3 Times Sir Humphrey Slipped Up | Yes, Prime Minister | BBC Comedy Greats

Поделиться
HTML-код
  • Опубликовано: 21 май 2022
  • Sir Humphrey Appleby rarely makes a mistake, but when he does it's very fun to watch...
    Subscribe: bit.ly/BBCComedyGreats
    WATCH MORE:
    Yes, Prime Minister: bit.ly/CGYesPrimeMinister
    Yes, Minister: bit.ly/CGYesMinister
    Blackadder: bit.ly/ComedyGreatsBlackadder
    Live at the Apollo: bit.ly/2L9SAuA
    Welcome to BBC Comedy Greats, home to the best comedy from the BBC! Whether you're a fan of the classics or if stand up comedy is more up your street then check out our hand picked playlists full of the funniest clips by the best performers. From Only Fools and Horses to Live at the Apollo we can guarantee plenty of awesome Comedy Greats.
    This is a commercial channel from BBC Studios. Service & Feedback www.bbcstudios.com/contact/co...
    #Comedy #YesPrimeMinister
  • ПриколыПриколы

Комментарии • 908

  • @BBCComedyGreats
    @BBCComedyGreats  2 года назад +1024

    "You mean you've lost your key?" 🔑

    • @highpath4776
      @highpath4776 2 года назад +8

      Spolier

    • @andrewmunro8830
      @andrewmunro8830 Год назад +8

      @@highpath4776 Spolier than thou!

    • @matthew8153
      @matthew8153 Год назад +8

      @@andrewmunro8830
      Spoil be not spoiled.

    • @justjones5430
      @justjones5430 Год назад +11

      Where's the one where Humphrey cocked up a contract as a junior civil servant, and He had to admit it to Hacker?
      I was waiting for that one 🙂

    • @Borusa1976
      @Borusa1976 Год назад +4

      @@justjones5430 "The Skeleton In The Cupboard" - that's Yes Minister - these was from the sequel series.

  • @sas2300
    @sas2300 8 месяцев назад +300

    "You lulled him into a true sense of security" is a fantastic line.

    • @notroll1279
      @notroll1279 4 месяца назад +10

      I loved the entire scene, with Hacker being in control of Sir Humphrey for once... briefly...

  • @dash1141
    @dash1141 Год назад +120

    “Would you excuse us, dear lady?” “Yes… carry on”

  • @timothywelch6450
    @timothywelch6450 2 года назад +1648

    Possibly the finest scripts ever written for television

    • @christiano8088
      @christiano8088 2 года назад +31

      Totally agree. So so clever.

    • @69mosshead
      @69mosshead 2 года назад +29

      Only thing I'd change in that statement is to take possibly out

    • @fizzy1922
      @fizzy1922 Год назад +19

      Far too relevant

    • @tullochgorum6323
      @tullochgorum6323 Год назад +36

      I once found myself sleeping on the floor of a benighted hospital in India looking after a friend. The local bookstall, for some obscure reason, had the complete scripts of YM and YPM and they made the whole ordeal bearable. They hold up almost as well off the paper as they do on film. This must be unique in the history of sitcoms - scripts so good that they read like fine literature...

    • @unrealuknow864
      @unrealuknow864 Год назад +18

      By far one of the most well written and acted shows of all time.

  • @DonWan47
    @DonWan47 Год назад +228

    The best sitcom the BBC ever produced. Intelligently written and brilliantly acted. The best of British.

  • @mrk.dilkington
    @mrk.dilkington 2 года назад +829

    Perfect scripts, perfect characters, perfect cast and chemistry.

  • @mikethecabbie8476
    @mikethecabbie8476 2 года назад +459

    Forty years ago, Yes (Prime) Minister was required viewing in our household. Today, I have made a mess of myself laughing at this whilst drinking a coffee; truly brilliant comedy to have spanned so many years!

    • @triarb5790
      @triarb5790 Год назад +1

      And across hemispheres too.

    • @ThomasCorfield
      @ThomasCorfield Год назад +3

      I am sorry for your mess. I hope your trousers remain wearable. Or skirt. I don't judge.

    • @mikethecabbie8476
      @mikethecabbie8476 Год назад +2

      @@ThomasCorfield They did.... T-shirt required immediate washing, though!

    • @markfryer9880
      @markfryer9880 Год назад

      I suspect that it would have been a laugh riot to see you spill your coffee while watching these clips Mike? Sadly we will have to rely upon our imaginations to be able to visualise the mess you got yourself into!
      And 40 years ago Yes Minister and Yes Prime Minister were required viewing in our house.
      Mark from Melbourne Australia

  • @DodderingOldMan
    @DodderingOldMan Год назад +570

    One of the truly timeless comedies. Seriously... This is like an ancient Greek comedy that, 2000 years from now, will still (with the aid of some footnotes) be entertaining people and providing an insightful look at the society of the current era.

