h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Entry: Yes, Minister - A903494
Author: Oberon2001 (ACE) - U204088

I've done, ohh, about 5%.
Oberon2001

Take it out of Peer Review and put it back once it is completed Peer Review when you have finished Peer Review is really only for completed entries to be knbocked into shape.

If youare looking for a hand to get it completed put it into the colloborative writing workshop

DD

Whoops I should really double check the header before pressing post message.

I'd say more like 1% do so far.

As for getting things Started

Jim Hacker's party have returned to power and he starts awaiting the call to go to Number 10 being a senior figure in the Party (never named) he assumes he'll get a department.

He finally gets a call and is rewarded with the Department of Administrative Affiars bascially the department to oversea the workings of the other Departments. He goes to his new offices in Whitehall where he is introduced to the newly promoted Permanent Secretary Sir Humphrey Appleton and the the Prinicipal Private Secretay Bernard Wooley who in the eyes of Sir Humphey still has a lot to learn about how to deal with Ministers so that they become house trained by their 'civil servant masters'.

Yes, I will take it out of PR
It's Sir Humphrey Appleby, btw.
Oberon2001

Excellent topic!

Perhaps "Yes, Minister" - the TV series"?

Whatever happens, this entry must include the classic "adminstration of policy" versus "policy of administration" speech that Sir Humphrey comes out with in Yes, Minister. I'll dig it out if you like!

TTFN

Otto

I'll put it in as an example of the way Sir Humphrey tricked Ministers and Committees.
Oberon2001

Quite correct on Appelby its what you get for someone humming All Saints songs beside me at the time.

Weren't the writers former civil servants themselves?

A few things worth mentioning:
The last line of every episode was "Yes, Minister" always (almost always?) delivered by Sir Humphrey, though with different intonations.

The sequel Yes, Prime Minister and the special episode that linked them, where Hacker becomes Prime Minister on a wave of popular support after saving the British sausage from those bureaucrats in Brussels.

Sir Humphrey's method of coloquy was with great frequency of such circumloquity that those persons present in his vicinity were prone to be in a state of sheer perplexity regarding the import of his discourse.

I can't think of any episode, bar one, where it didn't end with "Yes, Minister/Prime Minister". The one where it didn't was in "Yes, Prime Minister". Instead, Sir Humphrey said "Mais Oui, Prime Minister", because Hacker had just done a deal over the Eurotunnel with the French President.
Anyway, for the info
Oberon2001

I see the entry's grown.

I think Jim was just Minister for Administrative Affairs, and if you change that, I'd suggest expanding the name of the DAA first time it's mentioned.

"...Sir Humphrey wanting to do what was good for the country and Jim wanting to do what was popular in the country."
- Not sure about this. Jim was something of an idealist at times and Humphrey had his own partisan politics. It would be true to say that the civil servants often claim to be acting for the benefit of the country.

Not too sure about Jim's title, I thought, as you do, that it was Minister for Administrative Affairs, but http://www.yes-minister.com states otherwise.
Now what to do about this... I'll keep it as is, and double-check at some point.

I've changed the paragraph about old Humpy and Jim's motives. Still doesn't sound quite right though.

Oberon2001

I'm inclined to think that site is the one that's wrong.

I've rewritten the offending paragraph slightly. What do you think now?

It was often said in the series that Jim was in politics and Sir Humphrey was in Government. Because of this, the pair often clashed, and although both would claim to want what was good for the country, Sir Humphrey was more often driven by partisan politics involving the Civil Service and Jim, though occasionally idealistic (being former editor of the magazine Reform - a fictional publication invented for the series) tended to want to do what was popular in the country. In order to achieve their respective goals, the two often double-crossed and tricked each other, using press leaks and visiting people who could help them without the others knowledge. Bernard was the one caught in the middle, watching the two conive and plan, making often humourous asides. Not that Jim and Sir Humphrey are always at loggerheads, sometimes it is necessary for them to band together against an outside force - another department say, or a Select Committee investigation.




'Every episode ended with the line "Yes, Minister", usually delivered by Sir Humphrey in different intonations.'
--Okay, I know this was based on what I wrote, but it sounds like Humphrey does impressions. What I meant to get across was the different ways this and other phrases can be used. A case that springs to mind is the BBC representative who completely caves in to Sir Humphrey and agrees to edit the (Prime?) Minister's interview whilst all the time affirming "There is no question of the BBC bowing to government pressure." Or something similar - I can't find the episode on that website you pointed out.

I think the episode you refer to is in "Yes, Prime Minister", it's Jim Hacker's first address to the nation.
I've used your version of that paragraph because, well, I like it.
Oberon2001

No it's not, I've found it now. Yes, Minister Series three, episode two, "The Challenge".

Right. That's me corrected...
And lo and behold, there was an update! Any holes in the entry someone out there can fill in?
Oberon2001

Also the books which covered the plot of all the episodes were written in the style of Sir Bernard Wooley upon his retirement as Head of the Civil Service which might be worth giving a mention to. Including diary entries from Sir Humphrey and Hacker. As well as government papers released under the 30 year rule, whatever did happen to Hackers porposed Freedom of Information Bill, and cartoons and press cuttings from all the major papers.

Cast

Paul Eddington (Hacker) had previously been Jerry Leadbetter in 'The Good Life'

Nigel Hawthorne (Appelby) had been a theatrical actor and Yes Minister brought him to prominence winning BAFTAs, Tonys and Oscars for later preformances.

Derek Fowlds (Wooley) had previously been Mr Derek the Human sidekick to children television favourite Basil Brush and his latest main role is in Heartbeat.

Hey everyone!
Did a major update yesterday with quite a bit of the stuff Demon Drawer gave me, plus some stuff I've found out. Only hole I can see at the moment is the info on the writers...
Oberon2001

Antony Jay

Has writen a number of bestselling books Management and Machiavelli (1967), The Oxford Dictionary of Political Quotations(1996) as well as those based on the series with Jonathan Lynn and other works. He also has produced documentaries and business training films.

Jonathan Lynn
Jonathan Lynn is better known as a stage, screen, and television director than as an actor. He joined the Cambridge Circus satirical revue in the mid-'60s and appear as a comic actor on-stage in London and New York. He had occasional roles on British television. He went into directing theatre in West End and for the Royal Shakespeare Company in the early '70s and occasionally on Broadway.

He started writing and in 1974 wrote his first screenplay, The Internecine Project. Then he directed the film Clue in 1985 based on the game Cleudo. It's all star case reached a memorable finale in one of three separate endings producing different deductions.


In the mid-'80s, Lynn earned acclaim for creating the popular British television comedy series Yes, Minister and Yes, Prime Minister. The feature films Lynn directed were primarily comedies and of average or slightly better quality, though he did have a major hit with My Cousin Vinny (1994).

Others
The Whole Nine Yards (2000)
Trial and Error (1997)
Sgt. Bilko (1996)
Greedy (1994)
The Distinguished Gentleman (1992)
Three Men and a Little Lady (1990)
Nuns on the Run (1990)
Into the Night (1985)
Romance with a Double Bass (AKA The Internecine Project) (1974)