The Hospitals Are Striking! | Yes Minister | BBC Comedy Greats

[@BBCComedyGreats]

*Watch even more Yes Minister right here: **bit.ly/ComedyGreatsYesMinister*

[@TheAnig140895]

Is there any way to watch the whole series?

[@g2macs]

Jim Hacker's 'Churchill' impression makes me laugh every time.

[@harrydixon8444]

Got me laughing when Hacker questioned about the hospital with no patients and found out if was in the running for the best run hospital.

[@danielk5780]

Well, the productivity in that hospital was probably at an all-time high, while the fatality-rate was near 0. On paper, that makes it a pretty well run hospital.

[@Chaosmage42]

@@danielk5780 and wasting loads of money doing only minor work which could be done anywhere, hacker is in the right completely on this hes pointing out that its a complete waste of money all that hardware not being used at all, instead of in a hospital that needs it. and the union rep complaining about the jobs lost is why a lot of people have a negative perception of unions, i think we need them but that kind of mind set and behavior is what allow companies to keep workers from unionizing which they need to do

[@enjoyerofcontent]

⁠@@Chaosmage42Except he's really not right. Hospitals are vastly more than doctors and patients. Suppose none of the ancilliary staff are there: who procures equipment? Who installs it? Who maintains it? Who organises its use so there aren't arguments in the corridors with doctors demanding it's THEIR patient's turn? Who takes care of making sure the doctors and nurses and everyone else are paid timely and correctly? Is this something doctors should be doing too? Get rid of the office admin. Make the doctors take time away from patients to order pens and paper and clipboards too, shall we? All of these things don't just happen. Healing patients takes more than declaring "this building is a hospital" and putting doctors inside; which was essentially what Hacker's plan is. Even more: who cleans? who takes out the bins? Who changes the lightbulbs? Who makes sure the computer systems are working? Who settles the hospital's accounts with equipment providers? Who makes sure ventilation is working? Who changes the bedsheets? Who cooks? Ancilliary staff, of course. If doctors had to do even an eighth of that stuff the hospital would be considered an enormous scandal. But all of it requires people whose job it is to do it. As an analogy: Hacker's idea of good film making is a famous movie star and a camera in an otherwise empty room.

[@danielk5780]

@@Chaosmage42 Well, Unions are made of and represent the workers. It's only natural that they don't want to be sacked. The issue here is with the government, that is not willing to provide the funding to hire nurses and doctors to be able to open that hospital.

[@jkolorath]

"Every stone will be left unturned in a search for settlement" Ha ha 😂😅

[@thomashogan9196]

Sounds like Antifa. The riot is it's own reward.

[@Turha101]

@@thomashogan9196 Most of the world was antifacist in 1940-1945, but in 2020 facists are trying to paint being antifacist as a bad thing. Some people actually fall for it and are useful idiots for the facists.

[@jkolorath]

Chill out guys. The pun is on trade unionists(on similiar lines with "Morning star readers hope that the country will be run by another country" joke). And moreover this was produced in the time of cold war.Its madness to compare commies of Cold war with those in present time. And one more thing. Soviets had to establish alliance with Nazis mainly because Chamberlain refused to have alliance with them. U may ask who said? CHURCHILL himself in his book- History of second world war.

[@Turha101]

@@thomashogan9196 What are you even talking about? Antifacists does not mean communist, nor anything else. "Anti-fascism has been an element of movements holding many different political positions, including social democratic, nationalist, liberal, conservative, communist, Marxist, trade unionist, anarchist, socialist, republicanist, pacifist and centrist viewpoints." Someone being anti facist or anti nazi which is the same thing does not mean they are communist or whatever else you seem to ascribe to it. Im happily anti nazi, are you pro nazi? Also I dont see how some criminals looting stores has anything to do with the protest, some reports claim there were neo-nazis doing it, some claim it was some other group be it anarchist or even antifa if you get your news from right-wing sources. Im all for arresting looters, dont see what it has to do with being anti nazi?

[@Noobsaibot21]

@@Turha101 I am anti-Nazi. And I am anti-antifa. Equally so.

[@ShahidKhan-lf6mg]

I don't know why this show isn't held in higher esteem compared to other sitcoms of the time. The writing was sublime and a lot of the issues discussed are still relevant today! It's definitely in my personal top 5 of greatest sitcoms of all time

[@1946nimrod]

You must be very young!

