Greatest Moments from Series 1 - Part 2 | Yes, Prime Minister | BBC Comedy Greats

Join Hacker, Sir Humphrey and Bernard for the 2nd part of our Yes, Prime Minister Series 1 compilation! Watch Part 1 here 👉 • Greatest Moments from ...
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[@BBCComedyGreats]

"Ah, Goofy!"

[@presidiun]

This is the most brilliant comedy series I've watched. While it is sad it is probably the only one, being the jewel that it is it shines even brighter.

[@davepowell7168]

Maybe it was of its time

[@liamcrowe8829]

0

[@markaspden6905]

@@presidiun h

[@davepowell7168]

@@brianweller637 A historical pantomime figure leftover . Belief in democracy should have ended in the 80's. 20 years later a planestrike pushed a building over, less than 20 later a Chinese batflu plague myth causes a real laugh, those people vaccinated will hopefully learn to apply critical thought . Did Mogg speak off script? All bounders

[@youbigtubership]

"You're speaking in riddles, Bernard." "Thankyou Sir Humphrey." "THAT WAS NOT A COMPLIMENT."

[@iandhr1]

"Nurses in teachers can't vote against me until the next election. Backbenchers can vote against me at 10 o'clock tonight." LMAO.

[@mentaljedi]

Very relevant atm as always

[@iandhr1]

@@mentaljedi Indeed. Seeing how the Tories knifed two Prime Ministers in one year. and if they had anyone left they would probably knife Sunak soon. I think it was Churchill who describe the House of Commons as: "your opponents sitting in front of you and your enemies sitting behind you."

[@dominicwong6592]

@@iandhr1case in point, former Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd

[@iandhr1]

@@dominicwong6592 Yup. Malcolm Turnbull too.

[@ChrisCooper312]

"I don't think Sir Humphrey understands economics, he read classics" - Yes Minister/Prime Minister is always relevant.

[@lomax343]

"Who knows Foreign Office secrets apart from the Foreign Office?" "Oh, that's easy. Only the Kremlin."

[@ruthmccabe3527]

Truer today than it was back then...

[@luminair11]

Brilliant how Humphrey switches from super arrogant and self assured to meek, humble and frightfully neurotic so easily.......such superb acting!!!!

[@eoghanclark165]

"You lulled him into a true sense of security" 😂 damn that got me

[@stephenm5000]

"Press statements aren't delivered under oath..." what a wonderful observation...

[@MrsSlocombesPuddyCat]

Never understood this show as a child back in the early 80s. But the adults in the room would be in hysterical stitches. Definitely find it funny now. British humour at its dry and droll finest.

[@twotone3070]

It's a shame that they no longer do this type of documentary.

[@lazylaurablue]

😄

[@doraldeddy1836]

How true! An accurate observation of MPs and what they do?😳🙄🤬

[@michaeltba9062]

Just watch the news.

[@twotone3070]

@@michaeltba9062 I'd rather not.

[@jussilahteenmaki3475]

Well, times change. Nowadays we call it reality show.

[@TheFtocFactor]

I often use Yes, Minister, Yes, Prime Minister shows to help my wife understand what is really going on in current politics. It is amazing these shows are still so relevant. The satire is just so on point, as is the acting. I never get tired of watching them.

[@gaygaz9737]

My cats agree.

[@lopezlopez7132]

And your wife doesn't mind to be treated like a stupid little woman, who needs explaining by a smart husband?

[@nickymcauley3589]

Mansplaining?

[@TheFtocFactor]

@@nickymcauley3589 Absolutely not! My wife is undeniably more intelligent than I am. She just has little to no interest in politics, so sometimes she is just baffled by what decisions/indecisions are made/not made. (Probably due to her high IQ she just can't understand the ineptness of many politicians) For example, about 10 years ago China wanted to gift two pandas to Taiwan. But Taiwan refused the gift. My wife thought that was just stupid, so I showed her the Episode about the tunnel connecting France and England and the French President wanting to gift a pup to the Queen. Yes, PM Ep. 11 A Diplomatic Incident She not only understood what was going on politically, but we had a few good laughs along the way.

