Product Details

• Actors: Paul Eddington, Nigel Hawthorne, Derek Fowlds
• Format: Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 2.0)
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 3
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: BBC
• DVD Release Date: August 26, 2003
• Run Time: 534 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00009XN37
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #9,100 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)

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• For more information about "Yes, Prime Minister - The Complete Collection" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Antony Jay and Jonathan Lynn's superb sitcom Yes, Prime Minister entered 10 Downing Street with Jim Hacker now Prime Minister of Britain, following a campaign to "Save the British Sausage." Whether tackling defense ("The Grand Design"), local government ("Power to the People"), or the National Education Service, all of Jim Hacker's bold plans for reform generally come to nothing, thanks to the machinations of Nigel Hawthorne's complacent Cabinet Secretary Sir Humphrey (Jeeves to Hacker's Wooster) who opposes any action of any sort on the part of the PM altogether. This is usually achieved by discreet horse-trading. In "One of Us," for instance, Hacker relents from implementing defense cuts when he is presented with the embarrassingly large bill he ran up in a vote-catching mission to rescue a stray dog on an army firing range. Only in "The Tangled Web," the final episode of series 2, does the PM at last turn the tables on Sir Humphrey. Paul Eddington is a joy as Hacker, whether in mock-Churchillian mode or visibly cowering whenever he is congratulated on a "courageous" idea. Jay and Lynn's script, meanwhile, is a dazzlingly Byzantine exercise in wordplay, wittily reflecting the verbiage-to-substance ratio of politics. Ironically, Yes, Prime Minister is an accurate depiction of practically all political eras except its own, the 1980s, when Thatcher successfully carried out a radical program regardless of harrumphing senior civil servants. --David Stubbs

Product Description

In an unlikely chain of events, Jim Hacker emerges as the most viable candidate for his party's next Prime Minister. Now that he gets his own car and driver, a nice house in London, a place in the country, endless publicity and a pension for life, what more does he want? Bernard: I think he wants to govern Britain. Sir Humphrey: Well, stop him, Bernard! Named one of the Top Ten TV programs of all time by the British Film Institute, this brilliantly observed comedy of manners pits the well-meaning Prime Minister Jim Hacker against the machinations of the Cabinet Secretary, Sir Humphrey Appleby, in the ultimate political marriage of inconvenience. Paul Eddington (Good Neighbors) stars as Jim Hacker and Academy Award nominee Nigel Hawthorne (The Madness of King George) first drew wide notice in the role of Sir Humphrey Appleby.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Subsidies are for what people don't want but ought to have", September 1, 2003

By	mwreview "mwreview" (Northern California, USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

Amazon Verified Purchase

--Sir Humphrey. The Yes, Minister episodes continue with Jim Hacker moving to #10 Downing Street, bringing along private secretary Bernard and, of course, reuniting with the newly promoted Sir Humphrey (whose sentences seem to get longer with each episode). The audio level is better on this set than on the previous one. The cover artwork is not as clean (there are scan lines through the images), but the back cover is very nice with new photos of the three main characters (no photos on the inside as there were in the previous 4-CD set).

The 17 brilliant episodes begin with the 1984 1-hour Christmas special that illustrated the chain events elevating Hacker to #10. The special features include the Sir Humphrey's lengthy review of the Yes Minister Diaries, "Christmas at the Ministry" clip, a 1986 Paul Eddington interview, Jonathan Lynn interview, and profiles on the main actors as well as others. A touching biography of Paul Eddington (Nigel Hawthorne was featured in the first set) in also included. The bio includes scenes from 1950s Dixon of Dock Green, Adventures of Robin Hood, and many scenes from The Good Life and some insight on what Margaret Thatcher thought of Prime Minister Hacker. Eddington's wife, Felicity Kendal, Hawthorne, and Derek Fowlds are among those interviewed. It also includes very sad clips of one of Eddington's last interviews when he was suffering through the last stages of the skin cancer that took his life. He handled his illness with much courage and the interviews with his friends and family reveals how fondly he is remembered and how many lives he touched. This set is a must-have for Yes, Minister fans. I have yet to search for the "Easter Egg" the box promises, so happy hunting.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Truely intelligent comedy, May 14, 2004

By	Reza "Biscuitsforsmut" (Lancaster, England) - See all my reviews

The majority of people are falling over themselves to watch brainless, charmless and incredibly annoying AMERICAN comedy like Friends and Will and Grace. I've just watched the entire second series and half of the first of Yes, Prime Minister. This is a satirical, well-observed 80's comedy about the political machinations and workings of the British Parliment and the relationships between Minister's and civil servants. Nigel Hawthorne, Paul Eddington and Derek Fowlds are all superb in this. Great acting, script, and message that puts most comedy to shame and doesn't patronize the viewer or insult their intelligence.

Highly reccomended

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars will make one an Anglophile, May 17, 2005

By	B. Polk (Beijing China) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

After watching all the Jeremy Brett "Sherlock Holmes" series, Ian Richardson in the "House of Cards," and now Nigel Hawthorne in "Yes, Prime Minister, I can truly say it will be difficult for an American not to become a (British) flag waving Anglophile.

The pure pleasure of this satirical comedy is not something that can be found on American TV. I enjoyed hearing the beauty of the English language the way it should be spoken.

This program will not be for all audiences, however, if one appreciates a sharp wit, clever irony, and a hilarious display of political chicanery, this DVD collection is a treasure.