[@ShahidKhan-lf6mg]

@@1946nimrod 38, so young enough that I was a kid when it first aired. Caught the repeats in the 90s as a teenager and just fell in love with it. I would never have imagined watching middle-aged men sitting in boring rooms simply talking could be so funny. But people always seem to remember Only Fools or Blackadder more (not that those aren't classics too but Yes Minister is right up there with them)

[@magnetospin]

Maybe because it was aired during Margaret Thatcher's reign and she wasn't quite like this caricature.

[@2159ianmilne]

Agreed. It was held in high esteem, but by a smaller than deserved number of people at the time. It’s definitely aged better than it’s contemporaries and is now rightly recognised as a classic. I think “the thick of it” is comparable - in my opinion it should have been more widely appreciated at the time, but seems to grow in popularity as time goes by.

[@awesimo4684]

@@magnetospin And she claimed to be a big fan

[@NorybDrol82]

God what an amazing show and I wasn't even born when it first aired.

[@PTCello]

Classics are forever

[@SaintierSet]

Kinda sad to see comedy peaked before we were born.

[@whzpoor]

Dont forget to watch 'the good life'

[@Leonf123]

@@whzpoor My family is another good one

[@perherbert]

Check out, Last of the summer wine. 👍

[@dreamer_4937]

My god he sounded identical to Churchill on ‘necessary one’ 😂😂 fantastic

[@waltermlane9664]

Another example of Hacker's Churchill moments!

[@DrawnInk1]

Never gets old. Just love it.

[@akib2542]

Lol.. delusions of grandeur 🤣🤣🤣

[@nightw4tchman]

Reminds me of some other politician...

[@sarmadkashani5875]

I just love it when he plays Churchill.

[@gurbindersekhon8240]

Economise...on the beaches!!!

[@Eyyoh755]

"It was a tough decision, but a necessary one...!" LOL

[@dorkmax7073]

Why is no one talking about the fact that Hacker thought this up before Humphrey

[@abhijitoka]

2:16 Damn How could he not get a BAFTA seriously? Its really hard to express such an emotion.

[@bugsbunny5092]

Real civil servants say this is more of a documentary than a fictional show.

[@benbarker8154]

I am a civil servant. NONE of it is fiction. We use clips from the show to train new hires.

[@BBCComedyGreats]

We're not sure if that's meant to be funny or scary 😬

[@RadTechFred]

@@BBCComedyGreats Both

[@raphaelalexandreyensen6291]

Things ain't that different in America, I've seen what passes for "leadership" in government departments

[@diwanumam1507]

Has anything really changed since all this?

[@ian_b]

When a thousand refugees sounded like a lot.

[@blafoon93]

To say that the British government has no money for a 1000 refugees. Some countries in Europe took hundreds of thousands of refugees from the Syrian war with relatively low repercussions and yet we are still squabbling every time such a situation arises. Certainly there should be limits even for charity but a lot of EU members and the UK are downright xenophobic in their refugee policies.

[@DilbertMuc]

@@blafoon93 ...hundreds of thousands? More like a few million! And still the political left parties want even more: open borders, unlimited immigration, full benefits for everyone... (until one day money runs out).

[@jerryjantola]

"relatively low repercussions"

[@argadargad9128]

@@blafoon93 the refugees accepted by Europe is 0.2% of the total Syrian refugees that are mostly in Turkey, Jordan, Lenanon, and other parts of the ME, not to mention the internally displaced in Syria. All this hubris is for 0.2% of the total refugees says alot about Xenophobia in Europe

[@Leon_der_Luftige]

@@DilbertMuc They don't "want" more, it's a matter of still being able to look in the mirror when weighing saving human lifes against some green numbers in the end of the financial year. Anyone who isn't a moral wreck would save as many refugees as possible. Why? Because this isn't about how we treat foreigners but how we treat human beings in general and how much we value them equally. Any of you who is against picking up literally dieing refugees... You should have to sign a paper that should ever he or she become a refugee in a dire, life threatening situation some time in the future as well they shall be left behind dieing as they wouldn't return the favour to others either. The idea of some guy in England with all his health insurance and all being against saving human lives because he fears his wealth might be threatened, sickens me.

[@johndoyle4723]

Still brings a smile to my face, one of the best comedy progs ont the Beeb. Thanks for posting the video.

[@HariMehtaKarunesh]

Was he trying to speak like Churchill at the end?? 😂

[@Sir_Budginton]

Whenever he goes into "speech mode", he tries to sound like Churchill.