[@davepowell7168]

Be smart, don't vote and avoid tax (Donations to the BBC licence are a sign of ignorance, like belief in vaccination or planestrikes flattening buildings) Wake up people

[@andreashaynes3346]

Absolutely superb. Yes Minister and Yes Prime Minister are the finest comedies to have come to our screens 😂💎😂

[@aritragupta4182]

I think you mean "factually correct documentaries with a fine sprinkling of humour".

[@petercrane2065]

The problem is modern day politicians watch these programs and treat them as instruction videos!

[@MrTonyHeath]

in your opinion of course.

[@ansfridaeyowulfsdottir8095]

@@aritragupta4182 *_I think you mean "factually correct documentaries with a fine sprinkling of humour"._* ROFLMAO! {:o:O:}

[@stevechurch4728]

"you lured him into a true sense of security"! brilliant!

[@HurreJunior]

“You were a back bencher MP 5 years ago” she says and his response “I was the exception” 😂😂😂😂 I like the ego

[@jrd33]

Jim Hacker has certain qualities, but self-awareness is not among them.

[@Hannah-pk6iq]

'who's in charge'? 'No one really'. Welcome to the UK August 2022.

[@TomFynn]

The corollary of course is: Would anyone want any of those muppets to be in charge?

[@flyingscotsman9657]

Now there really isn't anyone in charge!

[@smotara1ify]

It's quite impressive how they manage to deliver these convoluted lines so flawlessly

[@NoosaHeads]

They'll never be anyone as good as Yes Minister again. This and Fawlty Towers - the pinnacle of British comedy.

[@arcticchrisx7724]

Fawlty Towers is really good but one note in comparison to this exquisitely well written and acted masterpiece

[@jeremypearson6852]

Unfortunately, everything has to be politically correct now, no pun intended!

[@junaid12345678901234]

PM: who knows foreign office's plan apart from foreign office? Bernard: Oh! that's simple, only the Kremlin.

[@voice_of_reason5604]

Dad's army, Fawlty Towers, Yes minister/ Prime Minister and Blackadder The very best of British sitcom writing and acting.

[@cosmababy]

Ain't half hot mum, Are you being served

[@duringthemeanwhilst]

ever decreasing circles

[@MrsSlocombesPuddyCat]

You could probably also include Dad's Army in the list.

[@roymeynell9198]

Brilliant programme we are unlikely to ever see the quality of this outstanding series

[@rthompson7282]

Waiting for God, Only Fools and Horses!

[@kinginthenorth5267]

"Press statements aren't delivered under oath." Lol brilliant

[@juleshorse9056]

The caricature of an MP has not changed! Brilliant.

[@tyqwdybijo]

They are worse . They aren’t just self interested , they want you dead .

[@rogerwalker5032]

This is over 40 years old! As funny (and true) as ever.

[@joeking4206]

Pure genius. The sad part is that nothing has changed since Sir Humphrey was in the job.

[@beaconterraoneonline]

This is one of the best television shows in TV history.

[@SillySausage-mq3so]

THE BEST.

[@dennwren]

Please put this series back on our TV in 2022 - it has never been more relevant

[@shaughnfourie304]

I ABSOLUTELY AGREE OF COURSE THEY WILL NOT FOR EXACTLY THAT REASON DO NOT LET THE PEOPLE THINK IS THE PROFOUNDLY ANTI DEMOCRATIC STRATEGY OF THE SCUM WHO TRY TO RUN THE WESTERN WORLD TODAY

[@michaelwalters327]

Yes get it back in 2023

[@jupitersailing]

Having just retired from civil service duty in Whitehall after 35 years, I'm afraid there are one or two gaping holes in Yes Prime Minister. Firstly, Sir Humphrey Appleby would now have an office only yards from Jim's; and there would be ornaments on the filing cabinet.

[@mikewilliams4499]

Such a brilliant trio of actors, bringing remarkable scripts to the screen. Paul E was just classic and Sir H...a masterstroke of writing and acting.

[@unitycalling4676]

They were given inside information to show us how vulnerable our actual Gov is. Just Humans. Brilliant and Thatcher's fave TV programme.

