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A Very Courageous Decision: The Inside Story of Yes Minister
A behind-the-scenes history of one of the most successful and admired British sitcoms of the 1980s.In 1977 the BBC commissioned a new satirical sitcom set in Whitehall. Production of its first series was stalled, however, by the death throes of Jim Callaghan’s Labour government and the ‘Winter of Discontent’; Auntie being unwilling to broadcast such an overtly political comedy until after the general election of 1979.That Yes Minister should have been delayed by the very events that helped bring Margaret Thatcher to power is, perhaps, fitting. Over three series from 1980—and two more as Yes, Prime Minister until 1988—the show mercilessly lampooned the vanity, self-interest and incompetence of our so-called public servants, making its hapless minister Jim Hacker and his scheming Permanent Secretary Sir Humphrey two of the most memorable characters British comedy has ever produced. The new prime minister professed it her favourite television programme—a ‘textbook’ on the State in inaction—and millions of British viewers agreed. In the years since Yes Minister has become a national Sir Humphrey’s slippery circumlocutions have entered the lexicon, regularly quoted by political commentators, and the series’ cynical vision of government seems as credible now as it did thirty years ago.Much of this success can be credited to its writers, Antony Jay and Jonathan Lynn, who drew on their contacts in Westminster to rework genuine political folly as situation comedy. Storylines that seemed absurd to the public were often rooted in actual events—so much so that they occasionally attracted the scrutiny of Whitehall mandarins. In A Very Courageous Decision acclaimed entertainment historian Graham McCann goes in search of the real political fiascos that inspired Yes Minister. Drawing on fresh interviews with cast, crew, politicians and admirers, he reveals how a subversive satire captured the mood of its time to become one of the most cherished sitcoms of Thatcher’s Britain.
385 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
October 2, 2021
‘A Very Courageous Decision’ is one of those rare books in the study of popular culture that is able to combine an extremely detailed appraisal of (in this instance) a television program with an informed and wide ranging appreciation of wider political social and historical things that are associated with said subject. It must be said that McCann had no other option but to take such an approach if he was to make a successful attempt at discussing and detailing the history of the programs ‘Yes Minister’ and ‘Yes Prime Minister’. When one reflects upon the complexity and groundbreaking achievements of the TV shows and those associated with its production it was paramount for the cam to do as he has done. That he has achieved so much in this book is because not only has he followed this path but that he has done it with such erudition and completeness. It is one thing to talk about how great a TV show (or book, or film) is; it is another to remind people of greatness through a highly informative and informed critique that reflects the stature of the subject.
The most effective and important aspect of McCann’s approach in this book is that he is able to juxtapose the history, complexity and humour of the ‘Yes Minister’ series with the wider implications and impact of the program. Television sitcoms are not necessarily the stuff of cultural and political change. More often than not they are designed to provide a viewing audience with something to laugh at whilst garnering eyes on the program for advertising or other utilitarian reasons. McCann shows in this study that Anthony Jay and Jonathan. Lynn surpassed these limited aspects of TV comedy, producing an iconic cultural artefact that changed how many perceive contemporary society. ‘Yes Minister’ and ‘Yes Prime Minister’ are shown by McCann to be highly literate and socially important texts that went above and beyond their nominally ephemeral nature.
This text is an incredibly well structured and researched study of the television program and as stated it includes a very high level of intellectual content that one might not nominally expect to associate with a sitcom. In this work McCann looks at political philosophy and history as well as issues relating to the very nature of the Westminster system of government. He applies an understanding of these and other complex issues to accentuate and affirm the quality of Jay and Lynn’s work. It is most satisfying that McCann has been able to bring a level of intellectual analysis to a TV program that in and of itself was intellectually funny.
This book does go into a lot of detail about the development of the ‘Yes Minister/Yes Prime Minister’ programs, so it’s not all just academic analysis. McCann details almost every think that one would like to know about how the writers, cast and crew of the program worked through all of its years in production. There is also plenty of material about what proceeded and came after the original broadcasting of the sitcoms. No one who is a fan of these shows will find anything wanting in terms of trying to get a handle on what transpired during its production or what people said about it. There is plenty of inside information about what went on behind the scenes plus some useful critical observations on the quality of individual episodes and series. ‘A Very Courageous Decision’ is the most complete, accessible, learned and effective study of a sitcom that I have read.