    • @embreis2257
      @embreis2257 Год назад

      it's very doubtful our species will manage to hang on that long. climate change may shorten our stay on this planet for quite a bit

    • @geoffcarr4204
      @geoffcarr4204 Год назад +21

      It remains timeless because little has changed

    • @ari1234a
      @ari1234a Год назад +17

      This will always stay current no matter the time, this was true since the first bureaucrat met the power holder of politics.
      As they say more things change the more they stay the same, the people in the future recognizes that their politicians and bureaucrats have just different names.

    • @fredrikkirderf2907
      @fredrikkirderf2907 Год назад +5

      I actually mentioned Yes Minister (with quotes) in an essay on the timelessness of comedy compareing one of their jokes with a joke in The Frogs

    • @dipro001
      @dipro001 Год назад +5

      I strongly believe that even Shakespeare would nod in respect

  • @anglosaxon5874
    @anglosaxon5874 2 года назад +226

    "Well perhaps you should put out a press statement, expressing sympathy for the unemployed.....You may be joining them any moment" 🤣🤣😂😂

    • @kymnprayer
      @kymnprayer Год назад +38

      Brilliant writing! "Appleby: Doesn't he know that I am a poor man? Bernard" Perhaps he hasn't heard that you live in abject poverty on 81,000 pounds per year."

    • @embreis2257
      @embreis2257 Год назад +11

      @@kymnprayer 40yrs later £81k per annum is still a figure most of us can only dream of. what's the current cabinet secretary bringing home?

    • @juliedarlington8099
      @juliedarlington8099 Год назад +18

      @@embreis2257 in 2019 I believe the pay was around £200,000 so still living in abject poverty compared to the rest of us!!!! 🙄

    • @dcat9558
      @dcat9558 Год назад

      Imagine yourself with all that money... you could end up!..."seeking an injunction! to prevent your child's! existence! being reported!"😹🤣...BJ!
      But! BJ!...sends his children to attend, only! a £27,174! a year! school, a £18,000! per year! Private! school...& even to Cambridge! University!😹...
      How does it go?.. money, money, money Must! be FUNNY!...
      Money??!!, turn you into a Fool!🤔...
      (Then, yes! ABBA! that is correct!😹)

  • @CitroenDS23
    @CitroenDS23 Год назад +467

    The mastery of micro-expressions by all the actors is amazing. Surely "Yes.." must be included in any list of worlds best television.

    • @opale1572
      @opale1572 Год назад +8

      Creo que todos son grandes actores, pero Nigel Hawthorne se destaca. Quizá sea lo mejor que ha hecho en toda su carrera.

    • @soniavadnjal7553
      @soniavadnjal7553 Год назад +20

      The policeman guarding no. 10 has a minor role but is outstanding, with the blending of politeness and total steeliness/immoveability.

    • @dinsy512
      @dinsy512 Год назад +1

      Yes, I appreciated his work too.

    • @studiobencivengamarcusbenc5272
      @studiobencivengamarcusbenc5272 Год назад

      Very well stated I love this quirky and witty expressions- this is satire and art at the same time 🥳

    • @michaelwebster3124
      @michaelwebster3124 11 месяцев назад +1

      Between "Yes (Prime)Minister) and "The Thick of it" there is some truly superb british political comedy out there.

  • @ragerancher
    @ragerancher Год назад +36

    "Lulled him into a true sense of security" one of my favourite lines.

  • @DerekLyons
    @DerekLyons Год назад +64

    Nigel Hawthorn was a good friend of mine. Met him when I was 13 years old.. He was my neighbour. When I joined Equity he sponsored me. Such a lovely man

  • @davidanderson4091
    @davidanderson4091 Год назад +29

    I'm convinced that we just didn't see enough of Dorothy Wainwright in Yes Prime Minister... She was the perfect antagonist for Sir Humphrey.

    • @andrewsmith8729
      @andrewsmith8729 Год назад +7

      She was brilliant...... the episode where she took on Humphrey and Sir Frank.......... the episode where she stuck it Sir Desmond Glazebrook...It was a damn shame the show never had a few more episodes each season to give her a larger role.
      I have the entire series on DVD........ still watching it over 40 years from when I first saw it on TV

  • @synthonaplinth5980
    @synthonaplinth5980 Год назад +30

    You can't check up on everything, you never know WHAT you might find!"
    My goodness, the writing on this show was above par.

  • @MoiraOBrien
    @MoiraOBrien Год назад +461

    They just don’t write scripts like this any more. This is classic, brilliant, superbly observed and wonderful comedy.

    • @lampad4549
      @lampad4549 Год назад +13

      They didn't write scripts like these back then name another show with a similar type script to yes minister.

    • @smartchip
      @smartchip Год назад

      They dare not show the deep State and Parliament, I am surprised it was even aired, nay, produced,
      I guess the comedy was a cloak for telling the truth,
      I agree it was impeccable in writing, timing and acting, all round, the only other example of this I can think of is only fools and horses,

    • @amritpalsingh3293
      @amritpalsingh3293 Год назад +13

      Political correctness is killing comedy.

    • @opale1572
      @opale1572 Год назад +1

      De acuerdo en todo con usted. Una serie insuperable.

