Yes Minister 

The Right Honorable James Hacker has landed the plum job of Cabinet Minister to the Department of Administration. At last he is in a position of power and can carry out some long-needed reforms, or so he thinks.

Stars:

Paul Eddington, Nigel Hawthorne, Derek Fowlds

Top Rated TV #136 | 6 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Series cast summary:
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

Storyline

James Hacker is the British Minister for Administrative Affairs. He tries to do something and cut government waste, but he is continually held back by the smart and wily Permanent Secretary of the Department, Sir Humphrey Appleby. Private secretary Bernard Woolley is caught in the middle, between his political master, and his civil service boss.

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Plot Keywords:

parliament | british humour | 1980s | minister | british government | 

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Genres:

Comedy

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Certificate:

TV-PG

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 February 1980 (UK)

Also Known As:

Javisst, herr minister

Filming Locations:

Westminster, London, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

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

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This series featured two Oscar nominees, Sir Nigel Hawthorne and Brenda Blethyn.

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Goofs

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

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Quotes

Bernard Woolley: That's one of those irregular verbs, isn't it? I give confidential security briefings. You leak. He has been charged under section 2a of the Official Secrets Act.

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Alternate Versions

The pilot version of the first episode, "Open Government", was released on the UK DVD release of Series 1. It differs from the broadcast version in having different, cheaper-looking titles and different theme music.

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Connections

Referenced in Rozstrel: Adriana Krnácová (2018)

User Reviews

Not to put too fine a point on it, absolutely fabulous!

Quite easily among the best-written comedies of all time. The razor-sharp wit and the superbly crafted word-play will have you both laughing out loud and oooohing and aaaahing in appreciation. Yes Minister tracks the day jobs of its three pivotal characters: Jim Hacker, the honorable Minister of the Dept of Administrative Affairs, his Permanent Secretary Sir Humphrey Appleby and his Private Sct, Bernard.

In each episode, the somewhat idealistic (though exceedingly publicity-hungry) Minister tries to reform govt in one way or the other, but is blocked by his Permanent Sct, Sir Humphrey. Though this comedy is based on the British system of govt, I think the problems presented have universal appeal and so it would be appreciated by Americans, in fact by people of all nationalities.

The highlight of the comedy, in my mind, is the brilliant script, esp the lines Sir Humphrey delivers when he wishes to "talk a lot but say nothing". Nigel Hawthorne's acting is Grade A material and a treat to watch.

For those of you who enjoy wordplay, a somewhat cererbral comedy, or are simply an official in one or the other branch of govt, don't miss this one.