Lee (Bob Hawke, AC (born 9 December 1929 was the 23rd Prime Minister of Australia and longest serving Australian Labor Party Prime Minister At a rally, Hawke said "You don't want to be listening to me; you want to be listening to the real Prime Minister", forcing Eddington to improvise. ^[26] In an interview to promote the first series of Yes, Prime Minister, Derek Fowlds said that "both political sides believe that it satirises their opponents, and civil servants love it because it depicts them as being more powerful than either. And of course, they love it because it's all so authentic. "^[12]

Legacy

The show has been remade several times. The first was the Canadian remake in 1987 Not My Department, which only lasted one season. Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page Not My Department was a Canadian television Sitcom, which aired on CBC Television in 1987. Rosenbaddarna (from 1990) was the Swedish unofficial remake. "Sverige" redirects here For other uses see Sweden (disambiguation and Sverige (disambiguation. The title of the Portuguese remake, Sim, Sr. Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic (República Portuguesa is a country on the Iberian Peninsula. Ministro (from 1996), is a direct translation of the original's title. Ji, Mantriji (2001) was the remake in Hindi (with the BBC's permission) by STAR Plus, Rupert Murdoch's Indian satellite TV channel. Ji Mantriji literally translates to Yes Minister in Hindi. It was an Indian adaptation of the British show and telecast on STAR TV Hindi ( Devanāgarī: hi [[wiktहिन्दी हिन्दी]] or hi [[wiktहिंदी हिंदी]] IAST:, IPA:) is STAR Plus is India 's most watched and #1 Hindi language based general entertainment television channel is gay Bold text' Keith Rupert Murdoch', AC, KCSG (born Melbourne, March 11 1931 usually known as Rupert Murdoch, is an Australian-American India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country Both Sir Humphrey and Jim Hacker are portrayed there by the same actors who dubbed them for the original. A computer game version of Yes Minister was released in 1987 for the Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC and ZX Spectrum. The Amstrad CPC is a series of 8-bit Home computers produced by Amstrad Plc during the 1980s and early 1990s The Sinclair ZX Spectrum is an 8-bit personal Home computer released in the United Kingdom in 1982 by Sinclair Research Ltd The premise was to survive one week in office as Jim Hacker. ^[27]

In 2005, BBC Four launched The Thick of It, described by director Armando Iannucci as "Yes Minister meets Larry Sanders",^[28] and The Telegraph called it "a Yes, Minister for the Labour years. BBC Four is a BBC Television channel available to digital television ( Freeview, IPTV, satellite and cable) viewers in the The Thick of It is a British comedy Television series which satirises the inner workings of modern British government. Armando Iannucci (ɑrˈmændoʊ jəˈnuːtʃɪ (born 1964 is a Scottish Comedian, Writer, Satirist and Radio producer. The Larry Sanders Show is a satirical television Sitcom that originally aired from August 1992 to May 1998 on the HBO Cable television network The Labour Party is a Political party in the United Kingdom. Founded at the start of the 20th century it has been since the 1920s the principal party of the "^[29] The style shows many identifiable hallmarks of Yes Minister, namely the blundering politician virtually entirely dependent on those whose presentational and political nous greatly eclipse his own personal experience.

Radio

Sixteen episodes^[30] of Yes Minister were adapted and re-recorded for broadcast by BBC Radio 4, with the principal cast reprising their roles. Produced by Peter Atkin, they were broadcast across two seasons, each with eight episodes. ^[31] The first series aired 18 October to 7 December 1983, with the second originally transmitted 8 October to 27 November 1984. Events 1009 - The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, a Christian church in Jerusalem, is completely destroyed by the Fatimid Events 43 BC - Marcus Tullius Cicero assassinated 1696 - Connecticut Route 108, one of the oldest highways Year 1983 ( MCMLXXXIII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1983 Gregorian calendar) Events 314 - Roman Emperor Licinius is defeated by his colleague Constantine I at the Battle of Cibalae, and loses Events 1095 - Pope Urban II declares the First Crusade at the Council of Clermont Year 1984 ( MCMLXXXIV) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1984 Gregorian calendar) ^[1] The complete set was released on cassette in February 2000, and on compact disc in October 2002. The series was repeated on the digital radio station BBC 7 in early 2007.

