Yes Minister

Yes Minister is classic satirical comedy. The original series and the sequel Yes, Prime Minister starred Paul Eddington (James ‘Jim’ Hacker), Sir Nigel Hawthorne (Sir Humphrey Appleby) and Derek Fowlds (Bernard Woolley). The series were based on the Machiavellian interactions of the three main characters and portrayed a humorous look at British politicians and Government.

This series of programmes is an all-time great and remains as relevant today as it was at the time. Audiences are drawn in by Hacker’s seemingly innocent and naive nature and by Appleby’s sly machinations. The humour is notably gentler than its modern counterpart, the equally wonderful The Thick Of It.

The way in which Hacker becomes Prime Minister uncannily mirrors the way John Major made it to number ten, when more obvious candidates were ruled out because of skeletons in their cupboards. The continuous intrigue between civil service and Government makes great insight into the frustrations that must plague people from the job in hand.

The show does not rely on sexual innuendo or mindless visual gags. Instead it relies on intelligent conversation which does not under estimate the viewer. The series runs on dialogue, that being well constructed and sometimes resulting in an entire episode taking place in one room.