Becoming the Prime Minister | Yes, Minister: 1984 Christmas Special | BBC Comedy Greats
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- Опубликовано: 30 июл 2021
- In defending the British sausage Jim Hacker somehow winds up as Prime Minister in this hilarious compilation of the best moments of the Yes, Minister Christmas Special from 1984.
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My favourite exchange is around 13:10 :
-"I have discovered that one of your officials spends all his time paying farmers to produce masses of surplus food, while somebody in the next office pays people to destroy the surpluses."
-"That's not true. He is not is the next office. Not even on the same floor."
It's true, you know.
Farmers are subsidised so that there will always be more than enough food without having to rely on imports.
The surplus is, of course, surplus.
Even the UN have made it an
issue that so much food is going to waste. Food that there are not enough people in the world to eat, which exists only to ensure that nobody has to starve, but which somehow is still regarded as unnecessary waste that something should be done about.
It is probably purely coincidence that it was put on the agenda after a moratorium on gambling - sorry, "financial speculation" - with food futures. (Because that would give investors an incentive to reduce production to increase prices, inevitably leading to food shortages and starvation alongside immense profits.)
That people are still starving despite the surplus in food is only because those people are not cost effective to invest in, seeing how their contribution to the economy is negative (on account of them being too starved to contribute positively).
To preserve price stability, the surplus that nobody could consume has to be destroyed. There is a loophole, of course: The surplus that cannot be consumed within the EU can be exported at cost to countries that by agreement with the WTO are not allowed to have protective trade tariffs, thus outpricing local farmers in developing countries who, by agreement with the IMF, are not allowed to subsidise their own farmers.
If those countries are former European colonies, then their farmers can avoid bankruptcy by exporting to the EU instead, selling at guaranteed EU prices.
If those developing country farms are owned by investors living in the EU, their products are even eligible for the Fair Trade label.
Hahahaha... "That would be intolerable. Even the Italians wouldn't stoop that low!"
@@davidwuhrer6704 Nice explanation!!!
wonderful explanation@@davidwuhrer6704
"How are things at the Campaign for the Freedom of Informationen btw? - Sorry, I can't talk about that." Best joke in the entire series. 😂🤣😂
I'd go with Sir Arnold's response to the question of who should be the next PM: “Difficult. It's like asking which lunatic should run the asylum.” Every time there's an election, that line always pops up in my head.
Also, in the first episode, Hacker is introduced to Sir Humphrey, and recalls that they have previously crossed swords at a Select Committee hearing:
Sir Humphrey: "The Minister asked all the questions I hoped no-one would ask"
Hacker: "And you answered them"
Sir Humphrey: "I'm glad you thought so, Minister"
Anyone who's worked in any private or public sector dealing with FOI will tell you this is precisely the attitude adopted when dealing with "Freedom" of information.
Word.
So many to chose from, but I favour Sir Humphrey's "I don't think we need to drag the truth in at this stage."
Or the following exchange:
Jim: Who knows Foreign Office secrets, apart from the Foreign Office?
Bernard: That's easy - the Kremlin.
That ever-so-light emotional note in 'yes' before Humphrey calls Hacker Prime Minister for the first time is very touching. For all of their tussles, I genuinely think that Humphrey rather liked him. As always, sublime acting from the peerless Sir Nigel Hawthorne.
The moment where both Sir Arnold and Sir Humphrey burst out laughing at the suggestion of Hacker as Prime Minister is pure gold,
Even funnier was neither said it out loud.
@@brontewcat Lol yup. One glance at each other and they crack up.
@@brontewcat supposedly this was not in the script and was done by the two actors
@@afankhan482 Really? Do you have a source for this?
