Yes Prime MInister Joins The 21st Century

Yes Prime Minister Joins The 21^st Century

Famed for its masterful lampooning of the inner workings of British government, Yes, Prime Minister captured the obfuscation of Whitehall mandarins to a tee.

Now, nearly a quarter of a century on, the much-lauded satirical sitcom is set to return to our screens for a new series seemingly based on the current Coalition government.

This time around the Rt. Hon Jim Hacker, previously played by the late Paul Eddington, will be confronting “the greatest economic crisis in a generation”.

And to give the new series a further contemporary twist, Number 10 will also face issues over MP’s expenses, a Scottish referendum on independence and the European Union.

Antony Jay, 81, who co-wrote the original series with Jonathan Lynn, revealed the pair had come together again to pen the new series.

He described a plot which included “fiddles at high level” as well as insights into the “realities of politics”.

The television shows came in two series, the first Yes Minister  was transmitted by BBC between 1980 and 1984 with the sequel Yes Prime Minister running from 1986 to 1988. Several episodes were adapted for radio and a stage play was produced in 2010.

Essentially the sit com takes place in the private office of a British Government Cabinet Minister in the Department for Administrative Affairs ( fictional department ) with the sequel set in the PM’s offices at 10 Downing Street. The series follows the senior ministerial career of the Rt Hon Jim Hacker MP. Hacker was played by Paul Eddington. It centres on his various struggles to formulate or enact legislation and the way in which is efforts to effect departmental changes are opposed bu the will of the British Home Civil Service, most specifically his Permanent Secretary Sir Humphrey Appleby ( played by Nigel Hawthorne ) with his Principle Private Secretary Bernard Woolley  ( played by Derek Fowlds ) usually ending up being caught between Hacker and Appleby.

The TV show won a plethra of awards and was said to be a favourite of the then Prime Minister of the UK Margaret Thatcher.  At Stort Books we have copies of both books from the original series :-

YES PRIME MINISTER : THE DIARIES OF THE RIGHT HON JAMES HACKER VOLUME I

YES PRIME MINISTER : THE DIARIES OF THE RIGHT HON JAMES HACKER VOL II

Email us for full details on stortbooks@sky.com. We also have a newly revamped politics section contact us for full listings .