13 ms·

The Chemistry of ‘Yes Minister’ (2017)

161 points by lnyan 4y ago

onethought 4y ago
Modern Australian Equivalent of this is Utopia, though it’s focused on the bureaucrats instead of the politicians. Chemistry/Writing/Performance all really hit the mark For the Australian Public Service.
- cjak 4y ago
  And The Hollowmen, which is set in the Prime Minister's Office and is made by the same team.
- askvictor 4y ago
  (until I read the article, I, too, thought it was about the 'chemistry' between the actors. No, it's actually about atoms-and-molecules chemistry)
db48x 4y ago
That is one of the more memorable episodes. Even the head of the British Chemical Corporation has no clue what he‘s talking about; he’s a political appointee with no actual chemistry education, since this is a nationalized industry. They’re not holding back in this episode.
- ly3xqhl8g9 4y ago
  "It would appear that the American report leaves some important questions unanswered, some of the evidence is inconclusive, some findings have been questioned, and the figures are open to interpretation and different results might come from a widened, more detailed study over a longer time scale." [1]—words that killed any possibility of science under the umbrella of the political since 1981. I don't understand why the author needs to qualify: "Yes, Minister is one of the most seminal British political satires", it simply is the most seminal political satires [2], together with the follow-up, Yes, Prime Minister [3]. [1] Around minute 25 of the episode 4, season 2. [2] Of course, some might say de gustibus, however, even Veep could not succeed in combining wit, humor, and relevancy in such a manner. Not to even mention the unique use of the English language: any of the Humphrey-ian soliloquyial verbiages is up there with any speech from Hamlet and above. The fact that there are so few episodes certainly helps in keeping the essence dense. [3] https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086831/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1 https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086831/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
  - db48x 4y ago
    I tend to agree. It’s definitely a British television show, but it wipes the floor with any other political satire I’ve ever seen, British or otherwise. Of course I haven’t watched all the television shows that ever aired, so… top 5 at least.
    - ly3xqhl8g9 4y ago
      I watched the Zelenskyy political comedy series [1], well, because of the implication. In the same period, 2015-2019, there is also Au service de la France [2]. They both have their moments, but they cannot deliver the constant overflow of satirical point-counterpoint in the same manner as Yes, Minister. [1] Servant of the People, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6235122/?ref_=nm_knf_t_3 https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6235122/?ref_=nm_knf_t_3 [2] https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4367560/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1 https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4367560/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
    - dadadad100 4y ago
      “The thick of it” is right up there. Less about the process and more about the bullying. It’s creator then created Veep.
      - ly3xqhl8g9 4y ago
        And in between Veep seasons made The Death of Stalin [1] in 2017: Steve Buscemi as Nikita Khrushchev is all I have to say. [1] https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4686844/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1 https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4686844/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
        dghf 4y ago
        And Jason Isaacs as Marshal Zhukov, with a Yorkshire accent because why not?
        ly3xqhl8g9 4y ago
        The accents were a brilliant move: instead of making them speak English with a Slavic accent, they use only heavy English accents as to demarcate and indicate the provenance of the speaker in the same manner as if they spoke actual Russian, Georgian, Ukrainian, and so forth. 'Director Iannucci explained the decision to Metro: “I felt Russian accents would just kill the comedy dead,” he said. “It makes the whole thing artificial. It makes you feel like you’re not there. And I want people to feel like they’re there.”' [1] [1] https://slate.com/culture/2018/03/in-praise-of-the-accents-in-the-death-of-stalin.html https://slate.com/culture/2018/03/in-praise-of-the-accents-i...