    •  Год назад +3

      @@amritpalsingh3293 Nice one mudblood.

  • @Atomix330
    @Atomix330 2 года назад +128

    "Prime Minister, I must express in the strongest possible terms my profound opposition to the newly instituted practice which imposes severe and intolerable restrictions on the ingress and egress of senior members of the hierarchy and will, in all probability, should the current deplorable innovation be perpetuated, precipitate a progressive constriction of the channels of communication, culminating 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!"
    "You mean you've lost your key?"

    • @JJONNYREPP
      @JJONNYREPP 2 года назад

      3 Times Sir Humphrey Slipped Up | Yes, Prime Minister | BBC Comedy Greats 1843PM 22.5.22 he means if he doesnt get his way then he will do all in his power to stifle those lines of communications which the civil service rely so much upon and mis read the various situations arising in local and national government to ill end - as he misdirects those most important of governmental missives and memos which may, if he is irked as much as he is here, bring down the present administration and institute a total break down in law and order.

    • @MikeWildePredator
      @MikeWildePredator 2 года назад

      7:13.

    • @reaganoc
      @reaganoc 2 года назад +1

      "I must protest.."

    • @JJVernig
      @JJVernig 2 года назад +9

      Yeah, even the microphones didn't cope with the laughter.
      The prelude from Hacker must be mentioned: "Mr Humprey, to what do we owe this pleasure?"

  • @BedsitBob
    @BedsitBob Год назад +108

    I loved it when Jim Hacker got the upper hand on Sir Humphrey.
    It didn't happen very often, but when it did, 🤣

    • @danieldickson8591
      @danieldickson8591 Год назад +7

      For me the best part was always how much Hacker relished his rare victories over Humphrey.

    • @studiobencivengamarcusbenc5272
      @studiobencivengamarcusbenc5272 Год назад +3

      Hacker has the perfect face, voice and timing 👌😂for the job

  • @crawfb
    @crawfb 2 года назад +894

    The problem is, taken out of context, these clips make Sir Humphrey look like an incompetent fool, whereas, most of the time he was a conniving manipulator who nearly always got the better of Hacker. Knowing that, these examples of his rare blunders are all the funnier.

    • @morbius109
      @morbius109 2 года назад +115

      Sir Humphrey was a very smart man. And true, he got the better of Hacker many times. But as time went on, there were several instances where Hacker showed a keen awareness of Humphrey’s tricks and turned the tables on him. When he had a clear view, Hacker could be a very good shot.

    • @trojanthedog
      @trojanthedog Год назад +35

      This series is genius. All school students should be familiar with it.

    • @briancohenthepfjmassive.4769
      @briancohenthepfjmassive.4769 Год назад +7

      who's that you're on about? Boris Johnson

    • @eleSDSU
      @eleSDSU Год назад +30

      That's why it is explained in the video description that Humpy rarely made mistakes.

    • @smitajky
      @smitajky Год назад +58

      Initially Sir Humphrey always got the better of Hacker due to the inexperience of the politician compared to a career public servant. But the funny part is how with increasing understanding of the public service Hacker recognised that his real enemy was not the opposition but the public service. It is this growth of his character that made the interest that never wanes.

  • @contessa.adella
    @contessa.adella Год назад +303

    Bernard (Derek Fowlds) was the perfect foyle for Appleby and Hacker to bounce off….always squirming in the middle of the two, yet deriving barely concealed satisfaction from his bosses cringe worthy discomfort. The whole series was utterly brilliant and compulsive viewing back in the day.

    • @opale1572
      @opale1572 Год назад +5

      Sí. Es que Bernard es realmente un buen tipo, pero se debate constantemente entre la fidelidad (y el miedo) a su superior inmediato y, por otra parte, la voluntad de no traicionar y servir bien (a pesar de Sir Humphrey) al ministro.

    • @fredcarson2791
      @fredcarson2791 Год назад +5

      Contessa Adella. Bernard was my favourite character. Eg "Minister, if you multiply divisions you get back to where you started from." Well, it was literal common sense wasn't it.
      The coup de grace was when Bernard found that in his early days Humphrey had lost £40 million of public money. It had the rascal (figuratively) on his knees.

    • @sinclairjg
      @sinclairjg Год назад +2

      "We have no. Bananas. To-day."

    • @markb1487
      @markb1487 Год назад +1

      @@sinclairjg absolutely brilliant. 👍💯

    • @markb1487
      @markb1487 Год назад +1

      What a great comment. 👍💯

  • @AthelstanEngland
    @AthelstanEngland Год назад +16

    "You mean you've lost your key?" inspired writing and execution.

  • @slatibaadfast
    @slatibaadfast Год назад +40

    The speeches given by Nigel Hawthorne, sir Humphrey were brilliant. Not to mention he memorised them before delivering them as opposed to reading them from cue cards. Such professionalism.

