Yes Minister

Satirical sitcom set in the office of a UK Cabinet minister, Jim Hacker MP, who struggles with Civil Service bureaucracy and political machinations as he tries to get on with government business.

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.

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.

• The Thick of Itshared workplace comedy of bureaucratic absurdity and witty dialogue
• Veepshared british political satire with a bumbling minister and a manipulative civil servant
• Blackaddershared sharp wordplay and deadpan institutional satire

Created by

Jonathan Lynn, Antony Jay

Release Date

1980-02-25

Episode runtime

30 min

Rating

8.6 / 10 (175)

What is Yes Minister about?

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

What is Yes Minister like to watch?

Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Yes Minister as brisk, its intensity as mild and its storytelling as easy to follow.

Is Yes Minister violent?

No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in Yes Minister.

What did critics think of Yes Minister?

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.

Which shows are like Yes Minister?

Shows with a similar feel include The Thick of It, Veep, and Blackadder.

How long is Yes Minister?

Yes Minister: 3 seasons, 21 episodes.

Is Yes Minister still running?

No, Yes Minister has ended.

Where can I watch Yes Minister?

In United States, Yes Minister streams on Britbox Apple TV channel, Tubi TV, BritBox Amazon Channel.