Whilst the paramount audience for this book will be those who are fans of the sitcom I would like to think that there will be others out there who will be interested in reading this book because of what it says about the power of television and of complex and creative ideas in popular culture. ‘Yes Minister’ and ‘Yes Prime Minister’ are landmarks in the popular imagination of politics and those who played a crucial role in its creation deserve the depth of study that McCann brings in ‘A Very Courageous Decision’. This is an excellent book that I hope others will find and read and enjoy.
The most effective and important aspect of McCann’s approach in this book is that he is able to juxtapose the history, complexity and humour of the ‘Yes Minister’ series with the wider implications and impact of the program. Television sitcoms are not necessarily the stuff of cultural and political change. More often than not they are designed to provide a viewing audience with something to laugh at whilst garnering eyes on the program for advertising or other utilitarian reasons. McCann shows in this study that Anthony Jay and Jonathan. Lynn surpassed these limited aspects of TV comedy, producing an iconic cultural artefact that changed how many perceive contemporary society. ‘Yes Minister’ and ‘Yes Prime Minister’ are shown by McCann to be highly literate and socially important texts that went above and beyond their nominally ephemeral nature.
This text is an incredibly well structured and researched study of the television program and as stated it includes a very high level of intellectual content that one might not nominally expect to associate with a sitcom. In this work McCann looks at political philosophy and history as well as issues relating to the very nature of the Westminster system of government. He applies an understanding of these and other complex issues to accentuate and affirm the quality of Jay and Lynn’s work. It is most satisfying that McCann has been able to bring a level of intellectual analysis to a TV program that in and of itself was intellectually funny.
This book does go into a lot of detail about the development of the ‘Yes Minister/Yes Prime Minister’ programs, so it’s not all just academic analysis. McCann details almost every think that one would like to know about how the writers, cast and crew of the program worked through all of its years in production. There is also plenty of material about what proceeded and came after the original broadcasting of the sitcoms. No one who is a fan of these shows will find anything wanting in terms of trying to get a handle on what transpired during its production or what people said about it. There is plenty of inside information about what went on behind the scenes plus some useful critical observations on the quality of individual episodes and series. ‘A Very Courageous Decision’ is the most complete, accessible, learned and effective study of a sitcom that I have read.
Whilst the paramount audience for this book will be those who are fans of the sitcom I would like to think that there will be others out there who will be interested in reading this book because of what it says about the power of television and of complex and creative ideas in popular culture. ‘Yes Minister’ and ‘Yes Prime Minister’ are landmarks in the popular imagination of politics and those who played a crucial role in its creation deserve the depth of study that McCann brings in ‘A Very Courageous Decision’. This is an excellent book that I hope others will find and read and enjoy.
May 31, 2026
Some books are enjoyable because they teach you something. Others are enjoyable because they remind you why you loved something in the first place. A Very Courageous Decision does both.
I came to this book already predisposed to like it because I adored Yes Minister and Yes, Prime Minister. The series was recommended to me years ago by my late friend and colleague Paul O'Byrne, whose judgment on books, ideas, and humor I trusted implicitly. Like many great recommendations, this one arrived long before streaming services and algorithmic suggestions. Paul simply said, in effect, "You need to watch this." He was right.
What I discovered then—and what this book confirms—is that Yes Minister was never merely a sitcom. It was one of the most penetrating studies of organizations, incentives, bureaucracy, politics, and power ever put on television. It just happened to be laugh-out-loud funny.
Graham McCann's book tells the story of how Antony Jay and Jonathan Lynn created something almost impossible: a political comedy that entertained ordinary viewers while simultaneously becoming required viewing for politicians, civil servants, journalists, and policy wonks around the world. The highest compliment paid to the show came from Westminster itself. The most common reaction among insiders was not, "That's funny." It was, "How on earth did they know that?"