The scene where they ask Bernard how he felt about Hacker being the next PM. The look of confusion on his face and when he checks his watch and Humphrey asks if he is in a hurry and Bernard replies NO I AM JUST CHECKING THAT ITS NOT APRIL THE FIRST. That was pure gold as well. Derek Fowlds delivers his lines brilliantly. He may not have much to say in the series but when he does it is brilliant. Check out where Humphrey and Hacker are discussing who reads what papers. At the end the Sun newspaper is mentioned and his reply is They dont care who runs the country so long as she has big tits
To Hacker it was the greatest day in his political career.
To Humphrey it was a Thursday.
One time Humphrey was explaining to Bernard why he had no moral compass -he explained that he had been serving 11 different PM's, and if he had whole-heartedly embraced their positions, he would have been on both sides of every issue at one point or another, and would have become certifiably insane! That's why to him, it really was a Thursday.
@@BillinHungary I remember. :)
"A moral vacuum!"
There was one other BBC show where the star just couldn't get the hang of Thursdays.
@@neilgerace355 Yeah, I miss Douglas Adams too. :(
'A bottle of champagne is the customary surprise' 😅
These actors may have passed on to their eternal reward but they will all live on for generations to come in the fabulous characters they played in this classic sitcom!
I know you meant the best, but a lot of us I can't think "eternal reward" without thinking of Jafar saying it with that drawl. It... Changes the tone a bit
Funny enough I think John Nettleton (Sir Arnold) is still around.
@@brianfarrell3987 Yes, I took a look and strangely, Sir Arnold is still around, even though he was like a decade or so older than the others.
i think bernard is still alive as well
@@kwicksandz Derek Fowlds sadly passed away in 2020.
The scene when Humphrey says "Yes Prime Minister" is equal only to the final Black Adder scene "going over the top" and the Faulty Towers "you started it, by invading Poland" in the finest of all British Comedy
"Are you in a hurry?" "No, I was just checking to see if it wasn't April 1."
watch with date, nice watch 😁
Paul Eddington is IMO under appreciated , the drunken scene here is so well acted, just the right amount of intoxication and abandonment of reserve and letting the true mental make up of Hacker come through. Superbr!
Probably the best representation of someone who is quite drunk but believes they are just a bit buzzed I've seen
"Good evening Cinstable!"
@@MijmerMopper All the more remarkable considering he was a life long Quaker and thus tee-total.
I would love to know who made the decision to leave the brilliant Paul Eddington out of the honours. Disgraceful … and cruel.
He was a very uneven actor. He was *capable* of quite nuanced performance, but he seldom gave that. Like in this entire series, where his acting is close to a slapstick/panto delivery or just plain overacted a lot of the time. I've never worked out if it's the scripting or his acting choice. Contrast it with the rest of the main cast who were all quite restrained and nuanced in their performances *most* of the time.
Nevertheless, great series and it holds up so well even now, 40+ years later.
How did they make such a brilliant show???? I have watched all episodes umpteen number of times. Never gets old. This is timeless. To me, this is the best comedy series in any language ever.
They had inside sources.
Two minds with the same thoughts! I've watched all the episodes numerous times too, and I am always entertained! They don't make shows like these anymore! At 8:58 of this video, and for the following sequence, I couldn't control myself!
Dipan Das
Totally agree.
Great series- and so true.
Thatcher thought it was wonderful- and she should know the truth of it.
Me too
couldnt agree more - ive seen each episode a million times!!
The entire series never gets old. It's refreshingly hilarious every time I watch it
That's why I bought the box set of both series.
Scary how every drama in West Aust can be tied to an episode!
BEST COMEDY EVER.
I wonder if anything from TV today will age just half as well....
@@uweinhamburg Many of the issues they talk about or 'have happen' are still the same problem today.
@@annemariefleming I bought the discs for both series too!
I love the office joke about him not even being on the same floor. So clever and witty. The guy totally misses the point to correct a technicality.
"That's not true. He's not in the next office. Not even on the same floor." - Maurice
Greatest show ever. Acting. Writing. Everything. I don’t think we’ll ever see something like this again.