    • @dodolurker
      @dodolurker 5 месяцев назад +6

      And one of the creators once said that he was embarrassed that he gave this distinguished actor such nonsense to learn and recite 😃

  • @hanselchan1232
    @hanselchan1232 Год назад +11

    "Ahh! Goofy... uhh, Humphrey..." always has me curling up, gripping my aching stomach due to unstoppable laughter. 🤣

  • @PaulCashman
    @PaulCashman Год назад +91

    Brilliant scripting, brilliant acting, brilliant timing. There will never be a show quite like this ever again.

  • @paulmurphy5648
    @paulmurphy5648 Год назад +74

    40-odd years old and STILL absolutely spot on for today...

  • @clairee4939
    @clairee4939 Год назад +24

    Humphrey being locked out was one of my favourite episodes! 😂

  • @petersmith5219
    @petersmith5219 Год назад +77

    EVERY aspect of this British comedy is spot on. Absolute comic perfection. Script. Acting. Timing... where does one stop? !!!

    • @opale1572
      @opale1572 Год назад

      Cierto. Todo tiene la eficacia de un mecanismo de relojería.

    • @owenmorgan4703
      @owenmorgan4703 Год назад

      A comedy classic, brilliant writing , great acting it doesn't get any better than that !

  • @davids736
    @davids736 Год назад +82

    I mean, where does one start? One of the finest TV scripts ever written - not one line wasted. Utter genius..... 😆👍❤

    • @opale1572
      @opale1572 Год назад +1

      Cierto. Insuperable en su estilo!

  • @00bikeboy
    @00bikeboy 2 года назад +237

    I think our descendants will still be laughing 500 years from now. These series are truly a gift to humanity.

    • @stephenphillip5656
      @stephenphillip5656 Год назад

      This will probably still be relevant in those 500 years time. There'll be collision, collusion & confusion in the corridors of power then as now. (This assumes of course that mankind hasn't eliminated him/herself in the meantime).

    • @stud6414
      @stud6414 Год назад +2

      Descendants? 500 years from now! 😂. Can you spell extinct?

    • @bennylloyd-willner9667
      @bennylloyd-willner9667 Год назад +1

      @@stud6414 wow, always some negative thinker ("no, really I'm a realist") who want to soil true comedy instead of enjoy it. On the choice of a) having hope and trying to do better.
      compared to
      b) lie down and be certain of catastrophy "there is no use"
      I choose the first one, for sure.😁

    • @bennylloyd-willner9667
      @bennylloyd-willner9667 Год назад +2

      Probably will they also say "wow, that's exactly like our political system work!" 😁

    • @NuGanjaTron
      @NuGanjaTron Год назад

      If we're even still around as a species, their IQ will be so low as to render the dialogue unintelligible to them; the humour will be entirely lost on them anyway. Ppl have gotten increasingly dumber -- thanks in no small part to our idiotic, brainwashing media. Yes Minister was probably the apex of prime time TV...

  • @radiotelegram
    @radiotelegram Год назад +26

    Merciless British humour at its finest. Timeless and unrivalled.

  • @raymondhayes3438
    @raymondhayes3438 Год назад +141

    One of the greatest Sit Coms ever. Brilliant scrips and superb acting.

    • @Chapps1941
      @Chapps1941 Год назад

      The greatest. Only _Fawlty_ comes close

    • @smartchip
      @smartchip Год назад +1

      Fools and horses, let us not forget,

    • @richardlloyd2589
      @richardlloyd2589 Год назад +3

      *documentary 😉

  • @malccy72
    @malccy72 2 года назад +240

    My favourite episodes. Such skill and articulation make Yes, Prime Minister a true delight and pleasure.

    • @janeminwell4395
      @janeminwell4395 2 года назад +9

      Yes, brilliant actors playing brilliant characters, and sublimely written.

    • @opale1572
      @opale1572 Год назад +1

      @@janeminwell4395 Cierto!

    • @stridedude
      @stridedude Год назад

      Where did the third clip come from ?

  • @Fuzcapp
    @Fuzcapp Год назад +19

    That final line by Bernard - great writing and so well delivered!

  • @colindowd9756
    @colindowd9756 2 года назад +95

    Always love it when Sir Arnold shows up! He's the real governor

    • @markvincentbonachita8950
      @markvincentbonachita8950 2 года назад +17

      He aged like a fine wine. Not always seen but when seen, he is superb.

    • @phildavenport4150
      @phildavenport4150 Год назад +11

      @@markvincentbonachita8950 A mandarin of the highest order.

    • @stephenphillip5656
      @stephenphillip5656 Год назад +19

      Sir Arnold was the only person who could *truly* frighten Sir Humphrey. A smiling assassin.

    • @KidMillions
      @KidMillions Год назад +15

      And 93 now, outlived them all.

    • @opale1572
      @opale1572 Год назад +2

      Claro. Porque Sir Arnold no es más que un Sir Humphrey superior en rango.

  • @euanduthie2333
    @euanduthie2333 Год назад +20

    You've missed the best joke from the second segment. Hacker threatens to put Humphrey on gardening leave until they can investigate and find out if Humphrey is a spy. "What about my reputation?" He splutters in response. "I thought you staked that on Halstead being innocent."

