Hacker Lies in PMQs | Yes, Prime Minister | BBC Comedy Greats

PM Jim Hacker is feeling pleased with his performance at the box until he learns his clear, simple, straightforward and honest answers may only have been three of those things.
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#Comedy #YesPrimeMinister

[@jeremy1860]

"Honesty always give you the advantage of surprise in the House of Commons." Oof 😅

[@jjakjjak5231]

See Boris Johnson and his cronies.

[@eliotreader8220]

@@jjakjjak5231 they been found out that they had a wine and Cheese party during lock down in 2020 and 2021

[@MrThorfan64]

@@eliotreader8220 How many Parties were they having? They seem to have more Parties then most people have normally.

[@yashathebelgianmalinois348]

@@eliotreader8220 plenty of politicians did the same here in America but nobody held them accountable. In fact, it seemed to have the opposite effect. Because they were from the liberal left , they were protected, reminding the masses that they are entitled to this behavior because they are the ones with the power and influence.

[@daispy101]

The first Prime Minister of Italy following its unification was Camillo Paolo Filippo Giulio Benso, Count of Cavour. He famously claimed to have found a way to confound the politicians of Europe: "I simply tell them the truth and they don't believe me."

[@iandhr1]

"I know this is a difficult concept to get across to a politician. You did not tell the truth." LMAO Are we sure this isn't a documentary?

[@edwardcoe7293]

Hacker was only dishonest through ignorance - Johnson is a wilful, mendacious liar.

[@sword4005]

it is, the main writers actually worked for white hall in the past so most of the episodes plot was based of real events that happened that were changed a bit for comedy sake so it can be seen as a real documentary into the working of uk government

[@MrSniperfox29]

@@edwardcoe7293 The interesting thing is he dodged previous questions by being ignorant. I have not find any evidence of X, simply because I have not actually looked for it.

[@Chaddlee]

This has aged very well, very well indeed.

[@Sue-g3d]

It is- they said this is how British politics work, 🤣🤣🤣

[@michaelscott6022]

"Why would we bug our allies? Bit silly, isn't it?" "Perhaps, sir, but bearing in mind the old adage, 'Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer', it would be prudent for us to nevertheless undertake such action, on the off chance that our allies might in fact one day become our enemies. After all, it's only been two hundred years since our last war with France." "But surely that's ancient history! I'm having an official state dinner with the French ambassador tomorrow evening, that's a friendly thing to do, isn't it?" "Yes, and on that fortuitous note, the Foreign Office has asked that you present this pen to the ambassador, as a symbolic token of our appreciation. In the... 'spirit' of friendship, as it were."

[@williamdrijver4141]

I've never seen anything better! This series was astonishingly brilliant. Not many TV series stand the test of time. This one beats 99,9% of what was shown on TV in the entire 21st century.

[@petesmith9472]

A documentary in Canberra Australia

[@citycrusher9308]

I came for the comments. I am NOT disappointed. (but I AM the proud owner of the 100th upvote)

[@igregmart]

Amen.

[@selmonpogba6080]

Agreed. Seen a lot of things but YPM is by far the greatest thing my brain has the pleasure of experiencing. Sublime and utterly brilliant

[@petergreen5337]

Absolutely CORRECT. ENTERTAINMENT and education at the same time.

[@amisubai3]

even 40 years from now people will still say "it's like it was written yesterday" timeless show!

[@TruthSika]

It's 37 years old already. And just as relevant today as when it was first produced.

[@rabiabegum6136]

History tends to repeat itself

[@kevinhisee4265]

The answer about getting it wrong and admitting it surprised Sir Humphrey, whilst revealing that public servants don't always understand the mystique of the cut and thrust of debate on the floor of parliament. Very similar to how politicians don't always understand the complexity of administration procedures behind the scenes. This scene shows the gaps in both worlds.

[@kalebm2530]

A superb documentary painted as a comedy series. I wish television could be made like this again.

[@yerroslawsum]

I wish people would stop whining about the "good old days". It's entirely within the realm of possibility to find pleasure in the fine moments of cinema productions of times past without falling on the rose-tinted glasses fallacy ever so eagerly.

[@nicholashylton6857]

@@yerroslawsum It's more than just its nostalgia value. Cutting satire of that show's caliber is a rarity. As a kid in the 80s, I recognized how accurate that show was in its portrayal of real world politics. When hot mic moments, incompetence, and unbelievable bureaucratic entropy appear in the news, I can usually recall a parallel scene in Yes Minister/Yes Prime Minister.

[@hamishpaton7681]

The thick of it

[@petergreen5337]

Absolutely CORRECT.