Totally agree and it still holds up well today
I just love how they go from laughing about it to “a considerable body of opinion” in the space of a minute.
Yeah, I love "A considerable body of opinion!"
Listening to this in late July 2022- I especially enjoyed the comments of Sir Arnold at lunch "will it be our eminent Chancellor or our distinguished Foreign Secretary...difficult, like asking which lunatic should run the asylum" and of course Sir Humphrey's response about them both being "interventionists".
Hopefully we'll have an election soon!
When satire is taken over by real-life events. Poor satirists...
To ensure Yes Minister never showed they were Conservative or Labour, notice at 17:42 that Sir Humphrey said a message came through from "Central House" - this was a blend of the Conservative Central Office and Labour Transport House - clever and simple wasn't it?
The most revealing aspect of Hacker's entire career is that it never really mattered one iota whether he was Tory or Labour. Which is indicative of the insularity of Whitehall.
@@bomcabedal Exactly, as the civil service are/were the ones with real power. As Sir Arnold said with permanence comes power.
Hacker also used a white campaign-flower, rather than red or blue.
I think evasive is a better word. Antony Jay was a Thatcherite monetarist, so there is an ideological slant.
@@baronmeduse Remember co writer Jonathan Lynn was on the left, who was no admirer of Thatcher
It’s as relevant today as it was in the 80’s. Superbly written & executed.
The actors made it though. When they tried another series with different actor, it flopped.
@@Warriorking.1963 oh absolutely Eddington, Hawthorn & Fowlds we’re magnificent.
No so relevant now, they actually choose a good Prime minister in this show.
Absolutely, which concerns me about our lack of progress.
@@22espec oh, that stings, and probably right, unfortunately.
The books of the series - written in the form of diaries of Jim Hacker are absolutely brilliant giving an entire new dimension to the series.
Thank you for this information
Especially the memos, "Sir Bernard Woolley Recalls" and 'Appleby Papers' notes
They are just brilliant ... even thought the material was basically not new for me having watched the original shows the first three times I read them through I could not help laughing out loud. Now I've referred to them so many times they are all in pieces and I should by new copies.
Yes! And believe it or not when I bought them in the early nineties here in the US they were in the biography section!!! My hand to God!
@@charlieboy1701 Titles please :)
Random fact - in the weeks leading up to this broadcast, it was advertised as "the final episode ever of Yes Minister".
This naturally caused shock and consternation as it was a much loved show, and of course, we all tuned in to watch it.
(The joke being that the subsequent series was renamed as "Yes, Prime Minister").
The entire plot of the episode led up to Jim placing his hand below his lapel Napoleon style and looking into the distance but it was cut off.
That's so you'll want to buy the full version - they must be Gobbiners ;)
As was Sir Humphrey's peerless performance, telling Hacker of his imminent move to the position of Cabinet Secretary (which Hacker misinterpreted as Humphrey having a terminal disease!) One of the *many* superlative performances by Nigel Hawthorne & Paul Eddington. Oh how we miss them and British comedy at its very best.
I'm very upset about that.
And we didn't see how Hacker (with Humphrey's information) manipulates Eric and Duncan, making himself look very clever.
I think you'll find that it was Churchill that he was trying to emulate...
Manipulated - "professionally guided"😂😅 oh that laughing scene after that was gorgeous😂😂😂😂
Yes but old Jim wasn't the complete fool, he new when to stand up to them!!🤨😏
Sir Arnold has the best voice. He makes Sir Humphry sound coarse.
ah, of course, who can forget that most wonderful line in the 95 Theses:
"salami is the wurst"
8:56 to 9:12 . Arnold and Humphrey laughing at their thought of Jim becoming prime minister is epic. 😀😀😀
The way they build it up is worth a couple Oscars 🤣
It just proves that great comedy writing, and this is probably the finest example, is completely timeless.
Im just reading "Don Quixote" - it was written in 1605, its genuinely funny. And not that hard to read even for a dyslexic like me.