In 1997, Derek Fowlds reprised the role of Bernard Woolley to read Antony Jay's How To Beat Sir Humphrey: Every Citizen's Guide To Fighting Officialdom. It was broadcast in three daily parts by Radio 4 from 29 September to 1 October 1997^[1] and released by BBC Audiobooks on cassette in October 1997. Events 522 BC - Darius I of Persia kills the Magian usurper Gaumâta securing his hold as king of the Persian Empire. Events 331 BC - Alexander the Great defeats Darius III of Persia in the Battle of Gaugamela. Year 1997 ( MCMXCVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1997 Gregorian calendar

Merchandise

Video and DVD releases

The BBC issued some episodes of Yes Minister, and all of Yes Prime Minister on VHS. ^[32] They were re-released and repackaged at various points. The complete collection was released by the BBC through Warner Home Video on Region 1 DVD in October 2003. Warner Home Video is the Home video unit of Warner Bros Entertainment Inc Warner appears to have added RCE to the individual release of the second series of Yes Minister, but there are no similar reported problems on playing the complete collection. ^[32] The BBC, through 2 Entertain Video, also issued several Region 2 DVDs:

• Yes Minister: Series One (BBCDVD1047), released 1 October 2001
• Yes Minister: Series Two (BBCDVD1120), released 30 September 2002
• Yes Minister: Series Three & "Party Games" (BBCDVD1188), released 29 September 2003
• The Complete Yes Minister (BBCDVD1462), released 15 November 2004
• Yes, Prime Minister: Series One (BBCDVD1365), released 4 October 2004
• Yes, Prime Minister: Series Two (BBCDVD1729), released 9 May 2005
• The Complete Yes Minister & Yes, Prime Minister, released 16 October 2006

Books

Several books have been published surrounding the series. Events 331 BC - Alexander the Great defeats Darius III of Persia in the Battle of Gaugamela. Year 2001 ( MMI) was a Common year starting on Monday according to the Gregorian calendar. Events 1399 - Henry IV is proclaimed King of England. 1744 - France and Spain defeat the See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 522 BC - Darius I of Persia kills the Magian usurper Gaumâta securing his hold as king of the Persian Empire. Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 655 - Battle of Winwaed: Penda of Mercia is defeated by Oswiu of Northumbria. "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " Events 610 - Heraclius arrives by ship from Africa at Constantinople, overthrows Byzantine Emperor Phocas "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " Events 1457 BC - Battle of Megiddo (15th century BC between Thutmose III and a large Canaanite coalition under the King of Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 456 - Magister militum Ricimer defeats the Emperor Avitus at Piacenza and becomes master of the western Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. The scripts were edited and transformed into prose, and published by BBC Books in the form of diaries. Scenes that did not involve Hacker took the form of private memos between civil servants, or 'interviews' and written correspondence from other characters.

The three series of Yes Minister were published as paperbacks in 1981, 1982 and 1983 respectively before being combined into a revised hardback omnibus edition, The Complete Yes Minister: The Diaries of a Cabinet Minister, in 1984. Two volumes of Yes, Prime Minister: The Diaries of the Right Hon. James Hacker were published in 1986 and 1987, before being made available as an omnibus edition in 1988. Both series were published as omnibus paperback editions in 1989:

• The Complete Yes Minister ISBN 0-563-20665-9
• The Complete Yes, Prime Minister ISBN 0-563-20773-6

Antony Jay's How to Beat Sir Humphrey: Every Citizen's Guide to Fighting Officialdom (ISBN 0-952-82851-0) was published in April 1997. It was illustrated by Gerald Scarfe and Shaun Williams. It was read by Derek Fowlds on Radio 4 later that year.

See also

• Hacker Ministry
• Politics in fiction
• List of fictional politicians
• House of Cards
• The West Wing

References

External links

• Yes Minister at the BBC 7 — Comedy
• Yes Minister at the Internet Movie Database
• Yes Minister at TV.com
• Yes, Prime Minister at the Internet Movie Database
• Yes, Prime Minister at TV.com
• Yes Minister/Yes, Prime Minister at the British Film Institute Screen Online
• Yes Minister/Yes, Prime Minister at the British Sitcom Guide
• Yes Minister/Yes, Prime Minister fan page
• Yes Minister/Yes, Prime Minister guide
• Jonathan Lynn interview talking about Yes Minister at Den of Geek