  • @judithmarshall4187
    @judithmarshall4187 7 месяцев назад +24

    What Joy to have discovered these. One of my all time favourite programmes. Brilliant acting, superb scripts and funny to boot!

  • @alexjewell2351
    @alexjewell2351 Год назад +109

    Nigel Hawthorne was just so good in this, he stole the show... All the characters were completely brilliant.

    • @paulcaswell2813
      @paulcaswell2813 Год назад +10

      Three times Paul Eddington was shortlisted for a BAFTA for his role as (Prime) Minister, only to be edged out by his colleague Nigel Hawthorne...

    • @mr8ball1st
      @mr8ball1st Год назад +8

      Though they also thought Derek Fowlds should have been nominated as well, as quire often Bernard can get in that final quip to round it all off.

    • @mikeymcfadden6889
      @mikeymcfadden6889 Год назад +3

      Nigel Hawthorne Also Voiced Professor Porter In Disney’s Tarzan (1999)

    • @soniavadnjal7553
      @soniavadnjal7553 11 месяцев назад +2

      ​@@paulcaswell2813both PE and DF should have won the BAFTA at least once.

  • @guguigugu
    @guguigugu Год назад +47

    lulled him into a true sense of security 😂😂

    • @SmartStr33t
      @SmartStr33t Год назад +1

      I died

    • @AsteroidM749A
      @AsteroidM749A Год назад

      @@SmartStr33t I also died

    • @afterthesmash
      @afterthesmash Год назад +1

      Delivered too briskly to function as a crescendo, but perhaps the slyest line of the entire compilation.

  • @yvonnesimmons9001
    @yvonnesimmons9001 Год назад +47

    I agree, perfect scripts, perfect characters, perfect cast, perfect production. These series will still be funny, relevant and perfect 100 years from now.

    • @markb1487
      @markb1487 Год назад

      Absolutely brilliant. 👍💯

  • @jimspink2922
    @jimspink2922 Год назад +9

    Love that little section at 0.37 where Bernard says Crikey he will go potty and it cuts to Hacker and he lets out that little evil laugh

  • @jimsmith9419
    @jimsmith9419 Год назад +9

    I hope I haven’t missed someone else saying this, but there is the subtle joke in these clips that ‘Thank me no thankings’ is actually Shakespeare, not Hacker: Romeo and Juliet, Act 3, Scene 5.

  • @dlamiss
    @dlamiss Год назад +13

    the line "goofy" was brilliant

  • @oddviews
    @oddviews Год назад +150

    The funniest part of this series was how this was true in concept in real life. It was admitted by a current Minister at the time as they colluded in the script writing. Satire and humour at its best.

    • @embreis2257
      @embreis2257 Год назад +18

      we would consider ourselves lucky if the current PM were 1/10th as competent, honest and truthful as Hacker

    • @gregb6469
      @gregb6469 Год назад +17

      Two high-ranking members of the Wilson/Callaghan cabinet secretly talked with Jay and Lynn to explain how government at that level worked, thus the authenticity of the series.

  • @davetaylor2088
    @davetaylor2088 Год назад +31

    One of the finest examples of real quality television ever produced. Thanks for keeping it alive.

  • @thejfg7741
    @thejfg7741 Год назад +30

    Quality actors with immense talent playing comedy. I also love how the whole premise is the absurd being normal. It plays to that so well, absurdity is normal and no one sees that as being abnormal.

  • @shelleywinters6763
    @shelleywinters6763 Год назад +52

    Very clever writing, I remember hearing that M Thatcher said it was accurate too. I loved the development of the PM learning the ropes and turning the tables on his Admin. He used words to hide the truth, to bury the truth in confeluted sentences LOL. I miss those confoluted sentences from Sir Humphrey, linguistic juggling. Masterful.

    • @piotrd.4850
      @piotrd.4850 Год назад +2

      Australian PM asked if they wath "Yes, MInister" - "Yes, but nobody's laughing"

  • @michaelwest7844
    @michaelwest7844 Год назад +41

    ..and not a swear word to be heard. True comedy gold!

    • @teeteringonthebrink.305
      @teeteringonthebrink.305 Год назад +5

      Sir Humphrey - "Open this BLOODY door." No, I know exactly what you mean - I'm just being picky. Seriously, you are absolutely right and I agree 100% with you.

    • @Alucard-gt1zf
      @Alucard-gt1zf 3 месяца назад

      Bloody has never been a swear word, its barely even rude​@teeteringonthebrink.305

    • @Happyheretic2308
      @Happyheretic2308 3 месяца назад

      Its a corruption of "By Our Lady" which was, in a pre-Reformation England, quite beyond the pale. ​@@Alucard-gt1zf

  • @GhostEye31
    @GhostEye31 Год назад +13

    "My God." "No Bernard it's just your boss." Might just be the beat line in Yes Prime Minister

  • @Foxhunter49
    @Foxhunter49 Год назад +26

    This is what I call classic comedy. Very funny, great actors and timeless.
    Best comedy has no swearing, can be watched with children or grandmothers.