[@PMMagro]

"So who is in charge if you are not. -Nobody really". Priceless documentary this.

[@embreis2257]

12:43 _St. Georges Island_ and all the talk around it: that sounds very much like the _Yes, Prime Minister_ version of what happened in Grenada in 1983

[@Jpdt19]

Almost certainly yep

[@HurreJunior]

7:53 “the UN is the accepted forum for the expression of international hatred” oh buoy is he on point.

[@TomFynn]

"But during National Brotherhood Week, National Brotherhood Week, It's National Everyone-smile-at-one-another-hood Week. Be nice to people who Are inferior to you. It's only for a week, so have no fear. Be grateful that it doesn't last all year!" Tom Lehrer - National Brotherhood Week

[@royhornyak8596]

I do love this series. The quality of acting was top notch. The storylines were brilliant, and the cast was perfect. Maybe if the BBC was producing programing like this now, people wouldn't be complaining about the Licence fees. This series is a real reminder of what is missing in British Television.

[@TheAncientAstronomer]

What a brilliant show! A real documentary. Nothing like this now days. Sadly.

[@wilfdarr]

Still current: nothing has changed since!

[@petercrane2065]

Yes there is, its called Westminster, only what is going on there, is NOT funny!

[@listen2meokidoki264]

My No.1 On the rare occasion when the Treasury understands the questions the Cabinet doesn't understand the answers.

[@iandhr1]

The scene with the Israeli ambassador is fantastic. The actor who plays him is excellent. The way he says "I know" is perfect. I love the exchange "They seem to think that 800 fully armed paratroopers was an awful lot to send on a goodwill visit" "Nooooo it's just an awful lot of goodwill."

[@tomharrison1849]

Totally agree with each point you make.

[@frankshailes3205]

The great David de Keyser. He's brilliant in The New Avengers and Robin of Sherwood, too.

[@jimspink2922]

The character I liked was Sir Arnold he was the only person who put the fear of God into Sir Humphrey. I like the comment where Hackers asks if Civil Servants should be sacked for incompetence Sir Arnolds reply was In principle Yes but in practice No. When asked why explains that there would have to be an inquiry and findings would show the incompetence of the Civil Service would be in part the fault of the Government. Hacker then decides that maybe an inquiry would not be such a good idea

[@jimspink2922]

I like the part where the israeli ambassador says .....Of course its not for the Israeli ambassador to advise the British Prime Minister. and Hacker replies ..... And I would not take the advice anyhow as he reaches for the phone. The smirk on the ambassadors face is priceless

[@piotrd.4850]

@@jimspink2922 Sir Arnold was "God Calls Me God" character xD

[@beverlyhitchon4901]

I loved watching this when I was younger, wish they would bring it back! Such accurate representation of how government works! Hilarious! 😂

[@omambianelson4853]

Viewing such a masterpiece makes me to conclude that TV is garbage today

[@fireflyrobert]

Yes, it is

[@demicdah]

Sir Arnold is played wonderfully

[@childofthe50s53]

The best character in the show. A sort of George Smiley type.

[@jimspink2922]

@@childofthe50s53 Sir Arnold the only person who makes Sir Humphrey nervous. Especially when Sir Arnold asks Sir Humphrey to come over for a "Chat" nothing serious just a "Chat".

[@danieldickson8591]

Sir Arnold dominates any room he's in. He always gives the impression that he knows more than anyone else, which is probably true.

[@MrSniperfox29]

@@danieldickson8591IIRC he only "lost" once in the entire series when he was trying to offload a difficult job onto Hacker (transport supremo) and Hacker and Goofy managed to out leak him

[@annharrington6778]

BEST COMEDY OF ALL TIMES. LAUGHTER IS GOOD MEDICINE, SORELY NEEED IN THESE TIMES. THANK YOU TO A GREAT TEAM.

[@SilverSurfer5150]

Priceless humour! Outstanding! Absolutely outstanding! Three cheers for Yes, Prime Minister!!!

