# Yes Minister (1980)

> A well-meaning but politically naive Cabinet minister struggles to get anything done against the cunning obstruction of his senior civil servant.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/4328

## Facts

- Seasons: 3
- Episodes: 21
- Episode runtime: 30 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: comedy
- Created by: Jonathan Lynn, Antony Jay
- Network: BBC Two
- Cast: Paul Eddington, Nigel Hawthorne, Derek Fowlds, Diana Hoddinott, John Nettleton, John Savident, Frederick Jaeger, Richard Vernon
- TMDB rating: 8.6/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080306/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: mild
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: none
- Tone: witty, sardonic, deadpan, wry, satirical

## What critics say

Widely acclaimed as one of the sharpest and wittiest political satires ever made, admired for its razor-edged dialogue and the sparring between minister and mandarin.

## Synopsis

Yes Minister (1980-1982) is a British national-television political satire sitcom created by Jonathan Lynn and Antony Jay for BBC Two. Paul Eddington plays Jim Hacker MP, a politically naive Cabinet minister who arrives at the fictional Ministry of Administrative Affairs determined to push through real reform. His engine is simple and relentless: every plan he proposes must pass through the office of his permanent secretary, the silkily evasive Sir Humphrey Appleby (Nigel Hawthorne), whose weapons are procedure, euphemism and polite delay. Derek Fowlds plays Bernard Woolley, the private secretary caught between the two, and Diana Hoddinott appears as Hacker's wife Annie. Each half-hour episode is built around a single policy dilemma, a leaked memo or a press crisis, with the talk carrying most of the comedy. Across three seasons of seven episodes each, the show stays a self-contained, episodic satire rather than a continuing drama. Its tone is dry, witty and quietly despairing, with a sharp affection for the mechanics of government. Fans of The Thick of It, Veep and Blackadder will find the same pleasure in verbal precision and institutional absurdity. Set in 1980s Westminster, it remains a touchstone of British political comedy.

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