[@HariMehtaKarunesh]

@@Sir_Budginton i remember once he said "we shall economise the beaches" 😂

[@Balt21Raven]

This is one of those relatively rare incidents where everybody actually pulled together and got what they wanted fairly unequivocally.

[@drunkenwhiskeyeu]

Jim channelling his inner Churchill - brilliantly played! 🙂

[@frobbit30]

This was a great show, love watching it as a primer on bureaucracy.

[@fgn1232]

Humphrey singing "We Shall Not be Moved" in the previous scene lol

[@akib2542]

1:24 who knew Katie Hopkins was a BBC reporter back in the 70s 🤣🤣🤣

[@nickhanlon9331]

Looks pretty old for a 5 year old.

[@alex-E7WHU]

Yes, I thought it was her too.. 🤣

[@anagramconfirmed1717]

Every stone will be left unturned 😆

[@ryanalving3785]

It came to me that the simplest solution to this would be a press conference where the Minister said "The Union is striking against job loss in a hospital with no medical staff that treats no patients. They are putting the sick people of London at risk over a necessary trim down so the hospital may begin treating patients." And then it would all be over.

[@laurentdrozin812]

The only issue is that the department desperately want to avoid any publicity concerning the empty hospital.

[@ryanalving3785]

@@laurentdrozin812 I think that the publicity of being stonewalled from government spending cutbacks by a union would be good for the department, wouldn't it?

[@throwaway9226]

That is an admission of guilt, which the electorate always punishes. However unwisely. Also the cutbacks were done by his government (that year's budget) so he would be blamed for it. Unions also had much more public sympathy at that time as the population as a whole was very unionised. Nowadays when bus drivers strike, almost none of the passengers sympathise with the picketers.

[@ryanalving3785]

@@throwaway9226 I would think that getting elected on a platform of open government and slimming down the beaurocracy would be well served by being open about something unpleasant (which their administration didn't originally do) and taking a hard-line against the callous beaurocrats putting the public at risk. Come reelection time, you could always say "we fulfilled our election promises, and we fully intend to continue to do what we promise to do." There might be some short term heat to deal with for a couple weeks, but the news would pick something else up soon enough and forget about the whole thing. Maybe I'm naive, but I actually think that the public would be persuadable to see that they were doing the right thing.

[@throwaway9226]

@@ryanalving3785 a A couple of weeks is oodles of time for a PM to sack a minister. Which is what Hacker cares about more than anything. The media never actually follow up on whether something has been fixed unless another scandal happens. Their job is to get their party elected at the next election.

[@jesseberg3271]

And everybody wins, except Jim's conscience, but Jim's conscience always seems to lose out.

[@andrewjones-productions]

As probably do many politicians' conscience, until they get tarnished with the culture of politics at the Palace of Westminster and forget all about their ideals and not becoming what they all mostly end up as. Some, well a few, recover that conscience when they enter the House of Lords or after reaching what they perceive to be the pinnacle of their political careers. Baroness Warsi is one that comes to mind that seems to be a better Baroness than she ever was a MP.

[@yi2674]

This is the most interesting tv series of it's kind...... Great sarcasm and accurate insight , interpretation and prediction of modern politics. Sir Appleby kanda help me with my bureaucratic english expression. 😂

[@Larkstream]

Genius writing. Works so well because it's timeless. So funny but when you think about why it's hilarious because you can apply it to things that happen today in government it's a bit unsettling that this was written so long ago

[@DilbertMuc]

You can be assured that this kind of politics is way older and even the old Romans practiced it the same way. It's human nature.

[@xr6lad]

Billy Fraser is a prime example why Thatcher walked into office. 👍. Hacker could have demolished Billy with a few chosen words.

[@DanielSilkowski]

>1000 The days when numbers of importance weren't replacement levels.

[@roguedrones]

thin edge of the wedge.

[@Westkane11]

This is really relevant today. Here in Denmark, we have one of the most complex tax-systems in the world, that it feels like, that there are officials workers in the system, for the sake of the appearing good to the public, but there isn't a real value. AKA job for the sake of the job and nothing else.

[@ethanstump]

And what woud happen if you got rid of that position? That person would have to enter the job market, which would reduce the scarcity of labour. And while I'm not an economist, I hear that's a bad thing for the average worker. So whether or not that position is of any value, there would be even less value of getting rid of it!