[@colinstewart1432]

Halcyon days when government incompetence was at a level with which we could comfortably cope. 🤣

[@Squashed8Ball]

Hacker to Sir Humphrey, “there’s something I want to talk to you about; something very secret” Hacker contemplates. Humphrey interjects, “Would it be easier if I wasn’t here?” 😂😂😂😂

[@Cristiana-15_09]

27:33 "I can't tell you how happy this makes me" proceeds to cover his face with an handkerchief cause he's laughing for real 😆 best comedy ever 💖

[@thegoat5141]

Ah, goofy! Eh...

[@kossend1]

"Show him in Bernard, show him in."

[@readerj01]

Absolutely brilliant writing and acting. So may of these episodes ring as true to day as they did when they first aired. Since it is so dialogue based it translates perfectly to Audible and I spent many, many months listening to these episodes on my depressing long rail commutes in to and out from London and to this day this is still my go to series to watch when I have the odd hour or two to spare.

[@jeremypearson6852]

I had the depressing Brit Rail commute from Southend to Fenchurch St in the late 70’s, so I commiserate with you. Luckily, it was only for a few years. Been living in S Florida for forty years, but I sometimes yearn to just spend a real summer in the UK.

[@Wabbit_Hunta]

Could you get another job, or maybe find a better way to commute to work? That's half the problem with a lot of jobs, the travel to and from work, it can sometimes take just as long as the working day. Not what can be seen as a good work/life balance.

[@duringthemeanwhilst]

might one be so bold as to suggest that in order to avail oneself of the finest moments of this rather excellent political satire, one instead of perusing a half-hour selection of chosen nuggets one merely watches the entire series of this along with its predecessor where the incumbent prime minister cut his teeth as the minister for administrative affairs as frankly it is rather difficult, no, impossible to expect even a highly trained and experienced editor to conduct the onerous task of selecting a selection of selected clips and claim the resulting selection of said selected clips to be of greater comical impact and indeed importance than any other in this particularly fine televisual feast...

[@ThePsiclone]

Indeed one has already commenced the enquiry of which you speak, having convinced both the treasury and the procurement office that a purchase of the complete box set would not just be prudent but indeed wise. Upon receipt of the set the depts for Education and culture, Media & sport have proceeded with further enquiries into the conduct of the behaviour portrayed in the aforementioned programs and is currently at this time around half way through the latter of the two. It must be stressed whilst at this time no solid conclusion may be reached until the conclusion of said enquiries, the evidence does seem to agree with the proposed hypothesis. Obviously we must however allow a full enquiry into the matter and not interfere with its findings in any way, or comment upon potential findings so as not to be seen pre-judging the outcome of the aforementioned enquiries.

[@lindamckenzie6500]

One of the most comical series ever, timeless .

[@the-chillian]

Everything is based on real events. The bit about St. George's Island is actually about Grenada, a Commonwealth island nation in the Caribbean near Trinidad, the capital of which is the city of St. George's. Reagan invaded it in 1983 in response to a military coup. The government was already revolutionary and Leninist, having taken over the country in a bloodless coup 4 years earlier, but the military thought the PM was insufficiently revolutionary since he actually paid attention to economic realities. The military government began cooperating even more closely with Cuba than the civilian government had been. I'm sure the US invasion was in response to legitimate requests from other nations in the area such as Jamaica, and also from the Governor-General by secret channels, but it also happened to align very nicely with its interests in the region and Reagan's anti-Soviet policies. For the purposes of fictionalizing events the island was renamed for the real island's capital and moved to the Persian Gulf, but this is more or less how it went down. The matter of the bishop was about the real life Bishop of Durham, David Jenkins. Shortly after his nomination he made a number of public statements expressing doubt over some key tenets of Christianity such as the Virgin Birth and the Resurrection. It was absolutely middle-of-the-road stuff for university theology faculty, as he had been, but it was the first clue a lot of Anglican believers had that at least some of their bishops might not adhere to the same beliefs they had been taught. There was a huge uproar. Jenkin's career wasn't exactly the same as the summary for Canon Stanford that Bernard read out, but it was more or less along those lines. Jenkins' consecration went ahead despite the protests, and took place at York Minster. Three days afterward, a freak storm passed by and lightning struck the roof of the South Transept, setting it ablaze. Believers took this as a sign of divine disapproval.