But comedy from 400 years ago is still funny today it its written well...
Given that these structures have not changed in the last 50 years, we are in no position to judge its timelessness.
Sure, but the subject helped a lot.
Appropriate that one of the two writers Anthony Jay was also a speechwriter for members of Margaret Thatcher's Conservative government.
I'd say as long as we keep representative democracy for our government this comedy will stay spot on.
The Eurosausage is one of the greatest gags ever written
After all the years of watching this, I finally noticed how Bernard lowers his volume when Sir Humphrey proposes to him Jim for the prime ministership.
What an excellent show!
The one thing that really dates this is that a senior politician is stopped for drunk driving and it's no more than an amusing footnote in the episode.
The other drunk driving incident (that of the current PM) in the full episode was a lot more..severe
I always loved when Hacker would channel Winston Churchill when he was pontificating.
He would channel in his speeches.
He would channel in his delivery.
But he would never take his gravitas.
What fun they must have had making this show.
The Rishi Sunak moment! 😂
What an amazing documentary that shows the realities of british political life
And they're all hot.
No, it’s a sitcom.
@@andrewrobinson8305 true but I think that most of us brits would agree with Jose,, I prefer the thick of it series, that seems a little closer to the truth or even house of card's the original but I couldn't possibly say Andrew 😂👍
@@andrewrobinson8305 whoosh
When the prime minister and other in politic did agree with it beeing true to life I think we can call it a documentary.
The sausage speech explains how the Brexit bollocks happened better than any academic discourse
I am deeply ashamed of Brexit and disgusted by it so yes.
@@JohnnyZenith pathetic!
@@JohnnyZenith Brexit was the best and cleverest thing that the UK did in 50 years. The UK's influence in the world has upticked sharply, together with its trading capability
@@ThePurple1968 Hahaha you almost had me.
@@ThePurple1968 best laugh of the year
Who hit the thumbs down???? It's one of the best comedy series, and this is one of the best episodes of Yes Minister (the whole episode!). The almost unbelievable move to number 10 is pulled off here, just to get a prime minister without convictions. Who does that remind me of?!
Agree so much. When all the Cummings saga started I thought this reminds me of something and I remembered this
Every Prime Minister for the last 20 years
@@philipmarson5582 is it strange but I do think that Gordon Brown and Blair had somewhat more convictions than Cameron and May? Whatever you think about Labours period in power…
Not the whole episode though. They cut out about half an hour from the middle (it was a double-length ep originally) with the best bits (Hacker's "killer instinct").
@@bomcabedal that’s what I meant. The whole episode is the best.
Especially the part where Humphrey explains to Hacker the security implications, and that he is the only one who has to tell his colleagues that they can’t be the next PM. Because of the Shady Lady or the Shady dealings of the other.
America was predicted by the Simpsons, Britain was predicted by Yes, Minister
I think America existed before The Simpsons and the same with the UK before Yes Minister. Neither programme predicted their existence
Simon Holyoak is one of the great philosophers of our generation. Other keen observations include "the sun kind of far" "there is riff-raff in the middle east" and "dying isn't healthy".
@@Delightfully_Bitchy why thank you delightfully pithy. I only wish I was as intelligent as you.
@@Delightfully_Bitchy If I may: Have you ever seen someone get sick after dying?
How can you say that dying isn't healthy when quite obviously it is a panacea to all chronic maladies?
Dying certainly cuts short all enjoyment one might have had of life otherwise, but it also ends all suffering in the person concerned. And what is good health if not the absence of all suffering?
May I suggest that the adage many a true word is spoken in jest springs to mind
I love this series so much I barely know where to begin, nearly every episode is a treasure trove of hilarious word play. When Sir Humphrey is talking about the sermon on the mount would probably not be published were it a government report . ‘ A most irresponsible document, all that stuff about the meek inheriting the Earth. Could cause irreparable damage to the defence budget’ 😂😂😂. Cried the first time I heard that conversation between the two.