[@walesdoesntsuck6635]

@@ethanstump A job in the free market has value, a job for the government has none

[@ethanstump]

@@walesdoesntsuck6635 even a FDA food tester, who makes sure there's no DDT in your food? I mean have your ideology by all means, but please don't be a mindless ideologue.

[@walesdoesntsuck6635]

@@ethanstump I'm not American but the FDA are a bunch of bureaucrats who's job would be done a lot better if it was private. Anyone who works for the government is on welfare in my eyes.

[@ethanstump]

@@walesdoesntsuck6635 would you like to have no government?

[@MD-rd7bn]

I used to see it when I was younger and thought it was funny. But now I think it was genius!

[@henrysevern]

Every time I watch these Yes Minster clips I realise how good this comedy series was, in many ways I suspect it is a documentary of what actual occurs.

[@rezimonavardisashvili393]

In this episode when Humphrey met union representative and settled matter. Started singing we shall we shall not be moved, Union is behind us we shall not be moved. splendid bit.

[@sylviaelse5086]

Can't remember his name, but he was a real BBC news presenter at the time.

[@bugsbunny5092]

Robert Dougall.

[@sylviaelse5086]

@@bugsbunny5092 Yes, indeed. Thanks.

[@JustABoringAsianGuy]

This show is now extremely popular amongst younger generations in China.

[@RahulKumar-ng2gh]

A show with such verbal eloquence and BBC committing a typo in the title of the video.

[@peterfreeman6677]

Hahaha! "Hosipitals" - I missed that.

[@kgd9725]

The show was the old respectable and talented BBC. The hosipitals is the new left wing activist BBC .

[@droceretik]

It's not the BBC posting these clips, it's a third party. Get your facts straight.

[@thiagodeandrade7081]

@@kgd9725 Do you need a safe space?

[@ogribiker8535]

@@thiagodeandrade7081 LOL, best reply of the day !

[@7ajhubbell]

Thank you.

[@synthonaplinth5980]

Of course they're 'striking', there's many janitors employed and no patients to clean up after! ;)

[@dhirajshah4933]

This episode should be aired every hour for next 6 months

[@andylec5879]

When the BBC could still make funny comedies.

[@RhiannonFan]

Politicians being 'persuaded' to vote in a particular way on the promise of a peerage. Couldn't happen in real life, could it?

[@laurentdrozin812]

Every stone will be left unturned in search of a settlement.

[@simoncaufield7922]

Best show ever

[@guguigugu]

every stone will be left unturned!

[@jtrenoweth]

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@adegbeyekayodecoadegbeye8077]

All's well that ends well, yes?

[@KURDinEXILE]

1:25 😂👍

[@darylcheshire1618]

In the Victorian Public Service, The Director-General of Education said he and the Minister liked “Yes, Minister” but laughed at different places.

[@TheGlassman14]

Is this 2020?

[@jasbarsoph]

Excellent nothing could replace this..

[@bappamukherjee6016]

This is one serial that will outlast all politicians and political sysrems

[@Mr.Patrick_Hung]

These days with Britain's homeless epidemic and long waits for medical care she can no longer pretend to be any kind of compassionate society.

[@peterdowdall8972]

Dear me how things become ture we now need accommodation for a 1000 refugees per day 😂😂

[@josephdragunov374]

I seriously hate that guy who wanted to strike. I would have squashed that with the military if I was in charge.

[@gasparchilingarov4018]

Hey @BBC Comedy Greats - can you decipher what specifically Sir Humphrey says at 3:04? "against the department? But that is ......... ? " .

[@zarabada6125]

"against the department?" "But that has got n..." It is clear he was about to say, "But that has got nothing to do with [it/the current situation]."

[@countingcards1208]

Is that Katie Hopkins doing the interview

[@dickdastardly635]

We haven't got the money to rehouse these refugees. Fast forward to 2022.

[@John-Smith-999]

The comedy is still relevant today. In 2023 refugees are a major news story and at the same time the hospitals are on strike

[@christianweibrecht6555]

This story shows how people will gladly defend a horrible system when their personally benefiting from it

[@the.parks.of.no.return]

Classic! Who would there be 1000 refugees turning up every day now. Who would have thought ?

[@thiagodeandrade7081]

Hacker, British politics' Wile E. Coyote.

[@danieldickson8591]

There are many things Jim Hacker doesn't know or understand, but politics isn't one of them.

