A Clear Conscience | Yes, Prime Minister | BBC Comedy Greats

[@BBCComedyGreats]

"When did you acquire this taste for luxuries?"

[@bemusedindian8571]

That's a life lesson there.

[@bradameerbeg2154]

Before he started “working” for the civil service, I’d assume.

[@philledwith8307]

My favourite line also.

[@elmerofairo]

Favourite line in the entire series. It says so much

[@lrmcatspaw1]

I AM DEFINLTY yoinking that sentence and using it every time when someone wants something that should be easy to archive yet we seem to never have.

[@swhite7929]

No matter how old Bernard gets he always gives off super youthful, almost innocent vibes - almost like a schoolboy or a perpetual intern.

[@ovrdozzzz]

Exactly...I too always thought of this.😊

[@Bajirkus]

Yeah - the character was intended to be very much a young, fresh out of college man, but Derek Fowlds was clearly the best man for the role despite his age, so they cast him and rolled with it. His character is a lot more straightforward when you keep in mind that Bernard is 20-30 years younger than Sir Humphrey, despite Fowlds only being 8 years younger than Nigel Hawthorne.

[@Musicienne-DAB1995]

Yes! This is what I noticed, but couldn't put into words.

[@iandhr1]

"Like no not like cooking. Better not use that word in connection with books or minutes." LMAO

[@Anna_65]

I never understood that, could you please explain why he said it?

[@addyusa]

@@Anna_65 Cooking the books = falsifying information to make things seem better than they actually are. 😂😂 Hands down the best comedy show!

[@xsu-is7vq]

@@Anna_65 cook the book is a term used to describe a company falsifying numbers when recording their income/loss.

[@andrewdunne1735]

Accountancy could be an example🤣🤣

[@tallesmagno201]

@x xznn_x as much as cooking the books, books about cooking will tell you how many minutes to cook for :)

[@levierdragon]

_"We are humble functionaries whose duty it is to implement the commands of our democratically elected representatives. How can we possibly be doing anything wrong if it is being commanded by those who represent the people?"_ -- This is an amazing line that can be used by the civil service to justify anything!

[@Smartcom5]

.. and that's exactly why they're happily use it ever since.

[@Musicienne-DAB1995]

And I bet that is what they do!

[@guguigugu]

not just civil servants. it was often used to justify much more sinister actions.

[@amalgeorge007]

Oh yes, the famous Eichmann defense

[@ZATennisFan]

​@@amalgeorge007The Wansee Conference

[@ugolomb]

"Your probem is, Bernard, that you don't ever come to the point!" Humphrey's a fine one to talk about that...

[@Muljinn]

Ah, but Sir Humphrey’s digressions all serve the point he is driving towards, and that makes all the difference.

[@TheNefastor]

That makes it even funnier !

[@colinp2238]

That's politics in a nutshell.

[@yazadpardiwala687]

"you see it must be pointed out that some of those present may take issue with your comment, particularly and specifically the implication that the cabinet Secretary is loathe to avoid arriving at the penultimate destination of a sentence, or that he is in any way given to utilising to an over-bearing and unnecessary degree the various features of the English lexicon, with an intent to make his actual views or statements well night impossible to decipher "-my best Humphrey impression

[@ThomasFishwick]

As someone long experienced in writing minutes and recording meetings I can say, with a clear conscience, this is perfectly reasonable.

[@marcweeks9178]

I produced meeting minutes for several medical committees within two Kaiser Permanente hospitals, and I must say that Sir Humphrey is absolutely correct. Many were the times I had to turn two hours of chit-chat into 25 pages of action

[@markneedham8726]

@ThomasFishwick Can I note that, or are you surmising.?

[@markneedham8726]

@@marcweeks9178 Yes, be a lot easier if you were just asked to write minutes and to hell with the meeting. Who needs it.

[@ThomasFishwick]

@@markneedham8726 the fact you think there is a difference is wonderful! Single items on an agenda can be argued for hours, but only take a couple of lines without losing any content. Debates often go back and forth, people’s opinions and views can change radically with a compromise or two. Phrasing thing’s correctly can save a lot of confusion

[@markneedham8726]

@@ThomasFishwick :))

[@davidwright1902]

I worked in HR for more than 25 years and having the job of writing minutes for during that time. I always felt that Sir Humphrey's advice on writing minutes got me through the writing of the minutes of tricky meetings between management and the Trade Unions and always managed to avoided rows over the ghastly he said / she said arguments.