[@petergreen5337]

@@nicholashylton6857 well said and well OBSERVED.

[@帝國隱者-k2x]

"I do my best not to listen to them" that 's a great line there

[@timzheng72]

你好

[@jeffdunne1299]

I have all five DVDs of the series yes Minister and yes Prime Minister. It’s amazing how much this program which was made in the 80s mirrors what’s going on in the world now.

[@ivantamayoromero1668]

I am so jelly.

[@Del_S]

Much like The Simpsons it's not that it's especially prescient, it's just that very little has actually changed.

[@eamonfire]

The stuff from which politicians are made from has not changed. In fact, if you made a show from what was happening now, people would never believe it.

[@xpusostomos]

Everything is the same, arguments about Israel, arguments about the EU, arguments about nuclear deterrent etc etc

[@angusmacpherson3252]

Brilliant and absolute class. Still enjoy this all these decades later...nothing changes! 🥳

[@Ygyhhhhhhhh]

I so miss the old days when people worried about whether the Prime Minister was lying.

[@adrianclint1449]

you mean "if"? ,,,, now we know when he's lying. His lips move.

[@manvendranigam2446]

Now he rarely tells the truth , both Boris and Modi

[@captainbuggernut9565]

I'm sure Boris had a similar conversation over the legality of those parties.

[@dejjal8683]

You assume Boris actually gives a shit.

[@shqa574]

@@dejjal8683 Boris does not have the charisma of James Hacker, btw.

[@shqa574]

Watching Sir Nigel Hawthorne, you have to admire his acting skill. His Sir Humphreys' dialog was ten times the speed and the volume of other comedy drama characters'.

[@stevevasta]

And by far the most difficult to memorize, I suspect....

[@ShannonFreng]

@@stevevastaYes, he affirmed that.

[@xpusostomos]

He could have read it off a prompter, but refused. Apparently decades later he could still recite them perfectly

[@615855]

It has to be one of the greatest and most brilliant TV series ever created. The dialogue is absolutely mind blowing and it is very very funny. This particular show is a product of the 80's but it still clearly demonstrates that no other country can make TV shows like the British can. The British poiice shows of more recent times are also just wonderful.

[@ShannonFreng]

The writers had the advantage of having had a couple secret insiders telling them lots about how shit really worked.

[@xpusostomos]

I don't know what the French can do... Do the French watch yes minister?

[@edwardfletcher7790]

This was my Dad's favourite TV show 👍

[@JJONNYREPP]

Hacker Lies in PMQs | Yes, Prime Minister | BBC Comedy Greats 1842pm 11.4.22 indeed he was correct - it was a fine show and kids who had the nouce (ie: brains) to watch this during their formative years either grew up to become wasters of a cynical hue or journalists - and therein lies the rub; there aint much difference save the pay packet.

[@TimberwolfC14]

The writers did themselves proud with both Yes Minister and Yes Prime Minister but I believe only Nigel Hawthorne as Sir Humphrey Appleby could polish those words until they sparkled and then fired them off with such aplomb.

[@fireflyrobert]

"Honesty always gives you the advantage of surprise in the House of Commons"! (But don't tell Boris).

[@Cryptonymicus]

Unfortunately, this a rare example of the show taking a misstep, because even the Oxford dictionary agrees that a lie is an intentionally false statement, so if Jim didn't know the statement was false he could have repeated a lie, but did not himself tell a lie.

[@SpeckleKen]

When Hacker did not understand the precise"There is some difficulty in justifiably assigning...", Sir Humphrey was forced to offer an analogous phrasing deliberately exchanging precision for simplification in the hope his PM would now understand. Reducing precision in the interests of understanding was the joke.

[@SportyMabamba]

If Hacker did not know the phone was being bugged, he did not lie according to the facts as he knew them. PROVING that he did not lie would be the difficult thing

[@antonioverdad5071]

@@SpeckleKen You sound like Sir Humphrey! Sorry, I was somewhat imprecise myself there since I don't actually know what you sound like, but you know what I mean!

[@malcolmrowe9003]

It sounds as though Hacker made a definitive statement of fact that proved to be false. He was effectively asserting that he knew that X was not being bugged. So he was lying about knowing this to be a fact. To be safe, he should have said something that left open the possibility that he was wrong. Perhaps, "To the best of my knowledge... " or "I am quite certain that... ". I expect politicians are coached on appropriate phrasing. (Edited to correct spelling)

[@lauterunvollkommenheit4344]

Yes, it happens another time too.

[@macnewman2588]

superb dialogues, 1 of excellent series to be produced, love from India.

[@Thinguns]

Good timing for the upload with the covid fines today!