[@thomassherwood5061]

Wouldn't they still need medical staff

[@sebastiaanvandoorn3223]

Junior doctors making 14£/hr, how awkwardly this show remains!

[@chrisweidner4768]

Not a comedy. Greatest expose of the criminals in government. Ever.

[@stuartwilliams7371]

So very true, brilliant show, stopped as too near the truth, can’t say anything now as it will “offend” people, such a shame.

[@grimupnorth]

'We haven't got the money to house these refugees'. Bet you couldn't say that now in a comedy (or anything else for that matter).

[@critter30002001]

So what happened to the 1,000 sick British citizens?

[@yochaiwyss3843]

In the episode it's made clear that the hospital in question had no patients in the first place, or much actual medical staff for that matter. It was originally closed as per government policy to furfill election promise of cuttting down on tax spending.

[@johnnywhite58]

Anyone know who the actor playing the reporter is ? She looks like that right wing columnist ?

[@vincentconti3633]

The algorithm always throws comedy my way after I've abused someone whining about their miserable life on their I phone!!!!

[@MonaMarMag]

Z całym szacunkiem ale jeśli rzeczywiście polityką zajmują się tacy ludzie to nie dziwi mnie bałagan panujący na świecie . Czy ci ludzie mają i wiedzą co to jest rozum ?

[@duckmeat4674]

Wrong video

[@gurra63able]

It's scary how little we take in on the fallen democracy of this dysfunctional world when we sit and laugh at ourselves for all the idiotic political decisions which we let business organizations lobbyist decide for us.

[@kicapanmanis1060]

lol sure, always business's fault isn't it?

[@yochaiwyss3843]

And you decide to comment it *just* under the video where a *Union* is actually in the wrong?

[@gurra63able]

@@yochaiwyss3843 Yes I did but you do not have to use so much imagination to understand that I meant the series as a whole concept. In this video it is clear to me that both sides use the same crazy lobbyists/ think tanks and as usual for the last 40 years it is the worker who loses regardless of which side wins the debate here.

[@rolydio]

Back when UK wasnt Pakistan 2.0 xDDDDDDDD

[@ally11488]

Probably the worst Scottish accent I've heard.

[@1946nimrod]

Most of them aren't pleasant to listen to!

[@MrNinjaFish]

it's not that bad actually

[@AudieHolland]

Glasgow and Edingburgh have very distinct, different sounding Scottish accents.

[@ally11488]

@@AudieHolland Certainly nothing like the actor in this clip, who sounded like an amalgamation of Scottish, Irish, Welsh, Geordie and Mongolian. There's a variety of accents in Scotland from Falkirk to Fife, Aberdeen to Arbroath, Glasgow to Glenrothes.

[@ally11488]

@@MrNinjaFish No, it's bad.

[@oghuvwublessing705]

Jesus Christ is God.

[@nicholashylton6857]

No, it's Sir Humphrey Appleby. He's the one who pulls the strings in that comedic universe.

[@carljohanrydberg357]

LOL! Such an issue over 1000 refugees. I wonder when this will be pulled for being non-PC.

[@DhanurBalagere]

Meanwhile...Nothing's changed in the 40 yrs since this episode. Bureaucratic and inefficient governments, labour and pay inequities and the politicians trying to appease their vote bank! No wonder this show is timeless...

[@kicapanmanis1060]

I mean, fairly sure politicians *should* appease their vote banks. How else will they get relected? If they don't win the votes, someone else will.

[@BillCarrIpswich]

Why is every Scottish accent on this programme so bad?! 😂

[@igimyoume1515]

American humor

[@colonelkk]

@CashApp imyoume1 What?

[@warweezil2802]

CashApp imyoume1...... is generally poor with occasional bursts funny..

[@igimyoume1515]

@@saturnv2677 The Office

[@warweezil2802]

CashApp imyoume1 Oh dear.... wrong AGAIN! How about before you post you check your facts ? The Office was originally a BRITISH show screened on BBC2, 5 years before the American copy - in fact it finished its run here 2 years before the copy aired en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Office_(British_TV_series)

[@DoomsdayR3sistance]

@@igimyoume1515The office? Which was written by English Comedians, Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant? Or are you on about the US version that was based off of it?

[@igimyoume1515]

Sad

[@warweezil2802]

CashApp imyoume1 you clearly have no idea of the humour involved here...

[@igimyoume1515]

@@warweezil2802 very very sharp.and Dry I believe very Common

[@guguigugu]

i am so glad the unions are no longer a relevant factor