[@banksterkid5930]

For entire series we were thinking Bernard is some third wheel who occasionally throws one liners.... THIS IS one episode where we realise he actually has a serious job to do.

[@TheEvertw]

Well done! When my dad was entering meetings that were 'interesting', he always volunteered to write the minutes. Helped him get his way more than once ;-)

[@williamdrijver4141]

Masterpieces of comedy. Absolutely timeless. Brilliant scripts and actors.

[@kenmay1572]

Timeless and what actually is happening currently

[@TheEvertw]

Comedy? I thought this was a documentary.

[@abhijeetraut6427]

"When did you acquire this taste for luxury?" Masterpiece!

[@gregorianliu1]

"No man is an island, entire of itself, and therefore, never send to know for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for thee." Absolutely marvelous quote for the scene. Not something seen frequently in TV series today.

[@JungleLibrary]

It sounds very poignant, but I must admit that on this occasion, I'm at a complete loss for what Sir Humphrey means. Now I know how Rt Hon. Jim Hacker must have felt working with Sir Humphrey.

[@gregorianliu1]

@@JungleLibrary The quote had me confused at first glance as well. A bit of the side reading later on the context of its origin had me pondered that wherein Donne tried to convey the sense of unity of mankind or the inevitability of life and death, Sir Humphrey had that context extended specifically to the civil service, for which Bernard's action, driven by "clear conscience", could be detrimental to the entire group and to himself as well.

[@MuhammadSaleh]

@@gregorianliu1 Nice, I took it to mean, "do what you need to do, Bernard, or it's your head" but I think yours fits better

[@nemo6686]

Except the one in the middle of the Irish Sea - the Isle of Man...

[@drworm5007]

It's the twofold interpretation of "it tolls for thee" he's getting at. Bernard is only thinking about being willing to sacrifice onself but Humphrey is reinterpreting the the passage to suggest that unnecessary sacrifice is just as much against the greater good as selfish self-preservation.

[@GabrielKonayuma]

"The purpose of minutes is not to record events but to protect people". Classic!

[@tundescope]

'When did you acquire this taste for luxuries?'... the best line and delivery in the entire series!!!

[@LolTollhurst]

When Sir Humphrey suddenly shouts "I want nothing of the sort!" Bernard flinches so hard he jumps and you don't really notice conciously, yet you do notice. It's so effective for the scene. Little details, two actors in sync. It's brilliant.

[@danieldickson8591]

What's marvelous about it is that Humphrey is genuinely appalled at the thought of falsifying minutes. He has real principles he believes in, but he's exceptionally good at rationalizing his way around them.

[@cmm5542]

​@@danieldickson8591That's the most excellent summation of Sir Humphrey's character I have yet read!

[@craigbryant3191]

It's fantastic in a way to see Sir Humphrey, the great institutionalist, reflexively protecting the PM he was so often at odds with. What a character! What a programme!

[@danieldickson8591]

Humphrey was protecting the institution of the Prime Minister, not the politician occupying the office. I've found that to be common distinction made by people in many governments around the world. Humphrey sincerely believes in every word he said to Bernard. It's just his interpretation that's questionable, not his loyalty.

[@NewMusicWeekly]

Humphrey had a lot more respect for Hacker as PM than as just a minister.

[@zeanamush]

​@@NewMusicWeeklyHacker was way more natural in the role of Prime Minister than in Cabinet. Except for that conscription nonsense.

[@tachikomakusanagi3744]

Just this single scene contains more comedy than the last five years of the entire BBC output

[@tnw31]

Nigel Hawthorn was BORN to be Sir Humphrey...just brilliant.

[@Varksterable]

Maybe Sir Humphrey Appleby was born to be played by Nigel Hawthorn too? It's a staggering coincidence, isn't it?

[@JohnLaMonte]

Brilliant! Impeccable writing, direction and performances! The height of what TV can be

[@23poiuz]

This is brilliant! Sir Humphrey squares a circle in front of your eyes=)

[@purpledevilr7463]

I like a the detail here, that Humphrey doesn’t have a clear conscious. But it’s implied he does have a conscious.