The genius of the series—and of this book—is that it identifies the real conflict in government. Not Left versus Right. Not Conservative versus Labour. Not politicians versus voters.
The real conflict is between elected officials who come and go and permanent institutions that remain.
Max Weber warned of the rise of an administrative class—the permanent residents in the house of power. Yes Minister dramatized that insight better than perhaps any work of political science. Jim Hacker thinks he runs the department. Sir Humphrey knows who actually does.
And that's why the show remains timeless.
Reading this book in 2026, decades after the original broadcasts, I was struck by how little has changed. Whether the topic is healthcare, education, Europe, regulation, Brexit, budgets, public communications, or organizational inertia, the same incentives remain. Different actors. Different technologies. Same script.
The book also deepened my appreciation for the writers. Jay and Lynn were not ideological propagandists. One leaned libertarian and conservative; the other leaned liberal and radical. Yet both distrusted concentrated power. Both were fascinated by institutions. Both believed that satire works best when it exposes universal truths rather than partisan talking points. That combination gave the show its remarkable durability.
McCann also demonstrates how obsessively researched the scripts were. Many of the show's most absurd scenarios turned out to be based on actual events. The famous "hospital with no patients" episode sounds like pure satire until you discover that real hospitals sat empty while bureaucracies debated bed allocations and administrative procedures.
The lesson is one that TSOE listeners will immediately recognize: reality often struggles to keep pace with parody.
What surprised me most was how much this book made me appreciate the craftsmanship behind the comedy. Great sitcoms are often remembered for their actors, and rightly so. Paul Eddington's Jim Hacker, Nigel Hawthorne's Sir Humphrey Appleby, and Derek Fowlds' Bernard Woolley formed one of television's greatest ensembles.
But this book reminds us that great writing made everything possible.
The dialogue remains astonishing. Every sentence has purpose. Every exchange reveals incentives, power relationships, and institutional logic. The laughs emerge from truth rather than punchlines.
That is why the series still feels fresh.
If I have one criticism of the book, it is that at times it becomes almost too comprehensive. McCann chronicles nearly every twist in the show's development, production, reception, revival, and legacy. Some readers may find portions more detailed than necessary.
I didn't mind.
This is one of those rare cases where the subject matter earns the attention.
Because Yes Minister wasn't simply a television show. It became part of the language. "Sir Humphrey" entered the political lexicon as shorthand for bureaucratic obstruction. Politicians quoted it. Civil servants quoted it. Prime Ministers watched it. Margaret Thatcher loved it.
No writer could ask for much more.
The ultimate achievement of Yes Minister may be that it changed how audiences viewed government. Not because it persuaded them toward a particular ideology, but because it taught them to see incentives, unintended consequences, organizational self-preservation, and institutional behavior.
In other words, it taught economics and public choice theory through comedy.
That is quite a legacy for a sitcom.
This was one of my favorite books of the year and a strong candidate for my Top Five of 2026.
Memorable Quotes
"It is a good thing to be laughed at. It is better than to be ignored." — Harold Macmillan
"The permanent residents of the house of power."
"Whitehall rules over Westminster."
"How on earth did they know that?"
"There has to be some way to measure success in the Civil Service... We have to measure our success by the size of our staff and our budget."
"If nobody cared about the budget, we might end up with a department so small that even a Minister could run it."
"You are not here to run this Department."
"I do."
"My dear boy, it's a contradiction in terms—you can be open or you can have government!"
"They have a right to be ignorant. Knowledge only means complicity and guilt."
"I don't want the truth—I want something I can tell Parliament!"
"Quick. Simple. Popular. Cheap."
"Complicated. Lengthy. Expensive. Controversial."
"And if you want to be really sure that the Minister doesn't accept it you must say the decision is 'courageous.'"
"'Controversial' means this will lose you votes. 'Courageous' means this will lose you the election."
"As long as we can formulate our own proposals, we can guide them to the correct decision."
"We call it diplomacy, Minister."
"Britain has had the same foreign policy objective for at least the last five hundred years: to create a disunited Europe."
"The Foreign Office is terribly pleased—it's just like old times!"