    • @teeteringonthebrink.305
      @teeteringonthebrink.305 Год назад

      You are right on all counts 👍Good family entertainment.

    • @Grandmastergav86
      @Grandmastergav86 Год назад +2

      Yes because it is reliant upon astute observation and precise use of language (or even purposely imprecise as was so often the case of YM and YPM).

  • @DeanMoxley87
    @DeanMoxley87 2 года назад +23

    I was born in 1987
    I’m 34 & I was aware of this program & it’s sister show but it’s only recently I’ve watched these clips on yt & it kills me. This program isn’t retro it’s modern day

  • @Joemantler
    @Joemantler Год назад +8

    What this clip leaves out was that Sir Humphrey himself forced the policy that no one, "no matter how familiar", could enter Number 10 without a pass. Adding permission from Mr Bernard Wolley was icing on that cake! 😄 Seriously, people, if you ever get the opportunity, but Yes Prime Minister on physical media!

  • @dingopisscreek
    @dingopisscreek Год назад +30

    Nigel Hawthorn, what brilliant acting. Not to diminish that of Paul Eddington and Derek Fowlds - all gone now that great department in the sky. Brilliantly written and acted. The very best of the BBC.

  • @THINKincessantly
    @THINKincessantly 2 года назад +12

    It was off the record....IT WAS ON THE TAPE😆

  • @ThomasFishwick
    @ThomasFishwick 2 года назад +32

    The thing I love is that bit of on location filming. Number 10 would have to have given permission to film.
    Think about that, the standing government gives permission for a parody of the government to film on their doorstep.
    That just doesn’t happen.

    • @PeacockRhino
      @PeacockRhino Год назад +13

      It was Mrs Thatcher’s favourite program

    • @TommyWylie
      @TommyWylie Год назад +2

      @@PeacockRhino In her case, it was a perfect excuse for any government failures... just blame the civil service.

    • @amojak
      @amojak Год назад +3

      @@TommyWylie the civil service stil to this day are busy ruining everything.. as an ex civil servant i have experience :)

    • @opale1572
      @opale1572 Год назад

      @@TommyWylie Sí, pero no sé si le hacía tanta gracia que implícitamente pudiesen compararla con Jim Hacker.

    • @beyondnatural9155
      @beyondnatural9155 Год назад +1

      You have made a truly insightful comment. The government not only allows itself to be satirised and lampooned. They pay all the cost as well and allow it broadcast at best times.

  • @buddypvaz124
    @buddypvaz124 Год назад +32

    ONE OF THE BEST SHOWS EVER ON TELEVISION. BRILLIANT

  • @nadw
    @nadw 2 года назад +104

    The Russian spy clip is my favourite one, as you can see Sir Humphrey's increasing panic as the scale of the seriousness of his situation slowly becomes clear..

    • @michaelvidal1971
      @michaelvidal1971 Год назад +18

      I think this was the episode where Hacker in passing asks Sir Humphrey How his garden was. Sir Humphrey starts t answer then with horror realises what Hacker meant.

    • @dingopisscreek
      @dingopisscreek Год назад +6

      Sir Humphrey tries to belittle Halstead opinion of him and then realises by doing so he is incriminating himself even more - brilliant acting from all concerned

    • @mrk.dilkington
      @mrk.dilkington Год назад +5

      And the phone hacking episode with Hunphreys "off the record" radio recording.

    • @rkh7360
      @rkh7360 Год назад +6

      "John gave me his word..the word of a gentleman." Explains how the Cambridge 5 escaped scrutiny.

    • @michaelvidal1971
      @michaelvidal1971 Год назад +5

      @@rkh7360 Not true this case was totally different. Sir John was an Oxford gentleman. As Sir Humphrey would tell you that makes all the difference. (takes tongue away from cheek)

  • @mattb4195
    @mattb4195 Год назад +16

    @17:55 the waves of non-verbal expression flying across Sir Humphrey's face as the shock and horror dawns on him. Perfect acting by Nigel Hawthorne.

  • @andyray89
    @andyray89 2 года назад +30

    Hacker's smile at 0:38 😂

  • @howaldtim
    @howaldtim Год назад +8

    "Prime Ministers come and go" - 40+ years later - Truer words were never spoken

  • @glynbrain1083
    @glynbrain1083 Год назад +8

    'Lulled him into a TRUE sense of security'.

  • @robgrune3284
    @robgrune3284 Год назад +64

    truly, the greatest satire comedy of all time. always current.

  • @heathy120
    @heathy120 Год назад +10

    "The Key" is by far my favorite episode😂😂😂😂

  • @georgeknox1822
    @georgeknox1822 Год назад +10

    The most intelligent comedy EVER written. As much as sir Humphrey is a rogue , you have to love his character . Genius. Miss this sort of inventive comedy

  • @CalRichards
    @CalRichards Год назад +11

    A significant amount of comedy does't stand the test of time. This is one of the notable exceptions. Brilliant.

  • @hanselchan1232
    @hanselchan1232 Год назад +5

    I am sure Queen Elizabeth II is now having a good laugh with these 3 great gentlemen in Heaven.