[@Bagster321]

Yes, Minister and Yes, Prime Minister; the best Politics 101 course in history.

[@ScorpiusZA.]

When i started watching this, i thought it was a light heated comedy - come to find it is actually a hard hitting documentary. I can absolutely see why nothing ever actually gets done.

[@knititwearit]

Horrible Histories is great too

[@Musicienne-DAB1995]

@@ScorpiusZA. Its accuracy is shocking to me, who only began watching a few days ago. And I am 29.

[@dingopisscreek]

Brilliantly written and acted. Nothing like it today

[@michaelbayer5094]

I just watched this clip again. (It's so good I'll watch it when the YT gods send it my way). I'm fortunate enough to recoginize the poem (No Man is an Island, 400 yrs old) but Humphrey and Bernard are so erudite that they can use the verses in conversation to make their points and find a solution to the problem. It's truly beautiful.

[@petermacleod5710]

And in Whitehall at this very moment exactly this conversation is taking place about Parties and the PM

[@Grim_Beard]

Sue Gray will be pleased to see this.

[@aerin2878]

I worked in the government for 7yrs. I thought this type of situations only happens in my country only to find out it also happens elsewhere. And if this show aired early 80s, it is still relevant today. I really love this show ❤️

[@ZATennisFan]

I just love the way Sir Humphrey bluntly, for him at least, states that a conscience is not only a luxury but actually unnecessary and actually dangerous....

[@Hr-sd5sd]

Still a fabulous and well written series.

[@adiebarrett]

The masterful art of informing meeting participants so they can recall what that thought they might have possibly communicated is a highly-skilled task. And then "Yes Minister" shows you how it could be done. Classic stuff.

[@PtolemyJones]

Sad but true, for some people, no conscience is the same as a clear one.

[@PtolemyJones]

@John Ashtone You really think this is a documentary, and not the sardonic comedy genius that most of us do, don't you?

[@tylisirn]

@John Ashtone They had actual civil servants as advisors on the show to make it as accurate as possible without getting in the way of the jokes.

[@rambapat900]

I am watching these snippets on youtube and I cant stop , I need help.

[@johnking5174]

You should get all Yes Minister and Yes Prime Minister online or on DVD

[@chrishampton1981]

@@johnking5174 I fully agree, I have the complete boxset and it is superb

[@jamesp8569]

Sue Gray will definitely have to be an island!

[@JonatasAdoM]

0:13 I should start addressing people talking to me like this.

[@djsherz]

A fascinating documentary series.

[@leftcoaster67]

We laugh because it's funny, or we laugh because it's true.

[@theluher]

I work in a bank and we do minutes like this all the time lol.

[@TheEvertw]

As long as they get approved, all is fine!

[@johndoyle4723]

Thanks, needed a good laugh on these dark winter days. Still relevant and true today.

[@captainbuggernut9565]

Everyone needs a Humphrey.

[@davidgoodnow269]

Still one of my favorite series.

[@paulh6998]

This is, again, a true Masterpiece.

[@norseko]

When the BBC got it right

[@highdownmartin]

Get back to muffin the mule

[@organismseven3700]

@@highdownmartin Well, I would trust what Muffin the Mule has to say, more than anything that emanates from the BBC nowadays.

[@sbybill3271]

I learnt as much from these comments as from the video clip. Simply fantastic.

[@rogermouton2273]

'What do you want Bernard?' 'A clear conscience.' 'And when did you acquire this taste for luxuries?' Such brilliantly witty dialog.

[@applejuice5272]

1:50 Bell tolling in the background is a great touch in the audio landscape

[@TheContrariann]

Truely a masterpiece! Alas that in today's day and age of technology, we have not been able to produce such Masterpieces of work despite of all that is available at our disposal!

[@danieldickson8591]

No technology can replace quality writing and acting. This series is just about as low-tech as television gets, but it excels at the other qualities.

[@philsooty61]

Absolutely brilliant! so cleverly written.

[@afia_begum_chowdhury]

"And people change their mind in a meeting, don't they?"

