Customer Reviews

Yes Minister, Volume 1 [VHS]

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This show represents some of THE best British comedy written in the 80s. What's neat about this particular set of episodes is that they represent the very first introduction of the European population to the workings of politics in general and of British civil-service madarins in particular. From the very get-go, Sir Humphrey Appelby (played by genius Nigel Hawthorne) attempts to 'house train' the new & overzealous Minister of Administrative Affairs (played by the equally genius, late Paul Eddington).

The four (inital) episodes shown here represent a sampling of what was covered in all the episodes during its long run. From the public's (ie. the so-called 'great unwashed') need-to-know to protecting citizen's privacy, from distinctly British vs. European attitude to life in general, the writings of Anthony Jay and Jonathan Lynn capture an era, a strange profession, a behind-the-scenes peek and an overall satisfying (albeit frustrating) morsel of a dinner to which none of us will ever be invited.

I first happened upon the 'Yes, Minister' series while living in Britain and working in Parliament. How is that for timeliness! Paul Eddington and Nigel Hawthorne (both knighted for their services to entertainment and the theatre, so the official story went -- Maggie loved the show so they both got awards, if you must know the truth) are perfectly matched as the new Cabinet Minister and experienced, somewhat jaded Permanent Secretary, poised to spar over virtually every detail of work together.

The series begins with Jim Hacker becoming a Cabinet Minister for the first time. It proceeds through his gradual process of gaining experience and then surprisingly being elevated to the position of Prime Minister; at the same time, Sir Humphrey Appleby is elevated to the position of Cabinet Secretary (the most senior of civil servants) and the 'Yes, Minister' series graduated to become 'Yes, Prime Minister', made all the more hilarious by virtue of the fact that Jim Hacker becomes PM largely due to a crisis about sausage (narrowly escaping being called an offal (pronounced awful) tube).

Political situations large and small are highlighted throughout the series. The humour shifts from being blatant to being very subtle; the common wisdom about the House of Commons with regard to the accuracy of the programme was that 'Reality is twice as true but half as funny'. The issues of promotions, wages, policies, inter-departmental struggles, down-in-the-dirt politics (British-style) all arise at various points. Sir Humphrey and Jim Hacker win their share of victories over each other, shifting back and forth in their pericoretic movement that typifies politics, from as minor as who has which office, to recognising heads of state and setting election dates.

The duo of Hacker and Sir Humphrey are wonderfully served by Bernard, a faithful PPS (personal private secretary) whose subtle shifting loyalties provides grist for both mills. Those who will be so enamoured of the series that they seek out the printed form will be happy to learn that eventually Bernard becomes Sir Bernard, and is himself eventually Cabinet Secretary. The books of 'Yes, Minister' and 'Yes, Prime Minister' are done in the fashion of diaries, with the neat addition of verbatim letters, photographs, charts, etc., providing a wonderful companion to the series.

Alas, not all the episodes of these wonderful series are available on tape in the USA. There are some episodes of both, but occasionally American PBS stations carry the entire schedule of episodes. This is British political satire at its best.

In this particular tape, Yes, Minister: Volume I, there are four episodes.

--Open Government--
In this episode, prior to the usual opening credits we get a shot of Jim Hacker being re-elected to his seat in Parliament. Nervously awaiting the call, he finally gets contacted by the PM to become Minister for Administrative Affairs, a bit of a political graveyard, we are informed. There is his introduced to Bernard Wooley, his Principal Private Secretary, and Sir Humphrey Appleby, the mandarin of the department. They spar, with Sir Humphrey easily manipulating the inexperienced Hacker through near political-suicide in pursuit of his name in the paper. It ends with the words, 'Yes, Minister' -- which is one of the hallmarks of the series.

