Civil Service VS The Treasury | Yes, Prime Minister | BBC Comedy Greats
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- Опубликовано: 14 окт 2024
- Bernard finally tries to stand up to Sir Humphrey in a power struggle between the civil service and the treasury.
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#Comedy #YesPrimeMinister
“Would you excuse us, dear lady?”
“Yes; carry on” 😂😂 brilliant
They should put her in charge
He regularly called her "dear lady".
Dear lady, not 'my' lady.
And in the following episode: Dorothy - “not as dear as a cabinet secretary Humphrey” (she may even have called him Humpy)
Lol the “well done Bernard” from her was fabulous
“My God!”
“No, Bernard, it’s just your boss!”
XD
Me: _what's the difference?!_
Now have that quote playing as a ringtone when your boss calls :-).
@@mighty-roman There's one,but which of us is going to tell Sir.Humphrey?
@@q851230 Season 3 of YM, the Skeleton in the cupboard. Possibly the best episode with the point referenced proved in the lines:" he's coming round now." "Why did he faint?"
KCMG - Kindly Call Me God
"I am not the Prime Minister's Mother-in-Law!" gets me every time.
Derek fowlds really killed this scene. He really captures how nerve racking and difficult it is to stand up to a powerful figure. There's alot of funny lines as well, but I feel alot of empathy for Bernard when he rebukes humpy. It seems like he is on the verge of tears.
And hyperventilation
Wonderful comment indeed, although, not to put too fine a point on it, and not to suggest that grammar is of the utmost importance in casual communication-notwithstanding that insofar as its role is considered, it is of _some_ degree of utility-but it can hardly be eschewed to mention that perhaps you ought to have said 'Derek Fowlds really _killed it_ in this scene', as opposed to what you said here, which could possibly imply-if the sentence were looked at individually-that he destroyed the scene, which, of course, it would be _preposterous_ to suggest is what you wished to say.
@@FarhanAmin1994 Marvellous. Bravo.
I love the playground dynamics in this scene. 'You take his key away from him!'
Not to mention the fact that 'Thank me no thankings' actually IS Shakespeare.
@@FarhanAmin1994 Great
I have never been more proud of Bernard than I was when I saw this episode.
and when he got the master tape from Humpy's interview, that was Bernard's high water mark.
“Recovered by….intelligence”.
So incredibly real
Totally believable
Well he did once ask if the government could subsidize sex... That's what you call a... vote winner 😄
The Key….. my favourite ep in which sir hum is finally outplayed and put in his place as he was getting a bit unstoppable since becoming cabinet secretary
I loved that you never knew who was going to win!👍🏻
My fav episode too. Humphrey later appearing at the window looking wild n disheveled was pure gold 😆
Another episode where Humphrey gets outplayed is "The Tangled Web". Hacker uses the tape of Humphrey's "indiscretion" on BBC Radio 3, and uses it as leverage to get him to cover for a lie the PM told Parliament.
That smile from Hacker.. When he says I'm giving you the power Bernard.. Legendary.. 🤣🤣🤣🤣 All sorely missed and never ever forgotten.. I was a 7 year old watching this live with my family and they were in literally tears laughing, every episode.. Great memories.
There's never been anything like it! It's fantastic. And highly educational.
I never knew what was so funny when I tried watching this show as a young kid too.
Now that I'm older and wiser, I think it's the best ever comedy about government.
Or any household for that matter.
This gave me such anxiety as a kid. Poor Bernard through all of this
Lovely story
Bernard: "He'll go completely potty."
Jim: *grins*
His grin, as in all his facial expressions, says it all: "I know he'll go potty, and I can't wait to enjoy every minute of it!"
The grin said it all😂
When I was an Officer of the Crown, employed by the Parliament and the Government of the Commonwealth of Australia I worked in a Military Building with multiple Door, multiple Locks and multiple Grades of Physical Security and although there were multiple individuals with higher positions, higher responsibilities and higher Clearances than Myself, I was the only individual in the entire Building with a Master Key.
This was because, unbeknownst to most, I was the Building Security Officer and therefore Required Access into every Nook and Cranny in the entire Building.
Years later have left Government Service and returned My Key, I had occasion to be an Official Visitor back into the Building and during My passage through the Building I was Invited to try My old Electronic Passcodes in various Electronically Controlled Door.