[@marianhreads]

This show is like Kafka meets PG Wodehouse and it's somehow perfect

[@abxkumar]

Sir Humphrey: "So what is your problem?" Bernard: "The minutes aren't written yet" Sir Humphrey: "I see" Bernard: "So what should I do?" Sir Humphrey: "Wrrrrite them, dear Bernard!!" Channeling all those years of theatre!!

[@Moamanly]

Conjured up "There's a hole in the bucket" too, for me.("Well fix it, dear Henry!").

[@eleSDSU]

Gringos going crazy because someone can roll an R...uff, as if that was what's impressive about Nigel Hawthorne smh.

[@vulpes7079]

"But how do you justify that?" "You are his servant" "Oh! Yes"

[@andreashaynes3346]

The Bells Toll For Thee….. 🤣🤣🤣

[@omnivorous65]

I wonder to what extent Alan Rickmann modelled the intonation and speech patterns of Professor Snape after Sir Humphrey.

[@DomWeasel]

Alan Rickman and Nigel Hawthorne were both members of the Royal Shakespeare Company. Listen to them, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Derek Jacobi etc, they all have similar speech patterns.

[@JobiWan144]

@@DomWeasel Yes, I suspect it's more a case of common training and background than one modeling the other.

[@jeffhubbard4688]

I think both use a speech pattern that is a 'type' amongst a certain kind of mostly middle and upper class Englishmen talking to those they believe inferior in rank, mind, or education.

[@andrewsuryali8540]

@@jeffhubbard4688 To be precise, it's the speech pattern of the standard British theatrical caricature of an upper class Englishman who looks down on their lesser beings.

[@cloggy010]

still amazing! best ever!

[@richardelson3261]

There has never been better comic writing than these series.

[@ChocolateMilkCultLeader]

this series is brilliant

[@michaelscott6022]

"This is, in fact, the truth." "But that isn't what happened at all!" "You are, of course, entitled to your own opinions, even if they contradict the events as stated." "A man _died_ in that meeting!" "Oh no, sir, he was merely promoted to a higher office and transferred to an alternate department in order to fill a position he was eminently suited for. Granted, the decision to do so _was_ rather a hasty one, little time for well-wishing or even a last toast, but needs must, I suppose."

[@the_9ent]

What’s this from?

[@michaelscott6022]

@@the_9ent Not really from anything, I think, I just made it up based on what the characters might say.

[@ugolomb]

Kind of reminds me of the time when Humphrey tries to tell Hacker that he's "passing on to pastures new, perhaps greener, in service of one who is greater than all of us" (meaning he's being promoted to Cabinet Secretary and will soon work directly with the Prime Minister), and Hacker concludes that Humphrey's dying and only has a few weeks left...

[@michaelscott6022]

@@ugolomb Yeah, I was thinking about that a bit when I was writing the comment.

[@clivejones1888]

some questions should not be asked ... some questions should never be answered ... served me well

[@Calum_S]

Consciences are for politicians? Someone should tell the current bunch, who cravenly follow whatever the party line is on a particular day.

[@sameoldsatellite]

And conga line.

[@peterclarke7240]

Party line? Is that the white powdery stuff they've found traces of in the downing street toilets?

[@andrewsuryali8540]

That isn't what Sir Humphrey meant. What he meant is that only politicians have the luxury (or need) to even consider conscience a factor in their decision-making, not that politicians necessarily have it (or listen to it). Bureaucrats can simply ignore any semblance of conscience because they're just servants executing their masters' will.

[@Deepthought-42]

Sue Gray will be doing a Sir Humphry when writing her report for Boris Johnson after investigating into Downing Street parties 😂

[@jeffhubbard4688]

If you watch the entire series you might develop the feeling that that is not necessarily as likely as you think..................................!!.

[@AlainHubert]

I strongly suspect that some real politicians wrote many of the dialogues in this excellent TV program, it sounds so true to life!

[@raistormrs]

no, but one of the writers was in close contact with insiders and also worked as a speechwriter. So they had actual leaks, that is why they always recorded in front of a audience, so it would go out the way it was written. Thatcher however, who publicly defined it her favourite show, managed to avoid possible damages by doing so. very much to the irritation of everybody involved with the show.😅

[@AngelWingzzz]

If you were ever in the Civil service at any level...you know this reflects reality.

[@greasemonkey6362]

it would appear that the politicians of today, watched and learnt very well.