"There are no ends in administration, Minister, except loose ends. Administration is eternal."
"The three articles of Civil Service faith: it takes longer to do things quickly; it's more expensive to do them cheaply; and it's more democratic to do them in secret."
"Are you saying that winking at corruption is government policy?"
"No, Minister. It could never be government policy. That is unthinkable. Only government practice."
"Subsidy is for art, for culture. It is not to be given to what the people want. It is for what the people don't want but ought to have."
"A cynic is what an idealist calls a realist."
"Clarification is not to make oneself clear; it is to put oneself in the clear."
"I want a job where there's achievement rather than merely activity."
"I'm tired of pushing paper. I want to be able to point at something and say: 'I did that.'"
"I don't understand."
"I know. That's why I'm leaving."
"A hospital uncontaminated by sick people."
"They'd just be in the way."
"Without those three hundred people, this hospital just wouldn't function!"
"You think it is functioning now?"
"It's just like Yes Minister."
"Progress is a sham and topicality is an illusion."
"People go into politics thinking they can change the way it works, but it's like wrestling a blancmange."
"Shame had been replaced by embarrassment."
"Before Yes Minister, sitcoms were valued mainly for the quantity of their laughs. After Yes Minister, sitcoms were also valued for the quality of their ideas."
"Most gratifying and astonishing of all, our inventions of 'Sir Humphrey' and 'Yes Minister' seem to have entered the language."
"No writer could hope for more."
TSOE Best Books of 2026 Recap
If I were summarizing this on our annual Best Books episode, I'd say:
This wasn't really a book about a television show. It was a book about institutions. About bureaucracy. About incentives. About why organizations behave the way they do.
What Jay and Lynn understood better than most economists, political scientists, and management consultants is that systems have interests of their own. Organizations seek survival. Bureaucracies seek growth. Administrators seek control. Politicians seek reelection. The comedy emerges when those incentives collide.
The reason Yes Minister remains relevant forty-five years later is that human nature hasn't changed. The technology has changed. The jargon has changed. The press releases have changed. But Sir Humphrey is immortal.
Every large organization has one.
Every profession has one.
And if we're honest, every one of us has a little Sir Humphrey lurking somewhere inside us.
That's why the show endures. And that's why this book was one of the most enjoyable—and insightful—reads of my year.
I came to this book already predisposed to like it because I adored Yes Minister and Yes, Prime Minister. The series was recommended to me years ago by my late friend and colleague Paul O'Byrne, whose judgment on books, ideas, and humor I trusted implicitly. Like many great recommendations, this one arrived long before streaming services and algorithmic suggestions. Paul simply said, in effect, "You need to watch this." He was right.
What I discovered then—and what this book confirms—is that Yes Minister was never merely a sitcom. It was one of the most penetrating studies of organizations, incentives, bureaucracy, politics, and power ever put on television. It just happened to be laugh-out-loud funny.
Graham McCann's book tells the story of how Antony Jay and Jonathan Lynn created something almost impossible: a political comedy that entertained ordinary viewers while simultaneously becoming required viewing for politicians, civil servants, journalists, and policy wonks around the world. The highest compliment paid to the show came from Westminster itself. The most common reaction among insiders was not, "That's funny." It was, "How on earth did they know that?"
The genius of the series—and of this book—is that it identifies the real conflict in government. Not Left versus Right. Not Conservative versus Labour. Not politicians versus voters.
The real conflict is between elected officials who come and go and permanent institutions that remain.
Max Weber warned of the rise of an administrative class—the permanent residents in the house of power. Yes Minister dramatized that insight better than perhaps any work of political science. Jim Hacker thinks he runs the department. Sir Humphrey knows who actually does.
And that's why the show remains timeless.
Reading this book in 2026, decades after the original broadcasts, I was struck by how little has changed. Whether the topic is healthcare, education, Europe, regulation, Brexit, budgets, public communications, or organizational inertia, the same incentives remain. Different actors. Different technologies. Same script.