[@markdouglas5310]

This is a training film for all MPs and senior civil servants.

[@geoffk7174]

At least in those days at PMQ's the PM actually answered a question rather than ask one without answering it. This was a great satirical comedy of it's day, unfortunately we are living the real life version now.

[@haiminhtrantrong2433]

This scene is a legend by itself.

[@pamelamarabini8014]

Just brilliant! As fresh as if it was yesterday.

[@tonysingenhancock1354]

A legendary show. 👍

[@kapelachris9095]

A masterpiece of comedy and documentary! Learn as you laugh along. Hacker: epistemological? What are you talking about? '..Some of his sentences are longer than judge jeffrey..' humpy is hard to follow sometimes

[@ShannonFreng]

He could have taught a course in PC euphemistic speech.

[@julianaylor4351]

Boris must have seen this. 😁 More porky pies than a Melton Mowbray bakery. 😁

[@samil5601]

His lies hardly surprised anyone.

[@ihathtelekinesis]

1:15 reminds me of a line from Spitting Image. "The opposite of unanimous is fired!"

[@richardjames7905]

Hacker did not tell a lie because he was unaware that the statement he made was untrue. It may be construed as a lie if the truth became apparent but having become aware of the veracity of the statement was questionable a cover up would have been a dangerous solution to take.

[@FatNorthernBigot]

Yes Prime Minister couldn’t possibly be this good, could it??

[@SaranshTiku1]

Sir this is not even one of the best scenes

[@bappamukherjee6016]

Eternally wonderful

[@paultopping7413]

Timeless and brilliant

[@wedgeantillies66]

To be fair to hacker, he tells the truth as he knows it at the time. It’s the civil service fault for keeping him in the dark over said phone tapping.

[@MladenPostruznik]

This is so beautifully written. Epistemological. That classy Greek tradition. Only higher classes get that kind of education, and Sir Humphrey always brings down Hacker for his school. Because he is an Oxford lad.

[@SpeckleKen]

A term introduced into the English language by the Scots. You are right - we cannot be surprised that the lower (and more southerly) classes struggle with it :-)

[@yourmum69_420]

Well the whole speech was simple to understand whether one knew that word or not. He more than sufficiently got his point across with all those other words.

[@TheRip72]

Hacker is not uneducated. He studied at the LSE. Even they are not against education.

[@MladenPostruznik]

@@TheRip72 It is about classism in education. Oxford and LSE are two different class worlds. And no matter if Hacker is elected Prime Minister of the UK, Humphrey is Sir Humphrey. Patricians and plebs. Got it?

[@TheRip72]

I know. I was repeating something mentioned by my favourite character, the even more pompous Sir Arnold. I can't remember which episode though.

[@wightangel]

It was relevant then and it is still relevant now. We laugh at this amazing comedy unbeknown that these conversations are happening for real in NO 10.

[@Meylan191083]

Many of the storylines in the show were taken from actual events in the 1950s and 1960s. For example, the episode in which Hacker has to appoint a Bishop and disliking the 'choice' presented to him comes from an instance when Harold Macmillan was Prime Minister. His diaries (edited versions have been published), although offhand I can't remember which year, have an entry about the relevant candidates being unsuitable in his eyes.

[@nathanberry4339]

one does have to ask the question , how the hell did Nigel Hawthorne remember his lines ?

[@xpusostomos]

A bit of talent and a bit of hard work

[@applejuice5272]

Can't imagine why this was uploaded at this particular time... Well done!

[@Indy_21]

Oh! It's the guy (light grey dotted tie) from Demolition Man! 😃

[@ormsk954]

Bang on. So accurate was it to real life that Thatcher admitted she loved.

[@Halli50]

Yes Minister, where Hacker was a novice politician being cleverly manipulated by an entrenched civil servant was marvelous. The sequel Yes, Prime Minister series, where Hacker was becoming wise to Humphrey's manipulations and actually besting him was even better! Only the Brits have been able to pull off a sequel that is better than the original, and then have the wisdom to STOP while the going is good!

[@Alex-cw3rz]

Brilliant Video

[@helipeek2736]

This seems rather topical given the recent, events (I use the term wisely)

[@chriscourson2824]

British Tv is so much better than what we have in America!! I wish PBS would show more of it!

[@andreashaynes3346]

CLASSIC 🤣👍🤣

[@andyray89]

Humphrey? Indiscreet!! How did that happen?

[@TheRip72]

Oh, what a tangled web we weave.

[@samdumaquis2033]

Brillant

[@flyingdutch9818]

GAwd, this show was not just good it was brilliant

[@andrewwhitbread9362]

All differences of opinion can be resolved through clarification of the definitive relative context in which each opinion is stated!