[@Bless-the-Name]

Check out the documentary they made on the show 😉

[@raistormrs]

@@greasemonkey6362 some might... others not so much 😅

[@brunokoch672]

A masterpiece

[@julianaylor4351]

Write them, dear Bernard. 😁

[@McRocket]

Long ago. The BBC would just tape over old shows to save money on new tape/film. Thus, those shows they taped over are gone forever. Apparently, they almost did that with Monty Python's Flying Circus. Can you imagine if they had done that with this series? ☮

[@johnking5174]

You have to look at it from the era it happened. In the 60s and 70s there was no multi channel platforms, no hundreds of channels, no streaming services. A TV programme would air, and then get one or two repeats and that was it. TV was purely disposal and so they felt it was not worth keeping an archive, especially considering how much videotape and film back then were very very expensive.

[@stephenphillip5656]

@@johnking5174 ... & until home VCRs became popular, you had to be *IN* to watch them. How we've changed.

[@McRocket]

@@johnking5174 That is still ridiculous. Had the BBC never heard of 'reruns'? I am not buying for one second that the BBC could not afford to save the tapes of older shows. They had no idea what the future held for technology. You have to anticipate the possibility of such things. That there might be a demand for such things in the future. It is pure madness to destroy tapes/film of great shows for ANY reason.

[@johnking5174]

@@McRocket Hi - you do not realise the very strict actors union rules in place in Britain during the 1960s until the early 1990s. The unions laid down the rules of repeat runs of dramas and comedies, where they set the rate for repeat fees to the actors involved. The rule was two repeats maximum and then if the BBC wanted to repeat further, they had to pay the unions on a per episode basis, which could be a fortune.

[@ejayman]

They did this with several episodes of Dad's Army which are lost to time forever :(

[@aliali-ce3yf]

the mental gymnastics to do that job must be tiring

[@SSJfraz]

No as tiring as the mental gymnastics the general public pull to justify voting for them....

[@ozziejohn571]

Brilliant

[@tombombadil9123]

amazing! it's so accurate that it could've been a documentary on public services 😆

[@wholeNwon]

That's what Thatcher thought.

[@davidgillies620]

I love the way the writers assumed their viewers would know how the John Donne poem ends. There was never any talking down to the audience.

[@johnbanks4761]

oh yeah..nothing like a chat with sir humphrey to "clear" your conscience.....................................

[@AVMamfortas]

Acting, superb. Writing, Inspired.

[@scaryblackdeath]

Surely this scene can't possibly reflect current ongoing events in British government.

[@Stettafire]

Current? It's been this way since forever

[@philliphall8792]

This is so true to what happens in Westminster...😂😂

[@strikeforcealpha9343]

No man is an island... something Boris could learn.

[@chrisp4170]

Brilliant!

[@Leonf123]

Yezzzz bernard

[@JonatasAdoM]

Listening to cooking minutes before knowing what the expression cooking means gives this scene a completely different perspective.

[@dec335]

That is genius :)

[@JETJOOBOY]

The meeting in Question was Definitely NOT a PARTY!

[@bobcosmic]

One of the greatest comedies that have stood the test of time . Yes I think we can now defund the BBC as we will never see or hear anymore great programs coming out of that corporation!

[@1_5RCBiker]

You wont if you defund it...

[@highdownmartin]

I’ll leave it up you, commissioning editor Bob

[@bobcosmic]

@@highdownmartin Thanks but I don’t want to be dictated to and I don’t want to be a dictator but the thought is nice . Thanks for your comment! 👊🏾

[@bobcosmic]

@@1_5RCBiker Yeah I understand you totally fact of the matter is the younger generations aren’t even watching tv anymore so as they are the actual majority what will be the point in having a tv license. Thanks for your comment !

[@nondescript2892]

when this series aired...in the 80's ..there was equal " dissatisfaction" and calls for defunding the BBC..surely the older generations were then ..as the next one is now..preaching the reactionary credo that everything old was better and the end of civilization is nigh....the conservative way of convincing working people into shooting in their own foot....has been effective for hundreds of years..

[@meusha846]

Write them, dear Bernard!

[@nicholasmaude6906]

"When did you acquire this taste for luxuries?" When Sir Humphrey that in that tone of voice he made me think of Kerr Avon from Blake's 7, that's exactly the sort of thing Avon would say😉😁😈.