- TazeTSchnitzel 4y ago
  Hey, the free market is also good at finding CEOs who don't understand their industries.
kwertyoowiyop 4y ago
The scary thing about Yes Minister is that most episodes were based on actual events.
- hnthrowaway0315 4y ago
  And will be relevant in after a thousand years.
- dghf 4y ago
  When the EU and UK had that recent spat about sausages [1], my immediate reaction was "But ... this was an episode of Yes, Minister ..." [2]. [1] https://www.rte.ie/brainstorm/2021/0614/1227938-sausages-brexit-northern-ireland-protocol-uk-eu-boris-johnson-trade-war/ https://www.rte.ie/brainstorm/2021/0614/1227938-sausages-bre... [2] https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0751812/plotsummary/?ref_=tt_ov_pl https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0751812/plotsummary/?ref_=tt_ov...
rcarmo 4y ago
I recently re-watched the first few seasons with my kids (who are now teens and were, beyond all expectations, absolutely riveted to the screen). I wholly agree with the "somewhat-Machiavellian" moniker regarding Sir Humphrey, but it is quite fun to watch the tables turn as the Minister (sometimes) gets the upper hand. That episode, in particular, was hilarious and felt very, very much up to date, and highlighted (also to my kids) how people "in charge" and "scientifically correct" could be overwhelmed and undermined by those kinds of situations.
- sundvor 4y ago
  Thanks, I shall rewatch it with my 12 year old boy now - good tip! I'm already on a roll of watching classics not rewritten for a modern audience, it's been a complete hit so far. I completely loved it growing up in the 80s. It was simply brilliant. And as a Norwegian, I credit the show (along with Monty Python) with my spoken English ending up British style rather than American, which seems to have been the norm. My group of friends would mimic their ways of talking all day long. :)
hnthrowaway0315 4y ago
YM and YPM are gems that will shine almost forever, as long as human minds don't change. Salut to the authors, and Salut to the trio that shall live eternally in our hearts.
cletus 4y ago
I grew up watching Yes, (Prime)? Minister. The 70s to the early 80s were really the golden age of British TV. This show, Blake's 7 (if you like sci-fi and haven't seen this it's still great, go watch it), Dr Who's golden years (ie Tom Baker), even the Goodies. probably even Grange Hill (which had a high school student die of a heroin overdose). One particularly prescient piece was the Nuclear Deterrant [1]. Even 40+ years ago this episode argued that nuclear weapons were mostly pointless because you'd never use them and instead you should invest in smart weapons. The linked segment even has a line that the Soviets can't take Western Europe, they can't even hold Afghanistan. Consider that in light of Ukraine. Think about where munitions have gone and "smart" weapons are particularly prevelent. And of course the writing and performance for Sir Humphrey in particular was absolutely top notch. [1]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o861Ka9TtT4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o861Ka9TtT4
- secondcoming 4y ago
  This [0] clip about Opinion Polls and National Service was an Ah-ha moment for me [0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahgjEjJkZks https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahgjEjJkZks
- marcosdumay 4y ago
  It doesn't say they are pointless. It says one would never use them (there is no worst case scenario that wouldn't became worse by using them), but for them not to be used, one has to have them. Or, basically, it explained MAD.
  - pixl97 4y ago
    Also the salami tactics episode was great.
    - dingosity 4y ago
      Don't you mean the "british offal tube" episode?
      - 4y ago
jl6 4y ago