To their Shock and Horror My Passcodes opened all of the Doors.
Unbeknownst to them and despite the fact that I’d been stripped from the systems years before all of My Passcodes were the
Master Passcodes for the systems and would remain effective until such time as the systems themselves were physically changed.
Amazing story!! I bet they were embarrassed you could still open the place!! 🤣👍
@@tim7052 Embarrassed, perhaps; Astonished, oh absolutely. But I never heard a word about any of it. Makes Me chuckle though, just thinking about it.
@@Blackwater_House 🤣👍
Somehow it doesn’t surprise me.
Better hope they have better security to keep ScoMo out.
That "My God" when Humphrey walks in is just perfection
My favorite episode.
Sir Humphrey Appleby: Prime Minister, I must protest in the strongest possible terms my profound opposition to a newly instituted practice which imposes severe and intolerable restrictions upon the ingress and egress of senior members of the hierarchy and which will, in all probability, should the current deplorable innovation be perpetuated, precipitate a constriction of the channels of communication, and culminate in a condition of organisational atrophy and administrative paralysis which will render effectively impossible the coherent and co-ordinated discharge of the function of government within Her Majesty's United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Jim Hacker: You mean you've lost your key
Makes you realise how brilliant these actors were.
I can't believe that you wrote all that out!🤣
@@twotone3070 and the writers!
Ah, after he was let in through the window lol.
And all without a teleprompter I presume.
The beauty of YM and YPM is the writing is so good, it can be watched over and over and still elicit a solid chuckle
Written over 40 years ago and still holds up.
Superb acting as well.
The difference is that the whole scenes are funny, not just the quip at the end of a scene. 2:52: "I am not the PM's mother in law".
This is one of my favourites episodes. Seeing Bernard so tortured by his loyalties to his two independent bosses is fun to watch. No matter which side he takes he could be fired at a moments notice. Even more so since Hacker wanted Bernard to remain as his aide.
Remember there was talk of Frank and the Treasury being transferred the responsibility for appointments and promotions, so perhaps that was what gave Bernard that little bit of push of extra courage. Bernard might have thought, even if I do fall out with Sir Humphrey, if we keep this up, Humphrey won't be my boss anymore, Frank will be. So he would have nothing to worry about.
The Key certainly ranks as one of the funniest episodes of Yes, Prime Minister. It was good writing as the relationship between Hacker and Humphrey was not simply one-sided.
40years worth of public service and I still don't understand why this documentary series is labeled as comedy... perhaps to get around the Official Secrets Act?
Excellent deduction. After all, we need to know the public only knows the truth we know they need to know because it's what we know we need them to need to know.
It's because the genre of comedy is actually broad and includes several sub-genres. This is one of the most outstanding examples of satire, mocking real-life situations to make people think about them in a new way.
@@danieldickson8591 I do hope my original comment didn't ruffle your hair as it went over your head. Let me explain it to you. While presented in a comedic and yes, satirical, fashion, both Yes Minister and Yes Prime Minister are sufficiently accurate reflections of the working of a public or civil service that they border on documentary. The scripts could easily be included in Cabinet minutes and no-one would notice.
That British government reps can see this and publicly declare “it’s really not far off, is it?” Is unfortunate, humorous, and deserves massive respect, all simultaneously.
They did get many of the stories from officials and they were based on the truth, including for example a similar incident to their smuggling alcohol to a Middle Eastern meeting.
I have watched a heap of British comedy series in my time (I'm 69) some were dire, some were pretty good but this was and remains outstanding. Every line is a zinger but, even better than that, the characters are well defined and the scripts never betray them for an easy laugh.
Absolutely agree. Same age; same view. We have a family friend who is a fairly senior civil servant and “served” with Blair onwards. He insists that this is totally realistic. He says the reality is even more farcical than this. Apparently, Johnson’s team go down on their knees and pray any time that the idiot is let loose as they have no idea what dumb things he is going to say or promise.. the idiot had a press opportunity with him fishing an infants school. He was kneeling besides all the 6,7 or 8 year olds; he was asked if he was enjoying himself. “Enormously” he replied; to which the response was “ is that because they have the same IQ?”
share your recommendations!
Ahhh. "The Key". Without doubt the best episode of Yes, Prime Minister.
Dorothy's description of the layout using items on the table to show how she needs to be opposite "the men's loo", was sheer class writing by Tony Jay and Jon Lynn.