  • @BigAl53750
    @BigAl53750 8 месяцев назад +26

    My absolute favourite British comedy. When my eldest daughter was about 10 or 11 years old, she came into the living room one night and asked what was making me laugh. This show was on and she asked if she could join me watching it. I said yes, but I’m not sure you’ll think it as funny as I do.
    I was wrong! It’s over 30 years later and she still regards this as one her favourites too, but she really surprised me by her grasp of the subtlties and laughed in all the right places, with very few questions directed at me to explain things. Very intelligent girl! Her younger sister is even smarter! (which is a bit of a worry!)

    • @fd8934
      @fd8934 5 месяцев назад

      Youre 30 something daughter being smart is worrying? :/

    • @hellomoto2084
      @hellomoto2084 2 месяца назад

      ​@@fd8934 he meant it in a carefree nature.

  • @nebuchadnejjar
    @nebuchadnejjar 11 месяцев назад +16

    Possibly, just possibly, these three actors were the last of the greats on Television. 40 years later on, no one has come close to them

    • @sonofednawelthorpe8609
      @sonofednawelthorpe8609 6 месяцев назад +1

      Four - you have to count John Nettleton who died a few months ago who played Sir Arnold. So all four talents have left us.

    • @davidmellish3295
      @davidmellish3295 Месяц назад

      I think ' Only Fools And Horses ' was up there as well . Definitely the three greatest sitcoms ever made. Yes Minister, Yes Prime Minister and Only Fools And Horses

  • @markh9749
    @markh9749 Год назад +10

    When "Yes Prime Minister" aired originally, it was a comedy series. In the years since it has become much more. It is both documentary and commentary on the ways in which we were governed and led.

    • @pixie3458
      @pixie3458 Месяц назад

      Boris' parties would have strained credibility..real life being stranger than fiction 🤔

  • @ThePurple1968
    @ThePurple1968 7 месяцев назад +19

    Bernard remains the hidden gem of the series and politics forever

  • @pauldavies6037
    @pauldavies6037 Год назад +12

    The BBC at its peak of comedy writing with the best actors

  • @alternative1999
    @alternative1999 Год назад +21

    Such brilliant writing
    Such brilliant acting
    Such brilliant... everything

  • @nathelondon3719
    @nathelondon3719 Год назад +12

    An absolute classic. A triumphirate of superb actors. Fresh 40 years on. RIP all.

  • @CarrionCrow993
    @CarrionCrow993 Год назад +12

    "It was off the record!"
    "IT WAS ON THE TAPE!"

  • @stephenord3403
    @stephenord3403 Год назад +7

    You mean you've lost your key? I cried laughing

  • @FACup-eu2dt
    @FACup-eu2dt Год назад +5

    "You can't check-up on everything, you never know what you might find". Priceless.

  • @Chris-bc6ny
    @Chris-bc6ny Год назад +25

    Absolutely brilliant, probably the best comedic representation of British politics ever, so relevant even today.

  • @wkuntjoro6130
    @wkuntjoro6130 11 месяцев назад +8

    I am not young, but this was even before me .... masterpiece of British comedy, in fact more than a mere comedy..

  • @ss2k10
    @ss2k10 Год назад +19

    Sir Nigel Hawthorne was absolutely inimitable in the role of Sir Humphrey ! Current-day "sitcoms" are so crass in comparison !!

  • @studiobencivengamarcusbenc5272
    @studiobencivengamarcusbenc5272 Год назад +13

    I sometimes do not believe these series do exist 😂the level of art and craft is so high 🥳so bloody exquisite

  • @xplorer841
    @xplorer841 Год назад +4

    ‘Lulled him into a true sense of security’ hahaha epic writing

  • @Twmpa
    @Twmpa Год назад +49

    If only the BBC could make stuff this good nowadays. I loved the way the series evolved from Sir Humphrey running rings around the minister to the prime minister hilriously toying with Sir Humphrey.

    • @danieldickson8591
      @danieldickson8591 Год назад +5

      Jim Hacker as the PM still ended up dancing to Humphrey's tune most of the time. These examples of his screw-ups are extremely rare. But it's worth noting that in the episode of the last clip, Humphrey actually went to Hacker for advice on how to prepare for the interview, one area where Hacker was an expert.

    • @philg578
      @philg578 Год назад +2

      If only, this would not have been made in our day and age....

    • @richardlloyd2589
      @richardlloyd2589 Год назад +2

      They did a remake. It was dire. Or to quote a YM episode, appalling.

  • @mattbox87
    @mattbox87 Год назад +4

    [patronisingly] "Would you excuse us, dear lady?" i.e. "Please leave the room."
    [also, patronisingly, on another level] "Yes." ... "Carry on." i.e "I'm going to choose to take your question literally, and yes, you may continue." but also "I see your sexism, you self-important git."
    Loved it! And this reminds me why I loved this series.
    And I'm astonished that we've apparently still not resolved the battle of the genders after so many years.
    i.e. even in the early 80's the BBC of all organisations has a woman giving the metaphorical middle finger to her superior male figure.
    What's holding us back?