If you’ve ever wondered why you like both Yes Minister and Clue (the 1985 movie), it’s because they both come from the pen of Jonathan Lynn. Who can’t hear an echo of Sir Humphrey in this exchange?: Colonel Mustard: "No" meaning "yes?" Look, I want a straight answer, is there someone else, or isn't there, yes, or no? Wadsworth: No. Colonel Mustard: No there is, or no there isn't? Wadsworth: Yes.
AlbertCory 4y ago
YM and YPM are amazing in that there are almost zero other political comedies that have any life beyond a year or two. Those shows are still hilarious even 30 years later. Last time this topic came up, someone put me on to "The Thick of It" which is quite different but also very funny. Too bad you have to subscribe to BritBox to see all of it, AFAIK.
- InCityDreams 4y ago
  Would HIGNFY be considered a political comedy?
  - AlbertCory 4y ago
    Haven't seen that. In fact I had to look it up.
    - smcin 4y ago
      "Have I Got News for You", legendary UK political satirical/comedy-panel show, 1990-still running One thing that kept them fresh was inviting guests-of-the-hour; often beleaguered under-fire politicians, who they would then call corrupt or liars or incompetent to their faces. Not something you'd ever see on US television, other than Stewart or Colbert. Background: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Have_I_Got_News_for_You https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Have_I_Got_News_for_You Episodes: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=have+i+got+news+for+you https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=have+i+got+news...
  - mnd999 4y ago
    No it’s a satirical panel show. And somewhat past it’s best.
    - harry8 4y ago
      Definitely is past its best since it has finished and is no more...
- 4y ago
ryzvonusef 4y ago
I miss this show and its characters. My father was a stenographer in a ministry (perhaps the Bernard equivalent), and he loved this show because it hit close to home, despite not being from the same country, issues were still the same. And I loved watching it with him. Now all three of the stars are dead, my father has passed away too, and every time I see a clip of the show on Youtube, it hurts a little, the nostalgia cuts.
hnbear 4y ago
When I was in high school (in the UK) we had a talk from someone who had been the Principle Private Secretary to the prime minister in the 80s and 90s, as well as cabinet secretary. Similar roles to Bernard and Sir Humphrey. He commented on how incredibly accurate the show was, not just in the humour, but in the rules, regulations, behaviour of the characters, etc. Even small details were accurate, like the time Jim (through Bernard) locks the door between Downing St and the cabinet office. We were told how there was a single door, and use was a privilege afforded to specific roles, and it could be cut off. For all its excellent humour, it was especially biting for how true and accurate it was about basically everything. The scenarios were all cleverly written to be generic enough to be timeless, while also specific enough to the time. We still argue about the value of nuclear deterrents, for example, and the politicians still mindlessly chase votes and vote winning ideas and slogans.
- harry8 4y ago
  What has dated is that in the series they were all "jolly nice chaps" and the public service was super-competent if not always directed in the way one might like. Awfully pleasant "deep state" in the modern parlance. It seems much harder to suspend that disbelief on either competence or that they're all very sound and nice people. Is that just my ageing or have things changed a little?
  - lmm 4y ago
    Well, the article talks about them all having no idea what this scientific compound was. Most people are reasonably competent on their own; the ineffectiveness of organisations is more about misalignment than about individual incompetence. That still feels true today.
    - harry8 4y ago