And how Hacker straight up expected Bernard to completely get what the layout meant without knowing... Brilliant.
I agree, its my Fav, Top Episode too. Perfect merge of Intelligent Humor, Bravery, Characters Changing, Redemption with a bit of Slapstick -- after Sir Humphrey couldn't get in. The 2nd is the Alcohol-Middle East one, but I love this Episode.
😁 He's bigger than me! 😆❤️
I love this storyline. 😆
Wait till you see what happens next, if this channel posts it. 😁😆
Bernard's power trip is glorious
I don't know if many people know this, but while "But me no buts" is not Shakespeare, "Thank me no thankings" is actually Shakespeare, off Romeo and Juliet, though typical of Hacker, he used it wrongly.
This episode literally had me crying with laughter,still one of my favourite half hours of tv ever.
A rival to Fawlty Towers.
Yi
Would Sir humpty have arranged aparty
I can tell Nigel Hawthorne and Derek Fowlds had trouble filming that scene... glints of a smile here and there, stuttered words - was quite contrary to their otherwise fun and comedic relationship.
2:22
"My God!"
"No Bernard, it's just your boss."
'Thank me no thankings' actually is Shakespeare
No it's not
@@paddybpaddyb9940 R&J act 3 scene 5
@@rorystockley5969 I stand corrected. I will proud me no prouds
Nice
OMG. that's a great Easter egg
The writing of this series is simply brilliant. Rarely equalled. Never bettered.
The three main characters have all passed on.... True talent can never be replaced.....
And never forgotten! ♥
I have watched this so many times I can't get used it ,it's Simply incomparable ..PURE GENIUS
“The Key”. My favourite episode.
Bernard has got the taste of the power 😂😂.
That moment when Bernard emerges from Sir Humphrey's shadow. Priceless!
It’s rare for Bernard to stand up to Sir Humphrey. A welcome sight, too.
Also, if this were to take place in the U.S., Sir Humphrey probably committed a criminal act by implying Bernard’s future would depend on Bernard’s accession to Humphrey’s demand. Moreover, Humphrey did so in front of a witness.
Theoretically yes; though I'd suspect that it would be a unsubtle threat that'd still be used; for politicians / civil servants and the letter of the law... seldom seen in lockstep together.
The lady was excused, in british procedure she was not there and did not hear.
@@jimtaylor294 I think the civil service has developed way beyond this, particulary with the appointment of advisors, special advisors, and not really keeping any civil servant in place to get to know the job, or each other.
@@highpath4776 Technically in the scene; Humphrey *meant* it as "Could you leave us?", and she chose to interpret it as "Excuse us for this display of disquiet.", which is why she wryly replied "Yes: Carry on"
@Jim Taylor, she knew exactly what Sir Humphry meant and intentionally wanted to stay and watch him be humiliated. After all, it was the best show in town.
Classic clips of Yes,Prime Minster are always brilliant well any good classic comedy like Only Fools and Horses,Fawlty Towers or Allo Allo any classic BBC Comdey Clips is great
Dorothy is such a classy adversary to wicked Sir Humpy…
Bernard showing some backbone
These episodes are timeless !! Hilarious !
One of the very bests scenes ever written/performed. Anywhere. In the history of entertainment👍😀
Agreed my friend, classics and never old
We all know humpy is a very clever individual. But Bernard has moments that shows maybe hes the smartest of them all? 🤔
Quite possibly the funniest episode in the entire series.
My favourite episode of the entire series.
I absolutely adore this comedy.
“My God!”
“No, it’s just your boss!”
Me: “What’s the difference?”
My favorite exchange (modified by me):
Me: “Will you answer a direct question?”
Teacher: “I strongly advise you not to ask a direct question”.
Me: “Why?”
Teacher: “It might provoke a direct answer.”
Me: “It never has yet...”
This was such a good one!
I must have watched this episode so many times .... it still cracks me up.
“Sir Humphrey you may not come in, you do not have permission!”
“I’M COMING ANYWAY!!”
**bang**
“You little RUNT!”
😂😂
The education of Bernard Wooley, future head of the Home Civil Service.
"You little RUNT!" >_
3:29
Sir Bernard: "You might have me screwed after the PM have gone for the House of Lords, but the PM could send me to Swansea tomorrow morning..."