[@arobyte]

"Better still one can have it read to one" 🤣🤣🤣 One for Hackers few wins over Humphrey!

[@Briggers0810]

The security episode where they get the keys changed is another good one where both Jim & Bernard get one over Humphrey.

[@arobyte]

@@Briggers0810Yes! I actually felt bad for Humphrey in that one lol 😂.

[@warrenookland8169]

Researching for this program not wanting to embarrass the current governments, the writers reviewed newspapers from 20 years back. They discovered that what was happening then was still happening in the late 70s. Here we are 40 years after then and its all still going on. Nothing changes.

[@The_ZeroLine]

This show is genius. If only American politicians were this clever. We could have had some good TV.

[@johnfh]

This was wonderful! I do wish that current programmes were so much fun.

[@peregrinemccauley5010]

Sir Desmond Glazebrook , for mine , was just a terrific standout in this series .

[@stevebarber5818]

One of my favourite comedies ever it could almost have been a reality series

[@Tranmere59]

In the same way that Laurel&Hardy were a training video for my job at Portsmouth City Council.

[@DeanMoxley87]

I'm 35 next Thursday I only came across this show via KZbin a few weeks back & I've since watched the entire show & it's sister show. This isn't retro it's modern day

[@gaygaz9737]

Better late than never. (smiling)

[@nicholashylton6857]

The show was more about eternal political truths rather than parodies of specific politicians. Corruption. Office politics. Scandals. Backstabbing. Expediency/Cooperation. I think that is why it has such resonance & relevance.

[@bloggsie45]

This series is a true to life political documentary.

[@Expatsunleashed]

The writing is superb!!!

[@alternative1999]

You know a comedy is top quality when it seems contemporary to today, no matter how long ago it was made. British humour at its best. I want to live in another country away from this troubled little island. Now and then I feel proud to be British though. Our comedy, our ability to laugh at ourselves, to laugh at Human politics from local to global, is something that makes me proud of our struggling, poor, tiny Island, who has people who still believe we rule the World. Comedy-wise, we're amongst the top. That makes me proud to be 3rd generation British. Also, that just about all of us, and our language, are immigrants if we go back just a few generations. Britain is family - I want to live elsewhere, but I love and will always be proud of my home. If you don't get it, watch the opening ceremony to the 2012 Olympics. A beautiful story of who we are and the best of what we give the World.

[@aegis3141]

Well,to be fair YM and YPM actually applies to many governments in the world.

[@ARCANEmateCLAN]

@@aegis3141 effectively all western democracies these days, only a few exceptions I can think of

[@buttnutt]

Utter lies - stop erasing the existence of the indigenous British.

[@thor_]

Loved to watch this when I was a kid. It's just as good today.

[@CyberMartian890]

Lulled him into a true state of security 😂

[@dallasreid5776]

This and Fawlty Towers. Pinnacle of TV humour.

[@Mike20216]

Paul Eddington was a National treasure

[@Alex-jb5tb]

I loved Yes Minister when I was a young teen back in the early 80s, I still love it the same way today. The series is timeless.

[@johnconnery1415]

Nowadays this would be a documentary rather than a fictional comedy 😂

[@fsdds1488]

Luke was actually right about Afghanistan, the Soviets wasn't really there to invade another country but to help an unexpected ally, Afghanistan was in civil unrest mostly because of Pakistani influence, which they fear that an aggressive Afghani government that claims Baluchistan will cause war so they support local rebels to keep the Afghani occupied, Soviets wasn't actually prepared to intervene at first and declined the petition for help, but decided to send in troop eventually, its very similar to what happened in Vietnam.

[@jorgegonzalez-larramendi5491]

the usa survived the vietnam idiocy. the ussr did not survive their afghan blunder..

[@user-yc5um2pl5v]

Afghanistan was in civil unrest not because of Pakistani influence. It was because of the idiotic and cruel actions of the kommie regime which simply copied the first years of the kommie rule in Russia, the so-called war communism. That sparked the civil war within months of the red coup d'état. Pakistani matters were of secondary importance.

[@eciruamttenrub5523]

A masterpiece of a series!

