Yes Minister

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.

I really do not have words to describe this masterpiece! This must be kept as the series to compare with! Excellent writing and excellent acting! I'm a huge, HUUUUGE fan of YES MINISTER (and YES PRIME MINISTER of course). If you are even a bit interested about politics, you will adore it! I think you will adore it even if you are not! This is British humor at its absolute best!

I first discovered "Yes Minister" by accident, while flipping channels. I came across A&E (this was the mid 80's) and there were several British comedies, much like my local PBS station. Two of these shows stood out; "Blackadder" and "Yes Minister"

"Yes Minister" is the supremely witty and genuinely funny portrayal of the battle of the Ministerial Will and the Administrative Won't. The characters were highly developed and hilariously funny. Paul Eddington was a master of timing (illustrated beautifully in a sketch on "A Bit of Fry and Laurie") and Nigel Hawthorne was an expert with verbal humor. Derek Fowlds was the junior civil servant, caught in the middle. As such, he often got some of the best lines, while showing his befuddlement. The writing was a triumph; extremely intelligent and delightfully witty.

The supporting characters were always well rounded and memorable. The situations rang true, because they were true. The creators have stated that they did their research by taking various important people to lunch. They were able to glean the most amazing stories from those lunches. For example, in the episode, "The Moral Dimension," the British set up a situation room at a reception in an Arab country. Since Islam forbids alcohol, they use the situation room to smuggle in alcohol. Throughout the night, the British receive messages from Mr. Haige, John Walker, and the Russian official Smirnoff. According to Jonathan Lynn, this actually occurred.

The series rings true for the US, as well. All you have to do is substitute a President, cabinet secretaries, and Congress; and then use the same situations. Bureaucracy is pretty much the same in any government.

Thankfully, the complete series is now available, in the US, on DVD. It should be required viewing for every civics and political science class.

I love the way the writers, Anthony Jay and Jonathon Lynn, wrote the characters of Jim Hacker and Sir Humphrey Appleby. Jim is shown to be a weak, indecisive politician eager to change his mind to keep the voters happy, yet the audience love him. Humphrey is shown as a dominating, power-mad, scheming civil servant and yet the audience love him too! It's wonderful. And of course poor Bernard who is stuck in the middle, always a little unsure as to where his loyalties lie. As well as the excellent writing, the programmes wouldn't work without the wonderful talent of Paul Eddington, Nigel Hawthorne and Derek Fowlds. After watching just one or two episodes one thinks that the actors were born to play their parts! A must for future politicians!

Attention Monty Python fans, this series if you've never seen it, will make you feel as if you've uncovered a hidden cache of British Comedy Treasure. Absolutely brilliant early 80s sitcom that chronicles the subsurface machinations of high level government. Eddington plays a cabinet minister who is the perfect embodiment of the modern politician. High in ideals, but forever made human by ambition, partisan backbiting, concession making and opinion poll obsession. His antagonist is the Permanent Secretary, Sir Humphrey, played by Hawthorne, who IS Machiavelli in 20th century apparel. Fowlds plays the foil and serves mostly as the tennis net to the two men, and their conflicting goals. The writing just cant be praised enough, and in true British fashion, derives most of the laughs when it dissects, and deftly rearranges the English language. Eddington is incredible as the bumbling minister. I've heard John Cleese say that what makes good comedy is not necessarily the joke, or situation, but how the fingered character reacts to his circumstance. This show illustrates the concept expertly. Eddington produces genuine belly laughs simply from facial contortions and incoherent ejaculations. Think how often that doesn't work and how rarely its even attempted any longer. Hawthorne is good but not as, he sometimes flails with the material and completely hams the comedy. His character is at its best when it deadpans irony. There's a zillion of these shows and in my viewing thus far, I've barely scratched the surface. Yet each I've seen is phenomenal.