[@yourmum69_420]

I would disagree

[@andrewwhitbread9362]

Haha ha ha ha ha ha ha!

[@magillanz]

it is not a lie if you believed it to be true, even if it isn't. A lie is when you say something knowing it is untrue

[@MrSniperfox29]

Ah but if you claim to know something that you really do not know, you are lying about knowing that you know when you really don't know.

[@dph3ams1]

Starmer needs to use this line on Wednesday. Accuse the cretinous PM of lying while Hoyle tries to understand.

[@applejuice5272]

Yes!

[@matthewbrown1835]

He did, and it slipped under everyone's radar when he accused him of using Jedi mind tricks.

[@dubey_ji]

Happy hacker happy Humphrey

[@abhijeetraut6427]

Unfortunately although the answer was indeed clear simple and straightforward there is some difficulty in justifiably assigning the fourth of the epithets you applied to the statement. In as much as the precise correlation between the information you communicated and the facts in so far as they can be determined and demonstrated is such as to cause an epistemological problems of sufficient magnitude those to lay upon the logical and semantic resources of the English language, they're heavier burden than they can reasonably be expected to bear.

[@embreis2257]

with some minor corrections it should read like this: Unfortunately, although the answer was indeed clear, simple, and straightforward there is some difficulty in justifiably assigning [to it] the fourth of the epithets you applied to the statement in as much as the precise correlation between the information you communicated and the facts in so far as they can be determined and demonstrated is such as to cause epistemological problems of sufficient magnitude [as] those to lay upon the logical and semantic resources of the English language a heavier burden than they can reasonably be expected to bear.

[@Peter-gi3re]

If you go to the 3 little dots to the right side of your name you can edit anything you have written after posting it. Just in case you wanted to correct any typos

[@rjkka7260]

That's how it still works in 2022 !!!!!

[@marvintpandroid2213]

Now, there is timing....

[@kylerobinson7078]

BBC Comedy Greats throwing shade.

[@lauterunvollkommenheit4344]

Those freaking epistemological problems again.

[@helipeek2736]

Indeed, I blame The Archbishop of Canterbury(?)

[@lauterunvollkommenheit4344]

@@helipeek2736 Why wouldn't you?

[@user-hu3iy9gz5j]

"It's not a lie if you believe it"

[@chrissmith7655]

Who does this remind you of , today June 2022?

[@marks.6480]

Seems oddly on topic right now.

[@Yankee7000]

The sentence.

[@mubarak6793]

Very funny 😄 😆 🤣

[@alecjefferson6993]

Did Boris read the Script 🤭or write ✍️ it shows it’s been going on for years 🤥🤥

[@EdDueim]

It was a more honest and principled time.

[@JGalt-em4xu]

2:52 Why we're all here

[@Myrkin]

What if Hacker knew about bugging when he was answering that question? What would be the best way for him to answer it then?

[@driveincanada9713]

🌹🌹🌹🌹

[@opticnerve8927]

Bojob gets his thoughts from these boys🤔

[@federicoporta2182]

I really would like proper subtitle and study English in this way

[@olafsrensen9578]

this is the bedst !!!!!!!!!!

[@parrot340]

This is not a comedy. Its a documentry.

[@Wol747]

Maggie Thatcher used to love the programmes. But I rather think she considered them fiction, not documentary.

[@applejuice5272]

YM and YPM are so accurate, she actually asked whether there was a mole in Number Ten.

[@gentblue]

No, you can Google links showing you where she agreed that large sections of Yes Minister/Yes Prime Minister were based in fact.

[@tom-qj6uw]

Sir Humphrey with his command of the British language and his logical proficiency should understand that Hacker - although he did make an untrue statement - did NOT lie. And Bernhard would be quick to point it out! Hacker was convinced to tell the truth and lying necessitates you are aware that you are not telling the truth. I very much liked the show/books but here the author actually dropped the ball.

[@MrSniperfox29]

Actually he did lie, he lied that he knew that the MP's phone wasn't being bugged. He didn't actually know (because he hadn't been told) but still, he lied.

[@viperswhip]

Yes, there is a difference between being incorrect and lying. Lying requires that you know the truth, or reasonably could infer it from a given set of facts yet deliver a statement that is either contrary or tangentially related to the facts.

[@stevelee4952]

Compare this to the modern "comedy" shite presented to us.

[@timzheng72]

First

[@rebeccairvine8410]

P

[@lonegroover]

Go away, BBC.

[@richard.s1975]

The BBC is our greatest institution. Stay, BBC.