Yes Minister and Yes Prime Minister - Complete Collection [DVD] [1980]

This is truly a spectacular series. The writing is phenomenal, the acting excellent and the storylines have such a relevance despite the series being 40 years old. I have always loved this show but over the last several years so many of the subjects covered in both Yes Minister and Yes Prime Minister have rung really true. Whether it is our relationship with Europe, a Russian invasion or Nuclear war, this show really was ahead of its time and of its time. The biggest part of the show that can never be doubted is the acting of Paul Eddington, Nigel Hawthorne and Derek Fowlds. They all bring such a charm to the show that can never be matched. Paul Eddington could use facial expression to convey so many emotions and proved that sometimes less is more when it comes to dialogue. Nigel Hawthorne on the other hand, could roll of speeches at the speed of sound and yet they made perfect sense. Last but not least Derek Fowlds could steal an entire scene with a killer one liner. The writers Anthony Jay and Jonathan Lynne used their inside knowledge to ensure that every episode had a storyline that was very topical and of the moment which in many ways is the shows greatest strength, by not referring to real or current events or people the series has a real timeless quality. The other strength is that the audience watching the show wouldn't have had much of a ideal how Government works behind the scenes, so by focusing on the political machine and the processes of the Government it made the sitcom so much funnier. A total masterpiece on every level that really needs to be watched, then watched again!

One of the outstanding comedies on British Television in the 1980s was Yes Minister/Yes Prime Minister. This handsome DVD set brings together all of the Yes Minister / prime minister series. It is a great set and well presented. There are subtitles for the hard of hearing too. When the first couple of series were screened in the 1980s I didn’t get to see it all the time but liked it and thought it was funny. Then a work colleague gave me the book Yes Minister for my Birthday and when I read it I was hooked and made every effort to see the rest of the series. Now, all these years later, it has been wonderful to see every episode together in this great DVD collection. Yes Minister follows the political career of one Jim Hacker, Initially an MP for an unnamed party, but later it is divulged that he is Tory. It all begins with Hacker beginning his first Ministerial position of Administrative affairs. He teams up with permanent under secretary Sir Humphrey Appleby. Filled with bright ideas for cleaning up his department, hacker begins to set the wheels in motion, only to be stopped by the career civil servant who is intent on keeping power out of politicians hands and firmly in control of the permanent staff. And it is these concepts of idealism against political reality, and perceived power against real power that underpins the whole series, with Hacker flying ambitious kites and Sir Humphrey cheerfully shooting them down. While the persuasive Humphreys bamboozles Hacker with his tongue twisting, jargon loaded, over stretched explanations, Hacker’s general private Secretary, Bernard Woolley hovers nervously in the middle, gently offering opinions on the implications and complications of this or that decision. But Hacker must heed their advice in the first three series, for a majority career move quickly follows. When the incumbent prime minister resigns, three candidates stand for the job, two extremists and the rather mundane Hacker. Hacker then becomes prime Minister in the final two series now known as Yes Prime Minister.

Ministers are transistory, often initially with no knowledge of the Department they have been assigned. Now entrusted with Administrative Affairs, Jim Hacker (who is not very bright) relies on his Permanent Secretary Sir Humphrey Appleby to show him the ropes. All too soon he will discover Sir Humphrey exists solely to stifle any initiatives, the aim to keep everything gently ticking over until the next Minister comes along. What makes the show so funny (and somewhat disturbing) is that writers Antony Jay and Jonathan Lynn know exactly what they are about - at their fingertips ample proof of how the Civil Service works, devastating examples of widespread disasters and inefficiency - all kept well hidden under a smokescreen of misinformation, committees, sub-committees, Inquiries that rarely get anywhere ("official secrets act", "not in the public interest to publish"), etc., etc., etc. Soon Hacker is reeling from Sir Humphrey's unintelligible goobledegook ("his sentences longer than Judge Jeffreys'"), Private Secretary Bernard Woolley "explanations" doing little to dispel the confusion. The fun is that Hacker gradually cottons on, adopts similar techniques, occasionally beating Sir Humphrey at his own game - especially after unexpectedly promoted to Prime Minister. A Whitehall Farce indeed. Although so much was first shown almost forty years ago, practices rampant then are still clearly evident - attitudes towards Brussels, Trident, selling of arms to hostile countries, the NHS, Education, the Honours System (Civil Servants very well represented), lucrative sinecures at hand when top officials leave, appointment of bishops, scandals in the City, Cabinet leaks, backstabbing, fake news.... Much else besides. YES, MINISTER - 21 half hour episodes + an hour long special as Hacker is manoeuvred towards the top job. YES, PRIME MINISTER - 16 half hour episodes. In short? Throughout, top quality writing and - from Paul Eddington, Nigel Hawthorne, Derek Fowlds - three performances to treasure. Thatcher's favourite programme. Politicians full of praise (often secretly providing instances). The Civil Service not so keen.