It's not Civil Service v Treasury. That is a mistaken title. It is Prime Minister's Office v Civil service.
Well, the Prime Minister is the First Lord of the Tresury
In this scene, yes. But in the whole episode the events are sparked off by a rivalry between Humphrey and Frank, the head of Treasury.
Bernard was a sort of pre internet Wikipedia with all of his knowledge.
Less a comedy, more a documentary. Just timeless and brilliant.
Exactly so. News about government and politics, in any country (or international) seem to make no sense. Politicians' speaches and formal press releases are lying through their teeth, it's embaracing to watch.
YM and YPM shed a completely different light on it all and help understand what the motivations of institutions and people in power really are.
One of the best comedies. Well written and acted it all came natural to them.
The Key is comedy perfection from beginning to end.
Wow, what a beautiful scene
There was a scene between Sir Humphrey and I believe Sir Henry of the Treasury involving "Y-P" and "Your Problem".
Sir Frank.
@@richardlloyd2589 Thanks
@@ProperLogicalDebate The "YP" scene was in a different episode called A Real Partnership in which Sir Humphrey double-crosses Sir Frank so as to achieve a massive pay rise for himself while fooling Hacker into thinking he was on his side. That was the thing about Sir Humphrey - a truly odious character who would betray anybody, including his colleagues and his prime minister, to increase his own power and prospects. Hacker was a fool (though not always) and with the vanity of a politician, but essentially well-intentioned, which is why his victories over Appleby were always so welcome, albeit so few.
“I AM NOT THE PRIME MINISTER’S MOTHER IN LAW, BERNARD!” 😂😂😂
Fowlds and Eddington should also have been given BAFTA awards, they were just as funny as Hawthorne in their characters, but he was awarded the performance award 4 years in a row I think. Not fair to the others.
To be honest the only thing I find distasteful about this episode is Humphrey’s clear workplace bullying of Bernard when he’s refused entry and immediately resorts to threatening Bernard’s entire career prospects if Humphrey doesn’t get his way. There is plenty of things I find disagreeable about Humphrey but I’ve always felt that it always came down to perspective or beliefs but fundamentally Humphrey Appleby is a decent person. But outright threatening a subordinate to me is just distasteful.
I think the joke was supposed to be that you supposedly can't fire a civil servant (actually you CAN, but . . .), so Humphrey had to resort to more convoluted means of keeping subordinates in line. Not the best bit of writing in the show, but considering how great most of it was, I can overlook it with an eye roll. Channelling my inner Dorothy.
its amazing the perception of being close to the p.m gives to those unappointed people! weve seen the disasters tony blairs kitchen cabinet had with campbell .more recently dominic i was only going to specsavers running the country instead of bo jo! my favourite memory was bernard ingham thatchers press secretary who recounted his time with interminable interviews always saying we and i about major decisions! after thatchers fall sir bernard took it upon himself to arrest a fare dodger on the underground ! in fact the guy had the then new oyster card! on being pulled by the transport police for assault on a passenger sir bernard said the classic do you know who i am ? yes replied the copper nobody! more keys should be taken away for a better govt!
"... on a long term basisssss" - for a moment there Sir Humphrey sounded like Agent Smith from the Matrix :)
"I am coming in anyway!"
"he thinks he is coming in anyway"
and then Sir Humphrey proceeds to do an iterations of the big bad wolf
Nothing to do with the Treasury, but a great clip nonetheless.
Keep 'em coming!
This clip in and of itself did not have anything to do with the treasury, but the episode had a lot to do with the treasury. In this episode, Sir Humphrey Appleby and Sir Frank were trying to get raises for the civil service and that involves the treasury
Such great writing.
Truly great acting.
Recently came across "Thank me no thankings" in Romeo and Juliet (Act 3, Scene 5). So that was Shakespeare! :-)
Minor quibble about the title: It's not "civil service vs. the treasury" (the treasury is, in any case, part of the civil service); if anything, it's government vs. the civil service. There is a clash between Sir Humphrey and the Permanent Secretary to the Treasury in this episode, but it's not really shown in this particular clip; and that clash, too, is all about how much power the treasury in general (and Sir Frank in particular) should have *within* the Service.
It is the best comedian ever!!
Immaculate. DF great, NH great, PE superlative.