[@ShalomMichael]

The humor is timeless.

[@Calmputer]

"May I clarify the question? Who knows Foreign Office secrets apart from the Foreign Office?" "Oh, that's easy. Only the Kremlin."

[@lau7481]

No OTHER WORD FOR THIS SERIES.SUPERB,SUPERB

[@615855]

There is a class description of politicians in this clip which are more accurate than most of us really realise.

[@mac_tire_aonair]

Hilarious then, hilarious now, and still right on the mark...

[@andrewmillard5326]

One of the best comedies ever made ❤ this from the first show ing.

[@plunder1956]

Such a pleasure to see it again.

[@daryl2510]

Great memories, a perfectly wonderful comedy series throughout...

[@svenhaheim]

This series has so much gold.

[@colinrgage]

Absolutely brilliant

[@georgeflitzer7160]

I just now found this! It’s fantastic!!!😂

[@7thheathen]

Funny but terrifyingly accurate

[@billyshearer117]

A timeless programme

[@robertdaws4743]

Press statements are not delivered under oath; cracks me up every time. 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@donthecap5691]

So much truth behind this fantastic comedy.

[@tacoman10]

17:57 Having just gone through the UMC disafiliation this line is so much more true than anyone realizes.

[@assessmentincharge]

19:47 So the pound had another bad day 😄 This is so prophetic xD

[@achitophel5852]

As accurate now as it was then. Don't for one minute think this is comedy. This is exactly how the Civil Service operates - presented in a jokey manner - but absolutely spot on.

[@johncarpenter832]

It is amazing these shows are still so relevant.

[@wilfdarr]

"Press statements aren't delivered under oath"...

[@stephenord3403]

Comedy gold 🤣

[@nicholashylton6857]

Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II passed yesterday and I am unsure as to why I'm here. Perhaps to contemplate her life in a space where I may counter this very sad historical moment? The Royal Family were never part of the cutting humour of the show's creators & writers, which probably shows their great respect for the Queen. Rest In Peace, Your Majesty. 🇨🇦 🇬🇧

[@Lex-Hawthorn]

She was a real Queen. As for Charles? I thought there would be an outcry about the 'keeper of the faith' marrying a divorcee. As per his Great Uncle King Edward VIII. The one who married Wallis Simpson, a divorcee, and abdicated because of it.

[@nicholashylton6857]

@@Lex-Hawthorn Unless Camilla, Queen Consort, starts a satanist cult within Buckingham Palace, I believe people are content to ignore her divorcée status.

[@djsykez]

isnt it funny, this is almost 40 years old, Yes prime minister (like many others) is a great slice of art / cultural history that told more trues then anything

[@taffythegreat1986]

What classics 😂👍👍

[@josemaria8177]

"Who do you want to be the next PM? Truss? Sunak? Starmer?" "Hacker"

[@CH-jd8km]

No PM

[@muff-puff.]

How about YOU? You seem to believe you're BETTER !

[@CH-jd8km]

@@muff-puff. Certainly not !

[@Diamondmine212]

Anyone other than SIR Keir.

[@tridentmusic5570]

Amazing...Someone knew of Welby even then !

[@williamdrijver4141]

Even though he had a smaller role in the series, master manipulator Sir Arnold is even more impressive than Sir Humphrey 🙂

[@davidmorrison2739]

I have all the DVDs. Great stuff.

[@robanderson473]

A great program...both of them!

[@bradleyjamieson7718]

Humphrey´s "crikey," is absolutely brilliant. 25:50

[@gyorgygajdos1657]

Just unbelievable!!!

[@michaeldavison9808]

Yes minister - the epitome of clever comedy.

[@Dream.of.Endless]

What a great documentary about the inner workings of the UK government. Well done BBC, well done.

[@venividiviking]

22:45 "One of us"....my favorite episode 😂👌👍

[@manojsubramanian8907]

Very good, excellent, I really enjoyed, enjoy it very much. 😄👍

[@garysmith4418]

Fantastic!

[@justinbarber5463]

As others point out was Margaret Thatcher''s favourite show and found it totally relevant to day to day politics. However the show itself is timeless and absolutely hilarious.