The book also deepened my appreciation for the writers. Jay and Lynn were not ideological propagandists. One leaned libertarian and conservative; the other leaned liberal and radical. Yet both distrusted concentrated power. Both were fascinated by institutions. Both believed that satire works best when it exposes universal truths rather than partisan talking points. That combination gave the show its remarkable durability.
McCann also demonstrates how obsessively researched the scripts were. Many of the show's most absurd scenarios turned out to be based on actual events. The famous "hospital with no patients" episode sounds like pure satire until you discover that real hospitals sat empty while bureaucracies debated bed allocations and administrative procedures.
The lesson is one that TSOE listeners will immediately recognize: reality often struggles to keep pace with parody.
What surprised me most was how much this book made me appreciate the craftsmanship behind the comedy. Great sitcoms are often remembered for their actors, and rightly so. Paul Eddington's Jim Hacker, Nigel Hawthorne's Sir Humphrey Appleby, and Derek Fowlds' Bernard Woolley formed one of television's greatest ensembles.
But this book reminds us that great writing made everything possible.
The dialogue remains astonishing. Every sentence has purpose. Every exchange reveals incentives, power relationships, and institutional logic. The laughs emerge from truth rather than punchlines.
That is why the series still feels fresh.
If I have one criticism of the book, it is that at times it becomes almost too comprehensive. McCann chronicles nearly every twist in the show's development, production, reception, revival, and legacy. Some readers may find portions more detailed than necessary.
I didn't mind.
This is one of those rare cases where the subject matter earns the attention.
Because Yes Minister wasn't simply a television show. It became part of the language. "Sir Humphrey" entered the political lexicon as shorthand for bureaucratic obstruction. Politicians quoted it. Civil servants quoted it. Prime Ministers watched it. Margaret Thatcher loved it.
No writer could ask for much more.
The ultimate achievement of Yes Minister may be that it changed how audiences viewed government. Not because it persuaded them toward a particular ideology, but because it taught them to see incentives, unintended consequences, organizational self-preservation, and institutional behavior.
In other words, it taught economics and public choice theory through comedy.
That is quite a legacy for a sitcom.
This was one of my favorite books of the year and a strong candidate for my Top Five of 2026.
Memorable Quotes
"It is a good thing to be laughed at. It is better than to be ignored." — Harold Macmillan
"The permanent residents of the house of power."
"Whitehall rules over Westminster."
"How on earth did they know that?"
"There has to be some way to measure success in the Civil Service... We have to measure our success by the size of our staff and our budget."
"If nobody cared about the budget, we might end up with a department so small that even a Minister could run it."
"You are not here to run this Department."
"I do."
"My dear boy, it's a contradiction in terms—you can be open or you can have government!"
"They have a right to be ignorant. Knowledge only means complicity and guilt."
"I don't want the truth—I want something I can tell Parliament!"
"Quick. Simple. Popular. Cheap."
"Complicated. Lengthy. Expensive. Controversial."
"And if you want to be really sure that the Minister doesn't accept it you must say the decision is 'courageous.'"
"'Controversial' means this will lose you votes. 'Courageous' means this will lose you the election."
"As long as we can formulate our own proposals, we can guide them to the correct decision."
"We call it diplomacy, Minister."
"Britain has had the same foreign policy objective for at least the last five hundred years: to create a disunited Europe."
"The Foreign Office is terribly pleased—it's just like old times!"
"There are no ends in administration, Minister, except loose ends. Administration is eternal."
"The three articles of Civil Service faith: it takes longer to do things quickly; it's more expensive to do them cheaply; and it's more democratic to do them in secret."
"Are you saying that winking at corruption is government policy?"
"No, Minister. It could never be government policy. That is unthinkable. Only government practice."
"Subsidy is for art, for culture. It is not to be given to what the people want. It is for what the people don't want but ought to have."
"A cynic is what an idealist calls a realist."
"Clarification is not to make oneself clear; it is to put oneself in the clear."
"I want a job where there's achievement rather than merely activity."
"I'm tired of pushing paper. I want to be able to point at something and say: 'I did that.'"
"I don't understand."
"I know. That's why I'm leaving."
"A hospital uncontaminated by sick people."