This should be a training video for the APS
The present group of clowns would never stand chance in front of sir Humphrey
Should've been "Yes Bernard and your Boss"
This title is inaccurate - The Treasury is Part of the Civil Service. The struggle is between The Cabinet Office and The Treasury
Pettifogger
I remember him with Basil Brush
I had forgotten he was in Basil Brush until he died, and I was looking up his career. I loved the classic Basil Brush - it was very clever.
@@brontewcat Boom! Boom! Ahh! Ahh! Ahh! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
Bernard's spine grew three sizes that day
And this was based in a true story
Whose story pls???????
Not quite. There was a real connecting door between Number 10 and the Cabinet Office, but it was always open. In fact, former Cabinet Secretary Gus O'Donnell said the new connecting door is very modern, with two doors. You enter one, door closes and the second set of doors open into the cabinet office. For tighter security.
This was the best episode of either series.
I have got a movie DVD of
Paul Uddingston with
Christopher Lee
Charles Gray
and Patrick Mower in
The Devil Rides Out
I am dedicating this movie DVD to my old school friends who are both sisters as I hope to see them both again very soon to Chris and Hester from Billyxxxxx
Poor Bernard. He's stuck between a rock an a hard place
Bernard, being a "high-flyer" & on the Civil Service's fast track would be put in this position to test his ability to serve 2 masters & think quickly to resolve the conflict of interests. In that, he succeeded & his rapid promotion through the ranks, eventually reaching the top was assured.
@@stephenphillip5656 nice
AT ONCE!
😂
My favourite episode.
"You take his key away from him"
How much is the difference between pm's private secretary and a permanent under secretary like Humphrey originally was?
A Secretary of State's principle private secretary (PPS) like Bernard was would be at Deputy Director grade nowadays, 3 grades below a Permanent Secretary like Humphrey. At number 10, Humphrey is the Cabinet Secretary (the most senior Civil Servant, above Permanent Secretary) and Bernard would be at Director General level as the Prime Minister's PPS, technically 2 grades below Humphrey, but having a significant amount of influence compared to other DGs throughout the Service.
@@RomeoAlphaSierra tks for the info
@@RomeoAlphaSierra Is there not also a difference in that the Private Secretaries are linked to the affairs of the ministerial incumbent ( diary keeping for want of a better term) and Permanent Secretaries linked to the Department in which they served - effectively we shall say the adminstration of policy.
@@RomeoAlphaSierra I'll muse here given the position of The Treasury, The Cabinet Office, and (it comes and goes The office of The Deputy Prime Minister) with the rest of the departments. Effectively in A department you end up answering to the Civil Servant/Minister above you while often having to work to policy and report to Cabinet Office, sometime on ones financial spend/income - sometimes with a view to the present , sometimes a long term view (and they may be in conflict). Also one would create reports - more financial - to the treasury, predicting establishment and programme spend and plans and to the treasury for the Bank of England Gross and Net cash inflow and outflow predictions for financing. hopefully all three reports would add up. and then the ODPM would come along and ask questions about the likes of improvements or targets for involvement, inclusion, goal achievement and so on.
@@highpath4776 But then we have to consider the difference between the administration of policy and the policy of administration, particularly the policy of the administration of policy, and the administration of the policy of administration....
What does Sir Humphrey say at 02:35?? It’s so angry and quick that I can’t discern the words even after 5 goes 🤔
I believe it was "would you mind dear lady it's nothing to do with you, thank you"
God I had the hots for that woman
BERNARD!
*I'm not the Prime Minister's mother-in-law!!*
It wouldn't work with the Chief Medical Officers today.
I wonder, on the UK civil service hierarchy, how far below a permanent secretary or the cabinet secretary that PM personal secretary is.
Hah during spend review
WOULDYOUMINDDEARLADYTHISHASNOTHINGTODOWITHYOU -- THANKYOU
Strange heading. Nothing to do with the treasury
Now, if Sir Humphrey was to demand his key from Oscar Blaten on the other hand…
(One internet if you know who Oscar Blaten is).
I presume you mean Oscar Blaketon?
@@RJSRdg, apologies, yes I meant Oscar Blaketon.
The one burk laughing far too loudly ruins it
Yes and no
You take his key away from him!
💜💜💜💜👍👍👍👍👍
This is a classic scene but it doesn’t feature the treasury.
Whose the woman
Orsom comedy ! The bedst ever.(and bedst Acters).