      Right and not knowing detailed expertise is fine. I mean core competence of giving advice to the minister "if you do this, then that" and it not being idiotic. I can't imagine the public service advice to Blair, Brown, Cameron, May, Johnson, Truss and I'll leave the current one alone for now. I would have trouble suspending disbelief that it was as competent as Sir Humphry in his core competence. Sure every single f*king politician, judge, public servant and policy maker have their brain fall out of the ear as soon as "...using a computer on the internet.." is somewhere in what they are being told. It's truly astounding and embarrassing but that is different to say, to cite one example, Liz Truss deciding to cut taxes and increase spending when they're already broke and the obvious repercussions of that. ie Bank of England having to enter the markets to prevent crisis. "That's very courageous prime minister. Have you considered where you will take your holidays next week?"
dingosity 4y ago
Growing up, my dad was a US Congressman (and later chief of staff of a different congressman's office and in retirement a minor functionary in the county tax office.) I LOVED Yes, Minister and Yes, Prime Minister. To this day I ramble on about meeting minutes in attempted imitation of Humphrey Appleby. I knew Jay and Lynn were onto something when my father watched 5 minutes of one episode and said "I ain't watchin' that bullshit. It's too much like work." Speaking of chemistry, I caught the play at Chichester a while back (with different actors.) Perfectly good acting and perfectly good writing, but the "chemistry" was definitely different. Not better. Not worse. Just different.
- tolstoshev 4y ago
  Reminds me of how Ozzy Osbourne didn't find Spinal Tap funny, and said that everything in the movie had happened to him including getting lost backstage: https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/ozzy-osbourne-didnt-laugh-this-is-spinal-tap/ https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/ozzy-osbourne-didnt-laugh-this-...
ur-whale 4y ago
One of the very best shows I've ever watched on TV. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6BpkhAF8jQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6BpkhAF8jQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvYuoWyk8iU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvYuoWyk8iU
raffraffraff 4y ago
My most rewatched show off all time
zem 4y ago
quite possibly my favourite tv show of all time, though it's hard to compare across genres. definitely my favourite tv comedy, beating out even the excellent "jeeves and wooster" adaptation.
- randcraw 4y ago
  Blackadder too? Bite my tongue.
  - zem 4y ago
    blackadder is awesome, but it can't match the sheer consistent quality and brilliance of dialogue in yes minister!
v8xi 4y ago
Just a helpful acrostic I remember from organic chemistry: ROMP. R is your reference chain, then ortho, meta, para as you go around the ring.
dia80 4y ago
True Story: I visited No. 11 Downing Street as a school boy in 1998 when Gordon Brown, our local MP, was chancellor. He took us next door to no. 12 where Nick Brown was chief whip, he started pointing out things in his office and as he was doing so a side door opened and a man stepped in. He pointed at the man and said "And that's a civil servant". The man reversed course, closed the door, opened it again and stuck his head around and said "Yes, minister". My classmates didn't get the joke, I did but was too stunned to laugh as Nick Brown and Gordon Brown had fallen about laughing and I was just thinking "aren't you meant to be running the country and not making TV jokes?" To be fair it was pretty funny :)
- freddyym 4y ago
  Great story related to a great show, thanks for sharing!
WeylandYutani 4y ago
I love this show. It really makes fun of the fact that the people who run the country are the civil service not the elected representatives. Which is probably for the best.
aix1 4y ago
I feel like Parlement deserves a mention: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parlement_(TV_series) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parlement_(TV_series) I rather enjoyed it.
ngcc_hk 4y ago
The slice by slice approach talked in there for whether to push the nuclear bomb is a good strategy for Russian. They have got 1 and 3 and … if they kept on doing that where is Ukraine to defend against. Great for Ukraine Russia did not learn the lesson of how they take a bit and German can still build stream II and we still have Olympic etc. Luckily for us all. Better of course if they do not invade. Tell chinese about Taiwan. They cannot help themselves.