I remember laughing and crying when i saw this episode,it was so funny,and i was so happy for Jim Hacker 😂
Comedy gold. Top notch writing and acting still relevant all these years later
So much better than anything available today. Still funny. Still relevant.
8:55 is the most beautiful moment in the series
This was certainly a widespread reaction to Boris becoming PM.
I think this was a fairly accurate forecast of John Major's path to the top job. In Boris's case, everybody was having a good laugh, right up until he became desperately ill with Covid.
Man the MI5 files reading and the "divide and conquer" strategy to beat the other 2 candidates are much funnier. Buy the DVDs people!
Never thought of 1984 , it's has as much sense value and humour today as it did then . I love this program it's timeless
It went over my head as a youngster
Few people act drunk well, Arthur Lowe, George Cole and Paul Eddington are three who do it very well.
Gregor Fisher.
Mind you Arthur Lowe hardly needed to act as he had a drink problem later in life.
John Dunsworth
Hugh Laurie
Willie Ross.
I absolutely ADORE this programme,one of thee best comedy's in history.
If only this was the entire episode. Arnold’s meeting with Humphrey (“I’ve been giving some thought to early retirement”) and Humphrey’s follow up meeting with Hacker (“I’m on my way out”) are the first things missing. Lots more.
Yep, they had to trim what I think was close to a one-hour episode down to 20 minutes.
Yes, that meeting with Arnold is definitely a classic, especially where the light bulb goes on in Humphrey's head after Arnold's satement!!
My favorite bit of the episode is where Hacker has to dissuade his rivals from standing. "The Shady Lady from Argentina"
Missing the important scene about the other politician drunkenly crashing into a nuclear waste lorry, which is why the PM stands down in the first place.
"Apparently, he was drunk as a lord so they will probably make him one".
And the shady lady from Argentina - who was just a front.
Excellent guide to understanding any "brilliant" idea of the government. I watched it many times and it's truly classic.
No matter how many times I watch this, tears of laughter fall down my face. Pure magic!
It's close to 40 years it was aired (1984) and looks so true and apt in 2022. Must have seen thousand times and i still chuckle every time. Pure genius 👍
Sir Arnold's 'for Briton' and Nigel Hawthorne's impeccable delivery!!! A leathal potent mixture of dark humour and sattire.
5 minutes in, and I'm still laughing about 'emulsified high fat offal tube'!! All because of PE's delivery.
The best political comedy ever and what a brilliant episode this was!
Such brilliance. This is pure gold. Video cuts as Jim slips his hand into his jacket a la Nelson. Such a wonderful moment 👍
I never tire of Humphries long winded baffling civil servant chatter 😆 🤣
Here we are, nearly 40 years later and we are fighting for the `British Sausage`.
The acting is pure pure gold
“Emulsified high-fat offal tube”
Still makes me laugh
Brilliant programme
A bottle of champagne is the customary surprise...
😂🤣😂🤣
Yup .
This is English TV at its best. Nothing beats it. The actors are gold. I can strongly recommend "In the Loop" as well. British movie about the Iraqi invasion... Same level as this. Hilarious and supreme acting.
Love when he does Churchill and Thatcher, in the same speech!
Fantastic and witty writing, and great comedic acting. Thanks for the upload.
What an exquisitely-written piece of comedy and documentary! I adore each episode :-)
They have clearly understood the fight for the British sausage. Johnson must have watched this episode
Britain is not the only country affected.
The traditional Bavarian Weißwurscht was given the choice of either changing its recipe (so that it could no longer be consumed in the traditional way) or change its name to something that doesn't translate to sausage.
They changed the recipe.
@@davidwuhrer6704 I did not know this.
Sir Arnold deserves his own series.
What an incredible show..i beleave without the acting talents of the acters this would have been an ordinary show .