--The Official Visit--
In this episode, Hacker engineers an unknown African leader's visit to Britain to help the struggling party's by-elections in Scotland, much to the dismay of Sir Humphrey, who would much rather have the visit take place in London (much greater chance to wear medals at a state function). In the end, the African leader turns out to be Hacker's friend from the LSE, who was sharp as a tack then, and turns out to be still a formidible adversary. In the end, Hacker and Sir Humphrey agree to an interest-free loan of 50 million pounds, to keep egg (or, at least imperialist yolk) off their faces.

--The Economy Drive--
Frustrated at every turn with trying to cut expenses, Hacker is persuaded by the manipulative Sir Humphrey that 'economy begins at home' -- so he gives up his fancy office, staff car, and all the perks to get his name highlighted in the paper. When his own car breaks down and he is found face-down in the gutter after a champagne reception at the French embassy, he thinks better of it all, acquiesing to Sir Humphrey's juggling the figures to make it seem as if all is being cut after all.

--Big Brother--
Hacker, as the minister responsible for wiretaps, has been dubbed 'Britain's chief bugger' by the press. Anxious at first to limit the scope of government to eavesdrop, Sir Humphrey informs Hacker that his name is on a death list, and this was discovered by the methods Hacker wants to prevent. After several agonising days of police escorts and protective custody, his security is removed when the terrorists had rearranged their priorities, or, in Sir Humphrey's analysis, 'they don't think you're important enough to kill.' Hacker then welcomes the petition to limit government involvement in wiretaps, saying that, after all, 'ministers are expendable, but liberty is indivisible.'

Sir Paul Eddington and Sir Nigel Hawthorne
Both stars of this incredible, lesser-known series have passed away, Sir Paul several years ago, and Sir Nigel just days prior to this writing. Both were ubiquitous in the London stage, screen, and television during the 80s and 90s. Both were very talented Shakespeareans who had no trouble with comedy subtle and gross. Sir Paul was honoured with a television tribute a very short time ago which gave insight into his true wit and character. Sir Nigel, best known in his later years with the success of 'The Madness of King George', was a modest and unassuming actor, capable of remarkable bits of genius.

Though funny, the acting in these first few episodes is incredibly flat in comparison with either the audio casette version of the same episodes, or the the later _Yes, Prime Minister_ series. The actors are clearly not quite comfortable in their roles here, and haven't yet learned how to wrap their inflection around the necessarily verbose script. Nigel Hawthorne, in partcular, rushes over his lines as if relieved to be able to actually spit them out. His work is far, far superior in the audio casette version of the same scripts. Likewise, in the later _Yes, Prime Minister_ series he will be called upon to deliver massively more complex lines and he nails them (almost) every time. Not so, here.

Still, the episodes on offer in this first volume are unsually accessible to non-British audiences even today. The episode where the Minister's daughter threatens a nude protest of his government's anti-badger policy is particularly hilarious, and by the final episode on the volume, the actors have begun to hit their marks entirely.

The series is finding a toehole in this first volume. It is great fun but having seen later episodes, has not reached the peak of performance of, "Yes, Prime Minister". We have ordered the entire selection available. That is how sure we are that it will be one of our all time favorites.

Well, it is the tape that sets things 'going'. I have already watched the tape literally more than twenty times -always with the same interest. If you are not familiar with the series and you would like to get a glimpse of what it is about or even if you only want a 'sample' of the Yes MINISTER series then this tape is for you. I should also mention that this tape is a very GOOD deal for the money too as it contains four episodes thus keeping you happy for a good two hour period. The episodes build into a climax that comes with the fourth and last episode on the tape that will DEFINATELY make you feel compelled that you buy more episodes.

The "Yes, Minister" and "Yes, Prime Minister" is classic humor at its best. Though transmitted in the Thacker era, these shows will never lose their freshnees. Great characters, well researched material and continually funny.

The show was so good that Thacker herself scripted an episode. (Not on these videos, though)

These episodes are so well written and insightful into the political mind, that I still read my newspapers and know what they REALLY mean under that 'polliespeak' (or can I say Bullsh*t?). Much better than any politics course!