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

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

Three Bags full minister?

Yes, Prime Minister.

I've got all 3 of the books for this and also a computer game that was published for it (C64 format)

If you want to mention it another joke was that in the series Bernard was always the whipping dog, straight man, used to explain the political procedures, and in the books he writing parchially about the two, having retired from his position as head of the civil service.

Must re-read the books.

I was rather too young to appreichate this when it was first shown but I loved the repets and I spent ages on the website that you linked too.. I'm interested to hear what sort of computer game you could base around "Yes Minister" though. I think there's a spin of shown in beligum based around the EU called "yes comminsioner" or something along those lines..

I've got a "Yes, Prime Minister" game... it's abandonware now and was written around 15 years ago. Not too good by today's standards in terms of gameplay, but very funny nonetheless.
I'll see if I can find out about "Yes, Commissioner".
Oberon2001

Humm I can't find anything about it in google, though i suspose it might be "oui Commissioner" but I do remember seeing a clip from it in an obituary to Sir Nigel Hawthorne when he passed away

What sort of things do you have to do in a the Yes Minister game?

It was largely a text based game (with a graphical menu) in which you lived a week in the life of PM Jim Hacker. You could talk to Sir Humphrey and Bernard, hold meetings in the Cabinet Office (though the player couldn't decide when these meetings should be held, they just popped up at random) and every now and then you got to talk to various influential organisations. The point of the gae was to keep your opinion poll rating as high as possible.
The game is available from various abandonware sites, ie, Underdog.
Oberon2001

Excellent entry, only one question, which even the BBC can't seem to settle on - is the title of the series "Yes Minister" or "Yes, Minister" - I personally don't remember the comma in the title, but there again, I could be completely wrong

Good question!
There's a bit of inconsistency in the article over that...
On the series 2 DVD it says "Yes Minister" but, gramatically, shouldn't it be "Yes, Minister"?
I'll fix it so the article is consistent.
Oberon2001

Thanks Oberon... do you think you would like to put it in the entry? not that you have to of course?

Personally I prefer it with comma.

A correction, in the last paragraph "...Hackers proposed Freedom of Information Bill," needs an apostrophe. Also, one heading reads "Humpy's Verbal Gymnastics".

I hope you don't mind me reminding you that I think Hacker was simply Minister for Administrative Affairs. I provide http://www.tvheaven.ca/ypm.htm and http:/tv.cream.org as evidence.

Enough moaning, the entry's good.

The game also used to throw up trick questions like "The Taoseach is in the outer office - I'll show him in. Who is the Taoseach ?"

A. The Dali Llama's representative in Britain ?

B. The Head of Government in Eire ?

C. Oldest Member of Parliament ?

D. Longest Standing Member of Parliament ?

Incorrect answers would expose you to Sir Humphrey's sarcasm, of Bernard's appalling jokes. Plus you lost standing.

Ok, fixed all the errors/typos people have pointed out, and changed Hacker's name in light of all the websites that list him as Minister for Admistrative Affairs.
One thing I didn't fix though, is the header which read "Humpy's Verbal Gymnastics". Humpy was a nickname for Sir Humphrey and I've put in a footnote explaining this.
I also didn't put in a bit about the comma in "Yes Minister"... who really cares!
Thanx for all the feedback everyone!
Oberon2001
PS, wouldn't recommend downloading the "Yes Prime Minister" game unless you're at a *real* loose end. Can get repetitive/boring very quickly.

That's me told.

We may be ready to go. One question - with the change to Hacker's title, is it obvious what DAA stands for?

*fiddles*
It does now.

Well, okay, but I was genuinely asking. Seeing as how I already knew what it meant I wasn't sure whether or not someone who didn't would guess.

Oh right. Well, the previous version didn't have any explanation, and with Hacker's original title gone, it might not have been so easy for someone who has never seen the series to guess. So for bringing it to attention.
Oberon2001

I like what you've done, but I think it needs more explanation.

Firstly your example of Sir Humphrey's long-winded speeches is great, and obviously it is intended to show the confusion caused. But I think you need to set the scene e.g. that he was trying to explain why something hadn't been recorded in the minutes of a meeting, if I recall correctly. If someone were present when he gave this speech they would know its context, so you ought really give the reader the same starting point.

Secondly I've only seen a few episodes, and I don't quite feel you tell me enough about the series. The entry seems to focus more on the characters present, who are of course central to it. I have two suggestions:

1) give details of the series and its episode titles. TBH though I'm not really a fan of these. But it's a possibility.
2) possibly better would be to give the storyline of one of the episodes to show how the characters interact. e.g. something along the lines of "In episode blah, Hacker commits to keeping an inner-city farm open while Sir Humphrey is trying to get planning permission approved for a skyscraper. Given that this goes against the Government policy, Sir Humphrey plays Hacker off against blah, blah, blah. Meanwhile Bernard is left wondering why blah, blah, blah". I'm not that sure of the episode's detail, but hopefully you understand my meaning. With a bit of editorial narrative the entry should be enlightened.

Hope this helps.

BBS

What? More work... are you sure!
Alright, but I'm only implementing some of the recommendations bought forward so as to facilitate your excessive demands for a higher workload on my part.
I'm not too sure about putting in more episode titles, for example, though I'll probably put in a little bit more about the series, seeing as you asked...
I'll put in a bit about the episode Humpy's quote appears in as well (it's from "Yes, Prime Minister" and regards an opposition to policy made by someone in the Cabinet... I think!)
Anyway, off to work on the entry, for the feedback!
Oberon2001
PS, I've got that episode you described on DVD, sheer genuis!

I've just changed the section on Humpy's verbal gymnastics to make it clearer but to be honest I can't see anywhere in which i can make the whole entry more descriptive of the series. so... a little help?
Oberon2001

Well I'm not sure how I can explain any better other than by reiterating my previous comment. In the section "Things that made it special" (or similarly titled) you talk about how Hacker and Humpy both have their own agendas and typically Bernard gets caught in the middle.

What you're failing to do is explain what sort of situations are occurring e.g. one wants to build a towerblock, the other a inner-city farm. By definition the situation is key in any sitcom. For all I know the situation might be how politicians and ministers react on holiday or if they live next door to each other (which reminds us of "Heil Hitler, I'm Home" *off at a tangent*)

My suggestion is that you summarise one of the episodes so that the reader gets an idea of the sort of policies/ideas MacGuffins that are being used. You can also use this to explain the traps Humpy and Hacker set for each other.

As it stands I think all you have done is describe the characters; their interactions, and why the series was popular. Plus the behind-the-scenes stuff.

Could you include any classic quotes?

BBS