[@nemo6686]

The worst of it is, he's not wrong...

[@TheEvertw]

The script writers must have been actual civil servants, who just wrote of day-to-day events.

[@edipires15]

They weren’t but their informers were, that’s why this series was successful

[@shiorisaitou4846]

One could only wish that current and recent British governments had people this competent at the top.

[@AdmiralSpaceballs]

what is the silver thing on the desk ?

[@wholeNwon]

Looks like a calendar to me. You change the dates by rotating the ends.

[@marks.6480]

I once had a manager who changed the minutes to hide his blunders. He didn't last long...

[@userofthetube2701]

Of course he didn't. He didn't have sir Humphrey to tactfully improve the minutes for him.

[@marks.6480]

@@userofthetube2701 let's just say that steps were taken

[@paulklee5790]

Bernard wasn’t and never would ‘change the minutes’ that would be completely unethical but as we all know the minutes of a meeting are a précis of the arguments and discussions not a verbatim transcription and therein lies the rub....

[@tortinwall]

Did he get promoted? That’s the way things normally turn out.

[@marks.6480]

@@tortinwall no, he got fired on the spot. rumour had it somebody told the CEO what had been going on.

[@DerafsheKavian]

Head and shoulders above the current TV shows.

[@JETJOOBOY]

No wonder he went to work for the Northern Fuzz!

[@peterkavanagh64]

Thank you pm m aplogies accrpted vmuch to do predidents at ease . Huge orher there

[@bodricthered]

Painfully apt, given how Johnson reacted to partygate

[@georgekusz4221]

The Brt Ish humor like no other. :-)

[@juliancoulden1753]

Brilliant writing and delivery. Sadly the main protagonists are excused and elsewhere. Wouldn’t they enjoy the irony of these wonderful programs!

[@Sunil778-l4c]

*they are IAS officers of England... 😂😂😂*

[@SirWhiteRabbit-gr5so]

Minutes of a meeting aren't transcripts! They're for the record.

[@Raymond_Cooper]

HUMPY😂

[@amritsharma5373]

Humphrey resembles Bertrand Russell, somehow. 😁😁

[@billkeaveney1526]

Genius

[@bobcosmic]

Yes you are 😀

[@billkeaveney1526]

@@bobcosmic i wonder if any of the cast are still alive apart from John Savidant?

[@sriharshavardhankuchi7309]

@@billkeaveney1526 John Nettleton

[@billkeaveney1526]

@@sriharshavardhankuchi7309 thanks

[@Jamal-jv8yc]

Bernard was such a Boy Scout. Wouldn’t last 5 minutes in the civil service.

[@jeffhubbard4688]

The real civil service? As the Prime Minister's private secretary he must have been around quite some time in this fictional version of it.

[@tylisirn]

@@jeffhubbard4688 Bernard doesn't actually have the proper seniority for the position, he's a mid level ministerial secretary. Hacker brought him along with him from Department of Administrative Affairs when he got elected PM because he liked him. Humphrey was quite taken back, but acquiesced, so Bernard got a significant promotion at least temporarily.

[@jeffhubbard4688]

@@tylisirn Ok, So getting to a mid level ministerial scretary isn't exactly being a filing clerk. He must still have left a few daggers in backs to get that far, which in real life would be quite a success, and indictive of someone who does know his way around the place.

[@mattevans4377]

At least this lie makes logical sense. It's about giving a clear message to the public, even if things are a bit more complicated behind the scenes. Which is a lot more than the current government can do.......

[@ChartreuseDan]

Politicians with clean consciences? That line hasn't aged well

[@jesseberg3271]

I love the line, "You are his servant" and Bernerd's reaction to it. To be fair, it isn't true. Bernerd is a Civil Servant, not the Prime Minister's personal man. On the other hand, it is a monarchy with an attached aristocracy, so such positions can in fact exist.

[@keithammleter3824]

Civil servants are servants of the monarch (now King Charlie). The monarch delegates some of its powers to government ministers upon their swearing in. Hence Bernard is indeed the servant of Hacker through this delegation.

[@marypatrick5297]

This and Fawlty towers top my list of very funny

[@marvintpandroid2213]

Just go Boris !