161 points by lnyan 4y ago

Modern Australian Equivalent of this is Utopia, though it’s focused on the bureaucrats instead of the politicians. Chemistry/Writing/Performance all really hit the mark For the Australian Public Service.

cjak 4y ago
And The Hollowmen, which is set in the Prime Minister's Office and is made by the same team.
askvictor 4y ago
(until I read the article, I, too, thought it was about the 'chemistry' between the actors. No, it's actually about atoms-and-molecules chemistry)

db48x 4y ago

That is one of the more memorable episodes. Even the head of the British Chemical Corporation has no clue what he‘s talking about; he’s a political appointee with no actual chemistry education, since this is a nationalized industry. They’re not holding back in this episode.

ly3xqhl8g9 4y ago
"It would appear that the American report leaves some important questions unanswered, some of the evidence is inconclusive, some findings have been questioned, and the figures are open to interpretation and different results might come from a widened, more detailed study over a longer time scale." [1]—words that killed any possibility of science under the umbrella of the political since 1981. I don't understand why the author needs to qualify: "Yes, Minister is one of the most seminal British political satires", it simply is the most seminal political satires [2], together with the follow-up, Yes, Prime Minister [3]. [1] Around minute 25 of the episode 4, season 2. [2] Of course, some might say de gustibus, however, even Veep could not succeed in combining wit, humor, and relevancy in such a manner. Not to even mention the unique use of the English language: any of the Humphrey-ian soliloquyial verbiages is up there with any speech from Hamlet and above. The fact that there are so few episodes certainly helps in keeping the essence dense. [3] https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086831/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1 https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086831/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
- db48x 4y ago
  I tend to agree. It’s definitely a British television show, but it wipes the floor with any other political satire I’ve ever seen, British or otherwise. Of course I haven’t watched all the television shows that ever aired, so… top 5 at least.
  - ly3xqhl8g9 4y ago
    I watched the Zelenskyy political comedy series [1], well, because of the implication. In the same period, 2015-2019, there is also Au service de la France [2]. They both have their moments, but they cannot deliver the constant overflow of satirical point-counterpoint in the same manner as Yes, Minister. [1] Servant of the People, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6235122/?ref_=nm_knf_t_3 https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6235122/?ref_=nm_knf_t_3 [2] https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4367560/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1 https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4367560/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
  - dadadad100 4y ago
    “The thick of it” is right up there. Less about the process and more about the bullying. It’s creator then created Veep.
    - ly3xqhl8g9 4y ago
      And in between Veep seasons made The Death of Stalin [1] in 2017: Steve Buscemi as Nikita Khrushchev is all I have to say. [1] https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4686844/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1 https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4686844/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
      - dghf 4y ago
        And Jason Isaacs as Marshal Zhukov, with a Yorkshire accent because why not?
        ly3xqhl8g9 4y ago
        The accents were a brilliant move: instead of making them speak English with a Slavic accent, they use only heavy English accents as to demarcate and indicate the provenance of the speaker in the same manner as if they spoke actual Russian, Georgian, Ukrainian, and so forth. 'Director Iannucci explained the decision to Metro: “I felt Russian accents would just kill the comedy dead,” he said. “It makes the whole thing artificial. It makes you feel like you’re not there. And I want people to feel like they’re there.”' [1] [1] https://slate.com/culture/2018/03/in-praise-of-the-accents-in-the-death-of-stalin.html https://slate.com/culture/2018/03/in-praise-of-the-accents-i...
TazeTSchnitzel 4y ago
Hey, the free market is also good at finding CEOs who don't understand their industries.

kwertyoowiyop 4y ago

The scary thing about Yes Minister is that most episodes were based on actual events.

hnthrowaway0315 4y ago
And will be relevant in after a thousand years.
dghf 4y ago
When the EU and UK had that recent spat about sausages [1], my immediate reaction was "But ... this was an episode of Yes, Minister ..." [2]. [1] https://www.rte.ie/brainstorm/2021/0614/1227938-sausages-brexit-northern-ireland-protocol-uk-eu-boris-johnson-trade-war/ https://www.rte.ie/brainstorm/2021/0614/1227938-sausages-bre... [2] https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0751812/plotsummary/?ref_=tt_ov_pl https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0751812/plotsummary/?ref_=tt_ov...

rcarmo 4y ago

I recently re-watched the first few seasons with my kids (who are now teens and were, beyond all expectations, absolutely riveted to the screen). I wholly agree with the "somewhat-Machiavellian" moniker regarding Sir Humphrey, but it is quite fun to watch the tables turn as the Minister (sometimes) gets the upper hand. That episode, in particular, was hilarious and felt very, very much up to date, and highlighted (also to my kids) how people "in charge" and "scientifically correct" could be overwhelmed and undermined by those kinds of situations.

sundvor 4y ago
Thanks, I shall rewatch it with my 12 year old boy now - good tip! I'm already on a roll of watching classics not rewritten for a modern audience, it's been a complete hit so far. I completely loved it growing up in the 80s. It was simply brilliant. And as a Norwegian, I credit the show (along with Monty Python) with my spoken English ending up British style rather than American, which seems to have been the norm. My group of friends would mimic their ways of talking all day long. :)

hnthrowaway0315 4y ago

YM and YPM are gems that will shine almost forever, as long as human minds don't change. Salut to the authors, and Salut to the trio that shall live eternally in our hearts.