  • @passiveaggressive6175
    @passiveaggressive6175 Год назад +19

    Nigel Hawthorne played this role with 1000% commitment. Fantastic

    • @mikeymcfadden6889
      @mikeymcfadden6889 Год назад +1

      Wayne Knight Played Tantor The Elephant In Disney's Tarzan

  • @MarkHenstridge
    @MarkHenstridge Год назад +37

    You know it's very difficult for me to pick my favourite British TV sitcom, there are so many to choose from but Yes Minister/Prime Minister are right up top with others like Faulty Towers, Kenny Everett, Monty Python's Flying Circus, The Goodies, Young Ones ect. Yes Minister/Prime Minister are in my top 10 and hand over heart if I see they are being aired I will make sure I watch them all again. Thanks for posting these hilarious scenes, Cheers from Australia

    • @Chapps1941
      @Chapps1941 Год назад +2

      Looks like 6:0, UK v USA

    • @triarb5790
      @triarb5790 Год назад +4

      Blackadder is right up there

  • @alexlandherr
    @alexlandherr Год назад +8

    So rare was it when Humphrey slipped up that one would laugh remarkably hard; a testament to the writing and actors.

  • @MrISabier
    @MrISabier Год назад +18

    As a kid growing up, British slapstick comedies were the family staple. Mind Your Language, Carry On series, Those Magnificent Men In Their Flying Machines etc were repeat favorites. Now as an adult, Yes Minister / Prime Minister completes the circle as the finest mature comedy out there.
    Nothing tops this. Nothing.

  • @PeterJ-de4wk
    @PeterJ-de4wk Год назад +13

    Must be one of the best written comedies of all time!

  • @pouleichel2760
    @pouleichel2760 Год назад +2

    ""lulled him in to at true sense of security" LOL

  • @suninmoon4601
    @suninmoon4601 7 месяцев назад +4

    Delightful! To be enjoyed over and over again without fear of loss of originality or entertainment value.

  • @magzb2642
    @magzb2642 Год назад +70

    I'm so sorry the Prime Minister never got an award for his acting here. So brilliant.

    • @vallee3140
      @vallee3140 Год назад +14

      its always amazed me he never got one, I read he was upset when he did not.

    • @KidMillions
      @KidMillions Год назад +14

      @@vallee3140 Nigel won all the BAFTAs while the others watched in the audience. Slightly embarrassing.

    • @soniavadnjal7553
      @soniavadnjal7553 Год назад +9

      @@KidMillions yes, one would have been sufficient. Derek Fields was brilliant also, a great foil to the others. Should have got a BAFTA.

    • @elizabethman7313
      @elizabethman7313 Год назад +5

      NH had the words but PE could do it all with his face alone.

  • @godfreyberry1599
    @godfreyberry1599 Год назад +12

    Priceless, absolutely excellent. Where has superb British comedy like this gone ?.

  • @chantawatchantarapanya8479
    @chantawatchantarapanya8479 Год назад +5

    “My God!”
    “No, it’s just your boss!!”

  • @williamdrijver4141
    @williamdrijver4141 Год назад +9

    Sir Arnold's pronunciation of the English language is the best ever!

    • @richardlloyd2589
      @richardlloyd2589 Год назад

      Every word carefully considered and measured before being spoken. Concise and to the point.
      I suspect almost all our current politicians have watched this many times, yet they don’t seem to have learnt from Sir Arnold, but instead copy Sir Humphrey’s attempts at wordy obfuscation.

  • @louisebrislane6607
    @louisebrislane6607 Год назад +22

    This was I believe the greatest comedy show around. One is always guaranteed a good belly laugh!! It certainly opened my young eyes to the reality of who actually runs the country.

  • @AlexWard94
    @AlexWard94 Год назад +7

    The epitome of British comedy and I wasn’t even alive when it aired. The only television series I’ll never tire of rewatching. Laugh out loud every single time.

  • @srenskadhede2653
    @srenskadhede2653 Год назад +2

    "Lulled him into a true sense of security" 🤣

  • @tdpay9015
    @tdpay9015 Год назад +5

    You missed one -- The Skeleton in the Cupboard (1982), in which Sir Humphrey must face a mistake he made 30 years earlier.

  • @sowitandhopeitgrows
    @sowitandhopeitgrows Год назад +14

    Brilliantly cast... As a kid I didn't understand what was so funny, now I watch these time and time again... Brilliant

  • @leons.kennedy6710
    @leons.kennedy6710 Год назад +6

    I just recently stumbled upon this show and I have not laughed this hard in ages. Thank you BBC!

  • @RichelleBremner
    @RichelleBremner Год назад +27

    Brilliant British comedy at its best. I have never really been that much interested in politics but I loved this show. 🥰

    • @nicholashylton6857
      @nicholashylton6857 Год назад +3

      When one pays attention to politics, you quickly realize how frighteningly accurate the show is.

  • @kdjspanner3930
    @kdjspanner3930 Год назад +6

    One of the greatest scenes in movie and television history ever, the script is pure genesis!