"Yes Minister" (1980) TV series 1980-1984

User Rating:

9.1/10   

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3

Release Date:

25 February 1980 (UK)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

James Hacker is the British Minister for Administrative Affairs. He tries to do something and cut government waste...

Plot Keywords:

Career | House Of Commons | Member Of Parliament | Trick | Office

Awards:

6 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

Paul Eddington	...	James Hacker (22 episodes, 1980-1984)
Nigel Hawthorne	...	Sir Humphrey Appleby (22 episodes, 1980-1984)
Derek Fowlds	...	Bernard Woolley (22 episodes, 1980-1984)
Diana Hoddinott	...	Annie Hacker (10 episodes, 1980-1984)

(more)

Series Directed by
Peter Whitmore		(15 episodes, 1981-1984)
Sydney Lotterby		(6 episodes, 1980)

Series Writing credits
Antony Jay		(22 episodes, 1980-1984)
Jonathan Lynn		(22 episodes, 1980-1984)

Series Produced by
Peter Whitmore	....	producer (15 episodes, 1981-1984)
Sydney Lotterby	....	producer (6 episodes, 1980)

Series Original Music by
Ronnie Hazlehurst		(21 episodes, 1980-1982)

Series Film Editing by
Alistair McKay		(4 episodes, 1981)
Neil Pittaway		(2 episodes, 1980)
John Dunstan		(2 episodes, 1982-1984)

Series Production Design by
Dacre Punt		(4 episodes, 1981)
Gary Pritchard		(4 episodes, 1982)
Tim Gleeson		(3 episodes, 1980)
Tom Yardley-Jones		(3 episodes, 1980)
Tony Burrough		(3 episodes, 1981)
Andree Welstead		(3 episodes, 1982)

Series Costume Design by
Jackie Southern		(13 episodes, 1980-1981)
Judy Allen		(7 episodes, 1982)

Series Makeup Department
Cheryl Wright	....	makeup artist / makeup designer (8 episodes, 1981-1984)
Dorka Nieradzik	....	makeup artist (6 episodes, 1980)
Toni Chapman	....	makeup artist (6 episodes, 1982)

Series Production Management
Brian Jones	....	production manager (14 episodes, 1981-1982)

Series Art Department
Bob Sutton	....	property buyer / properties buyer (8 episodes, 1980-1982)

Series Sound Department
Alan Machin	....	studio sound (8 episodes, 1980-1981)
Malcolm Johnson	....	studio sound (7 episodes, 1982)
Richard Chamberlain	....	studio sound (6 episodes, 1980)
Ron Blight	....	film sound recordist / sound: film (4 episodes, 1980-1981)

Series Camera and Electrical Department
Derek Slee	....	studio lighting (7 episodes, 1981)
John Dixon	....	studio lighting (7 episodes, 1982)
Peter Ware	....	senior camera operator (6 episodes, 1980-1982)
Peter Winn	....	studio lighting (6 episodes, 1980)
Reg Pope	....	camera operator / camera operator: film (4 episodes, 1981-1982)

Series Editorial Department
Joan Duncan	....	vision mixer (13 episodes, 1980-1981)
Bill Morton	....	vision mixer (6 episodes, 1980-1982)
Graham Sisson	....	editor: video tape (3 episodes, 1981)
Neil Pittaway	....	editor: video tape (2 episodes, 1980)
Sam Upton	....	editor: video tape (2 episodes, 1981)
Chris Wadsworth	....	editor: video tape (2 episodes, 1982)
Ian Williams	....	editor: video tape (2 episodes, 1982)

Series Other crew
Gerald Scarfe	....	title sequence / title designer (21 episodes, 1980-1982)
Lesley Langan	....	production assistant (8 episodes, 1981-1982)
Brian Jones	....	production assistant (7 episodes, 1980)
Lydia Frankenburg	....	assistant floor manager (7 episodes, 1982)
Jackie Foote	....	assistant floor manager (6 episodes, 1980)
Judy Loe	....	assistant to producer (6 episodes, 1980)

Production Companies

• British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Distributors

• British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)
• Pan Vision Oy (2006) (Finland) (DVD)

Runtime:

30 min (21 episodes) | 60 min (1 episode)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

Finland:K-3 (2001) | Australia:G | Singapore:PG | UK:PG

Filming Locations:

Westminster, London, England, UK

Company:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Trivia:

The role of James Hacker was written with Paul Eddington in mind.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: During the train sequence in "The Official Visit", a close-up shows that the warning notice on the wall is written in gibberish.

Quotes:

Sir Humphrey Appleby: [Talking about Government reports] it could be argued that the Sermon on the Mount, where it a government report would never have been published.
[pause]
Sir Humphrey Appleby: All that nonsense about the meek inheriting the earth.
[pause]
Sir Humphrey Appleby: Could do illrepairble damage to the defence budget

Movie Connections:

Featured in 30 Greatest Political Comedies (2006) (TV)

A show that bites. Great comedy.

I first saw Yes Minister when I was about eight. Even then I could see some of the humour that would lead me to fall in love with it years later, but I had no idea that I would to such a degree. Paul Eddington plays the Rt. Hon. James Hacker MP, Cabinet Minister in charge of the department of Administrative Affairs. He comes to his position high minded and full of ideals, only to find them being compromised as he finds that he is merely a cog in something far bigger, something he has little, and at times no control over. This bigger entity is humanised in the form of Machievellian Permanent Secratery Sir Humphery Appelby ( a brilliant Nigel Hawthorne ), who opposes the Minister on every turn with the power of the Civil Service behind him. Switiching sides as he sees fit is Hacker's Principal Private Secretary, Bernard Wooley ( Derek Fowlds, who's great ), a high flier who's job is to stand by Hacker, but who's future lies with Sir Humphery and the Civil Service. The great thing about this show is that although Hacker is weak, cowardly and vote-grubbing, you cannot help but pity him as his ideals and principles become distorted and disappear completely due to the brutal pragmatism placed on him not only by Appelby and the Civil Service but also his own Cabinet colleagues. A must for any one studying a Social Science.