cletus 4y ago

I grew up watching Yes, (Prime)? Minister. The 70s to the early 80s were really the golden age of British TV. This show, Blake's 7 (if you like sci-fi and haven't seen this it's still great, go watch it), Dr Who's golden years (ie Tom Baker), even the Goodies. probably even Grange Hill (which had a high school student die of a heroin overdose). One particularly prescient piece was the Nuclear Deterrant [1]. Even 40+ years ago this episode argued that nuclear weapons were mostly pointless because you'd never use them and instead you should invest in smart weapons. The linked segment even has a line that the Soviets can't take Western Europe, they can't even hold Afghanistan. Consider that in light of Ukraine. Think about where munitions have gone and "smart" weapons are particularly prevelent. And of course the writing and performance for Sir Humphrey in particular was absolutely top notch. [1]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o861Ka9TtT4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o861Ka9TtT4

secondcoming 4y ago
This [0] clip about Opinion Polls and National Service was an Ah-ha moment for me [0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahgjEjJkZks https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahgjEjJkZks
marcosdumay 4y ago
It doesn't say they are pointless. It says one would never use them (there is no worst case scenario that wouldn't became worse by using them), but for them not to be used, one has to have them. Or, basically, it explained MAD.
- pixl97 4y ago
  Also the salami tactics episode was great.
  - dingosity 4y ago
    Don't you mean the "british offal tube" episode?
    - 4y ago

jl6 4y ago

If you’ve ever wondered why you like both Yes Minister and Clue (the 1985 movie), it’s because they both come from the pen of Jonathan Lynn. Who can’t hear an echo of Sir Humphrey in this exchange?: Colonel Mustard: "No" meaning "yes?" Look, I want a straight answer, is there someone else, or isn't there, yes, or no? Wadsworth: No. Colonel Mustard: No there is, or no there isn't? Wadsworth: Yes.

AlbertCory 4y ago

YM and YPM are amazing in that there are almost zero other political comedies that have any life beyond a year or two. Those shows are still hilarious even 30 years later. Last time this topic came up, someone put me on to "The Thick of It" which is quite different but also very funny. Too bad you have to subscribe to BritBox to see all of it, AFAIK.

InCityDreams 4y ago
Would HIGNFY be considered a political comedy?
- AlbertCory 4y ago
  Haven't seen that. In fact I had to look it up.
  - smcin 4y ago
    "Have I Got News for You", legendary UK political satirical/comedy-panel show, 1990-still running One thing that kept them fresh was inviting guests-of-the-hour; often beleaguered under-fire politicians, who they would then call corrupt or liars or incompetent to their faces. Not something you'd ever see on US television, other than Stewart or Colbert. Background: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Have_I_Got_News_for_You https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Have_I_Got_News_for_You Episodes: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=have+i+got+news+for+you https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=have+i+got+news...
- mnd999 4y ago
  No it’s a satirical panel show. And somewhat past it’s best.
  - harry8 4y ago
    Definitely is past its best since it has finished and is no more...
4y ago

ryzvonusef 4y ago

I miss this show and its characters. My father was a stenographer in a ministry (perhaps the Bernard equivalent), and he loved this show because it hit close to home, despite not being from the same country, issues were still the same. And I loved watching it with him. Now all three of the stars are dead, my father has passed away too, and every time I see a clip of the show on Youtube, it hurts a little, the nostalgia cuts.

hnbear 4y ago

When I was in high school (in the UK) we had a talk from someone who had been the Principle Private Secretary to the prime minister in the 80s and 90s, as well as cabinet secretary. Similar roles to Bernard and Sir Humphrey. He commented on how incredibly accurate the show was, not just in the humour, but in the rules, regulations, behaviour of the characters, etc. Even small details were accurate, like the time Jim (through Bernard) locks the door between Downing St and the cabinet office. We were told how there was a single door, and use was a privilege afforded to specific roles, and it could be cut off. For all its excellent humour, it was especially biting for how true and accurate it was about basically everything. The scenarios were all cleverly written to be generic enough to be timeless, while also specific enough to the time. We still argue about the value of nuclear deterrents, for example, and the politicians still mindlessly chase votes and vote winning ideas and slogans.