Its wonderful
oh man... the little slips into Churchhill... ive learned so much about english watching this as an american, it makes this so much funnier knowing whats going on, this was such an amazing show
Politicians will never change so this brilliant series can never be out of date.
The best closing line of all the series’s.
The hilarious scene where Humphrey tells Hacker he's leaving his position but Hacker thinks he means he's DYING....CUT here.
I just realised that Humphrey was drinking orange juice on the party, which means that he took that don't drink and drive campaign seriously, such interesting man, a moral vaccum when it comes to government matters, but strangely upright when personal conduct is concerned.
Without a doubt, the best episode in the whole series. Just unfortunate so much was cut out :(
They cut short the best part at the end. The Prime Minister’s pose. Best actor of nonverbal communication ever.
The best episode of one of the best TV shows of all time.
Should have run the clip a few more seconds as Jim puts his arm statesman like inside his jacket.
I always loved it when he channelled his inner Churchill. Always reminded me of Pete Shore. He was a great public speaker too but always used to get stick for channelling the former PM at the height of his rhetoric. I've no doubt other world leaders are guilty of the same.
Classic and still relevant
VERY RELEVANT
Maggie Thatcher's favourite show, she said it was very accurate in how things are done.
I began my career in the Foreign Office nearly 44 years ago. This could have been a training video.
the best scenes where Hacker used the MI5 Files to cause the other candidates to withdraw and support him were deleted
“This is dynamite.” “I wouldn’t know. I’m not allowed to see it.” (I think that’s how it goes.)
That, and the scene where Humphrey explains the home secretary's drunk driving, with the overturned petrol lory and crashing into a school, one of the witnesses being the wife of an editor «so eventually the story got out».
The quality of the acting from the extras/bit parts is outstanding. Take for example the woman whose drink he spills at the office party.
Absolutely BRILLIANT!
Thank you for uploading 💖
I remember in the 80s learning that Margaret Thatcher was a huge fan.
The writing is beyond superb.
This will remain my. favorite comedy of all time
This has to be the best British sitcom I have watched to date.
That's because it's British..not french...
@@karlmeyer9473 Are there many french British sitcoms?
@@davidwuhrer6704 Just Allo Allo.
"Mulberry" is a real treasure, too
"...spends all his time paying farmers to make surplus foo whilst someone in the next office pays them to dispose of it!" "That's not true. It's not the next office. Not even the same floor!"
Politics and sausage making are always given as examples of two things you don’t want to know how They are Made
The_best_comedy_programme_ever!
As a linguist, my favourite of Humphrey's pieces is the "You told a lie" bit in A Tangled Web. Superb!
"Bureaucratic Bonaparte in Brussels" is an excellent phrase.
So what it takes to become PM is to make a firm stand on a critical issue like sausage labeling. Still true today.
That beginning sure put me off sausage. I was raised eating scrapple, which is equally disgusting.
A brilliant drama that never gets old!
I remember watching this when it first came out.
Epic moment !
Timeless gold 😂
Always a breath of fresh air watching them!!
What a triumph of writing and political insight.
The British have always been experts at making accurate documentaries.
I didn't realise that Hacker had a very clean, mostly upright private life, if it was Eric or Dunken who got the job a samll leak would be enough to manipulate them. Ironically they were equally hard to control once they got the power.
Yes, his only fault - if you can even call it that - was fondness for a little "drinkie". Other than that, he was a happily married family man.
@@AntN Reminds me of what the Archbishop of Bath & Wells says in Blackadder: "...I kill, I maim, I fornicate; but as far as my flock is concerned, my only vice is a little tipple before evensong."
@@AntN Well yes actually, his only blackspot, but also a big one, was the communication room incident, which could cost Hacker his whole career if leaked.
I liked seeing Sgt François in this.
@@killianoshaughnessy1174 Such unspeakable perversion…..have you ever considered a career in the church?
I loved the series so much that I purchased the DVDs as well as the books.
17:14, love the pride in his face at the progress made by the student
Just perfect! A complete joy.