"They'd just be in the way."
"Without those three hundred people, this hospital just wouldn't function!"
"You think it is functioning now?"
"It's just like Yes Minister."
"Progress is a sham and topicality is an illusion."
"People go into politics thinking they can change the way it works, but it's like wrestling a blancmange."
"Shame had been replaced by embarrassment."
"Before Yes Minister, sitcoms were valued mainly for the quantity of their laughs. After Yes Minister, sitcoms were also valued for the quality of their ideas."
"Most gratifying and astonishing of all, our inventions of 'Sir Humphrey' and 'Yes Minister' seem to have entered the language."
"No writer could hope for more."
TSOE Best Books of 2026 Recap
If I were summarizing this on our annual Best Books episode, I'd say:
This wasn't really a book about a television show. It was a book about institutions. About bureaucracy. About incentives. About why organizations behave the way they do.
What Jay and Lynn understood better than most economists, political scientists, and management consultants is that systems have interests of their own. Organizations seek survival. Bureaucracies seek growth. Administrators seek control. Politicians seek reelection. The comedy emerges when those incentives collide.
The reason Yes Minister remains relevant forty-five years later is that human nature hasn't changed. The technology has changed. The jargon has changed. The press releases have changed. But Sir Humphrey is immortal.
Every large organization has one.
Every profession has one.
And if we're honest, every one of us has a little Sir Humphrey lurking somewhere inside us.
That's why the show endures. And that's why this book was one of the most enjoyable—and insightful—reads of my year.
February 24, 2017
Welcome for those seeking a comprehensive account of the program's genesis and history.
However, the writer seems uncertain whether to be a chronicler or a reviewer, often saying what people "should" have done. And he becomes obtrusive with his own attitudes ("___ and her noisy organization".) He does not bother to restrain his hatred of Thatcher and expects the reader to share it as a matter of course. (Treating her appearance and gait as MORAL failures.)
However, the writer seems uncertain whether to be a chronicler or a reviewer, often saying what people "should" have done. And he becomes obtrusive with his own attitudes ("___ and her noisy organization".) He does not bother to restrain his hatred of Thatcher and expects the reader to share it as a matter of course. (Treating her appearance and gait as MORAL failures.)
February 11, 2024
to be fair….
To be fair, my lower star rating is in part because, although I love the tv show and found the bits in this book directly about that and its stars very good, I only have a passing interest in politics (enough to get my nearly 40 year old self by) and certainly not much interest of the politics of the time the sitcom was written. As a fair amount of this book touches on that, and with non-fiction not really being “my genre” it gets a lower mark from me for my personal preference than this book meh well deserve. So I’d urge any fan of the show to read it themselves and make their own decision.
To be fair, my lower star rating is in part because, although I love the tv show and found the bits in this book directly about that and its stars very good, I only have a passing interest in politics (enough to get my nearly 40 year old self by) and certainly not much interest of the politics of the time the sitcom was written. As a fair amount of this book touches on that, and with non-fiction not really being “my genre” it gets a lower mark from me for my personal preference than this book meh well deserve. So I’d urge any fan of the show to read it themselves and make their own decision.
Read
July 2, 2024A thoroughly enjoyable read, giving insight into the background to the series (and incidentally explaining why there are one or two jarring notes in the pilot episode), while showing just how startlingly true to the the storylines were. The civil service of the 1980s was quite different from today, but in many ways not much has changed! The series had a subtle humour that strengthened its impact over more recent imitations, I believe
October 6, 2024
The political background makes for dry reading, and as this forms a lot of the first section of the book, I very nearly gave up on it.
Throughout, Graham McMann tends to go into too much unnecessary detail - as if he is trying to cram in every bit of research he has done - and give jarring negative opinions of Yes [Prime] Minister and other sitcoms, but there are interesting passages in here - for casual fans of the series like me, and those who are more devoted.
Throughout, Graham McMann tends to go into too much unnecessary detail - as if he is trying to cram in every bit of research he has done - and give jarring negative opinions of Yes [Prime] Minister and other sitcoms, but there are interesting passages in here - for casual fans of the series like me, and those who are more devoted.