harry8 4y ago
What has dated is that in the series they were all "jolly nice chaps" and the public service was super-competent if not always directed in the way one might like. Awfully pleasant "deep state" in the modern parlance. It seems much harder to suspend that disbelief on either competence or that they're all very sound and nice people. Is that just my ageing or have things changed a little?
- lmm 4y ago
  Well, the article talks about them all having no idea what this scientific compound was. Most people are reasonably competent on their own; the ineffectiveness of organisations is more about misalignment than about individual incompetence. That still feels true today.
  - harry8 4y ago
    Right and not knowing detailed expertise is fine. I mean core competence of giving advice to the minister "if you do this, then that" and it not being idiotic. I can't imagine the public service advice to Blair, Brown, Cameron, May, Johnson, Truss and I'll leave the current one alone for now. I would have trouble suspending disbelief that it was as competent as Sir Humphry in his core competence. Sure every single f*king politician, judge, public servant and policy maker have their brain fall out of the ear as soon as "...using a computer on the internet.." is somewhere in what they are being told. It's truly astounding and embarrassing but that is different to say, to cite one example, Liz Truss deciding to cut taxes and increase spending when they're already broke and the obvious repercussions of that. ie Bank of England having to enter the markets to prevent crisis. "That's very courageous prime minister. Have you considered where you will take your holidays next week?"

dingosity 4y ago

Growing up, my dad was a US Congressman (and later chief of staff of a different congressman's office and in retirement a minor functionary in the county tax office.) I LOVED Yes, Minister and Yes, Prime Minister. To this day I ramble on about meeting minutes in attempted imitation of Humphrey Appleby. I knew Jay and Lynn were onto something when my father watched 5 minutes of one episode and said "I ain't watchin' that bullshit. It's too much like work." Speaking of chemistry, I caught the play at Chichester a while back (with different actors.) Perfectly good acting and perfectly good writing, but the "chemistry" was definitely different. Not better. Not worse. Just different.

tolstoshev 4y ago
Reminds me of how Ozzy Osbourne didn't find Spinal Tap funny, and said that everything in the movie had happened to him including getting lost backstage: https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/ozzy-osbourne-didnt-laugh-this-is-spinal-tap/ https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/ozzy-osbourne-didnt-laugh-this-...

ur-whale 4y ago

One of the very best shows I've ever watched on TV. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6BpkhAF8jQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6BpkhAF8jQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvYuoWyk8iU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvYuoWyk8iU

raffraffraff 4y ago

My most rewatched show off all time

zem 4y ago

quite possibly my favourite tv show of all time, though it's hard to compare across genres. definitely my favourite tv comedy, beating out even the excellent "jeeves and wooster" adaptation.

randcraw 4y ago
Blackadder too? Bite my tongue.
- zem 4y ago
  blackadder is awesome, but it can't match the sheer consistent quality and brilliance of dialogue in yes minister!

v8xi 4y ago

Just a helpful acrostic I remember from organic chemistry: ROMP. R is your reference chain, then ortho, meta, para as you go around the ring.

dia80 4y ago

True Story: I visited No. 11 Downing Street as a school boy in 1998 when Gordon Brown, our local MP, was chancellor. He took us next door to no. 12 where Nick Brown was chief whip, he started pointing out things in his office and as he was doing so a side door opened and a man stepped in. He pointed at the man and said "And that's a civil servant". The man reversed course, closed the door, opened it again and stuck his head around and said "Yes, minister". My classmates didn't get the joke, I did but was too stunned to laugh as Nick Brown and Gordon Brown had fallen about laughing and I was just thinking "aren't you meant to be running the country and not making TV jokes?" To be fair it was pretty funny :)

freddyym 4y ago
Great story related to a great show, thanks for sharing!

WeylandYutani 4y ago

I love this show. It really makes fun of the fact that the people who run the country are the civil service not the elected representatives. Which is probably for the best.

aix1 4y ago

I feel like Parlement deserves a mention: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parlement_(TV_series) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parlement_(TV_series) I rather enjoyed it.

ngcc_hk 4y ago

The slice by slice approach talked in there for whether to push the nuclear bomb is a good strategy for Russian. They have got 1 and 3 and … if they kept on doing that where is Ukraine to defend against. Great for Ukraine Russia did not learn the lesson of how they take a bit and German can still build stream II and we still have Olympic etc. Luckily for us all. Better of course if they do not invade. Tell chinese about Taiwan. They cannot help themselves.