Johnathan Lynn & Sir Antony Jay wrote a great master piece that affectionately debunks the civil service and the political class.To say that this is sharp satire would be an understatement and it is good to be reminded of just what excellent actors the late Nigel Hawthorne & the dearly departed Paul Eddington really where.There is not the space in this review to do the writing and all the actors involved in this enterprise justice.There are many delicious twists & turns as things verge on being a comic parody of Machiavelli himself.The tongue twisting statements of Sir Humphrey and dear Bernard's nervous stammering a joy to behold as are Jim Hackers attempts to liken himself to Sir Winston Churchill.Derek Fowlds is great value as Bernard Woolley and often steals the show with his understated comic performances. I could go on but I do not wish to bore people who could recite them word for word as I could.But nor do I wish to ruin the surprise for those who have not watched this excellent series before or who have not seen it for a while. Amazon are offering this set at an ultra competitive price and if you have an interest in politics but like the lighter side of life then this is a great purchase to make ! Don't delay buy this brilliant comedy from Amazon today !

Presumably if you're old enough to have seen this excellent series on television you won't be buying this box set for anything other than the programme itself - which is just as well as the box is a serious non-contender. The BBC can count themselves fortunate in having such a rich archive - leaving aside the bits that they have wiped or lost - of classic television comedy, because their idea of value-for-money packaging is seriously lacking. This is most ironic when you consider the BBC's news programmes which are the archetype of style over content, all flim-flam and fluster and precious little news. However, the Yes Minister and Yes Prime Minister series' prove that quality writing can turn a very witty and even at times rib-achingly funny script into a comedy classic. No matter that VHS has come and gone and DVD is being replaced with some other money spinner, all the formats are rendered as nothing without the right material to display. YM and YPM prove that the script is king as they can be equally enjoyed on radio/audio CD/cassette. The actors and notably Nigel Hawthorne underplay their characters handsomely and, I am reliably informed, that the mechanics of government are ably demonstrated here. So forget the BBC's horrible generic DVD packaging inside the flimsy slipcase, the really dreadful set and the awful soundtrack on the pilot episode and enjoy a wonderful comedy which avoids the makeweight of abusive language that so much modern tat has to offer. Recommended and more-so at Amazon's prices and delivery.

The Yes Minister and Yes Prime Minister series are some of the finest television ever to have come out of the BBC. Gently satirical comedy of the very highest order and, while some of the material might now be considered a little dated, this will remain a classic for decades to come. Armando Iannucci's too-clever-by-half The Thick of It attempts to cover similar territory from a 21st-century perspective and is nowhere near as successful (in this reviewer's opinion). What a shame, therefore, that this long-awaited complete boxset is such a feeble offering. Not only are there NO extras - and no literature - but this is just a new box around the original five series' DVDs and, for some unfathomable reason, Yes Prime Minister Series 1 is presented as one double-sided DVD, so that the whole doesn't have a coherent feel to it. Frankly, one would be better off buying Yes Minister and the two individual YPM boxes from HMV online, without worrying about the so-called "Collector's Boxset" packaging. HMV have the individual components of the boxset retailing at a considerable discount on their own or even the cheapest Amazon boxset price. None of which criticisms reflect on the brilliance of the scripts or performances. A classic for as long as television lasts.

I can't add much more than other reviewers apart from a hearty recommendation to buy this DVD pack. It's very good value given how much material you get (even better value at Amazon prices of course). The comedy is intelligent and timeless, and it's amazing just how many current day issues are covered by a series that was made over 20 years ago (banking crisis, dodgy arms deals, big brother/identity cards etc. etc.). The episode where Sir Humphrey Applebey has dinner with the bumbling CEO of "Bartlets Bank" is a case in point, where the CEO points out that "..if a chap's giving you a good return on your money then you don't ask too many questions....and besides, you'd be pretty foolish if you had a load of money at 12% not to lend it to someone else at 15%"). Wonderful stuff, and with lots of re-watch value. Buy it.

Love the dvds