December 8, 2019
A comprehensively researched and well-written history of the peerless television comedy Yes Minister (and Yes Prime Minister), from its real-life political grounding and inspirations to its creation, scripting, performance, reception and legacy. McCann mixes critical analysis with behind-the-scenes interviews and extensive excerpts.
June 9, 2025
A really well researched and interesting book. I thoroughly enjoyed this. It not only gives information about the series, but some details on some of the background on where ideas came from. It didn't just cover the television show but touch on the books, radio sit com, the stage play and the reboot.
August 26, 2025
An excellent overview of a classic TV sitcom. Yes, Minister and Yes, Prime Minister should be required viewing of all students of politics, policy, and public administration. It is pertinent not only for the United Kingdom, but also for the United States. This book goes into the origin and the background of the series. I found the book well written and it kept my interest throughout.
May 31, 2020
Very well written and researched depiction of the creation of yes minister and yes prime minister, the writer does make the mistake on a couple of occasions of interjecting his personal opinion on what the show creators should have done, when it comes to representing political points.
May 4, 2024
Puff piece
It was a sitcom. Sometimes a very funny and well acted one. But that's all it was. It didn't change anything and had none of the significance this hagiographic account gives it.
It was a sitcom. Sometimes a very funny and well acted one. But that's all it was. It didn't change anything and had none of the significance this hagiographic account gives it.
March 15, 2018
Brilliant.
An excellent book and explains the series to a tee... made me watch it again! And download the later one..
An excellent book and explains the series to a tee... made me watch it again! And download the later one..
January 8, 2023
A well researched walk-thru of, in my opinion, the greatest political comedy (not satire) of all time. Great read.
July 16, 2023
Interesting story of the sit com from beginning to end. Perhaps one for fans rather than the general reader.
December 24, 2022
An interesting look inside the history of Yes (Prime) Minister, the unforgettable comedyserie. Well written, but at times somewhat uncritical, and occasionally quite pompous.
January 5, 2020
There is a great book waiting to be written about one of the greatest British sitcoms ever made. This one bears as much resemblance to it as a live tree does to sawdust.
It digs up a few interesting facts on how the episodes were written, how they anticipated this, how they mirrored that. But its biggest problem is style. If anyone writes prose more pompous and long-winded than McCann I’d be surprised:
‘True, there were brief annual spasms of distant visibility, when the three main parties set up stall at the seaside for their respective conferences, and longer periods of staged accountability mixed with sundry redundant intimacies that happened every few years during the run-up to each General Election, but neither of these events afforded the public a genuinely rich and vivid opportunity to analyse the actions of their elected representatives, let alone lend them any insight into the ancillary activities of their unelected civil servants.’
It’s like listening to Humphrey deliver a monologue after swallowing a fistful of downers.
It digs up a few interesting facts on how the episodes were written, how they anticipated this, how they mirrored that. But its biggest problem is style. If anyone writes prose more pompous and long-winded than McCann I’d be surprised:
‘True, there were brief annual spasms of distant visibility, when the three main parties set up stall at the seaside for their respective conferences, and longer periods of staged accountability mixed with sundry redundant intimacies that happened every few years during the run-up to each General Election, but neither of these events afforded the public a genuinely rich and vivid opportunity to analyse the actions of their elected representatives, let alone lend them any insight into the ancillary activities of their unelected civil servants.’
It’s like listening to Humphrey deliver a monologue after swallowing a fistful of downers.
April 23, 2017
This is a book designed for fans of the series, "Yes Minister," and "Yes Prime Minister." It details the evolution of the shows from original idea to their eventual implementation. It gives insights into the creators, Anthony Jay and Jonathan Lynn, and includes details of how they researched each episode and how they agreed on the (Brilliant) casting. There are additional comments about and from the cast but this is primarily a book about the development of this classic sitcom. Insightful and detailed easily a must read for all of us who enjoyed this British television masterpiece.
Read
April 30, 2017Great fan books.
Really love those small stories or review for each character.
Really love those small stories or review for each character.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews