English Customs - Yes, Minister - BBC

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Benard discovers from a finance secretary that there has been some bribary involved in the negotiations. Great clip from the comedy 'Yes, Minister'.
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[@newperve]

"I got my share of the money." "What for?" "For keeping my mouth shut." Minister should insist on a refund.

[@FixdalOK]

Dude probably assumed the UK government would be in on the deal.

[@hifijohn]

and money well spent.

[@AL_Neri2]

​@@FixdalOK their top officials were in on it ofc

[@michaelvidal1971]

I think on this ocassion Bernard misunderstood there was no question of a bribe being paid it was merely an advanced extra contractual payment in relation to certain consultancy work.

[@BlueInk912]

🤣😅🤣👍

[@RedPillNeofit]

He was so frank because of juice

[@markfox1545]

*occasion.

[@jjmalm]

The whole complete scene they keep making jokes about the liquor they have in the communication room. They keep getting drunker and drunker and at the end Hacker is so loaded he can't think of a good cover and blurts out Napoleon hahaha. Brilliant writing!

[@aagg6124]

Napoleon can also be a reference to cognac.

[@sinamirmahmoud7606]

@@aagg6124 wow 👌 true 👍

[@aegis3141]

The funny thing is,there is a police general in my country who's name is napoleon bonaparte,he's currently in jail for accepting bribes.

[@warnpassion]

He even calls Sir Humphrey dressed as one of the hosts as Lawrence of Arabia.

[@capri2673]

@@aagg6124 Courvoisier's logo is Napoleon.

[@TruBeliever4Life]

ive heard that the government denies that this is realistic. but people that have worked for the government insist that its just like this

[@solidsnyper]

It is exactly how things operate among the senior service.

[@douglasolsen1208]

Of course they would deny it is realistic!

[@YvanJanssens]

I spent many years in whitehall and Yes Minister and Yes Prime Minister is pretty much exactly on the spot.

[@TimStamper89]

Depends on the level you're at but the general understanding is still there. Certain ly Sir Humphrys view that the civil service runs the country and the politicians are the straw poll for the public is common knowledge/belief

[@Squashed8Ball]

The communications room and the alcohol is based upon actual true events from a British VIP visit to Pakistan. The bribery and gifts are probably on point as well.

[@JustLilGecko]

As relevant now, as it was then. The Yes, (Prime) Minister series are truly one of the absolute cornerstones of political satire.

[@glishev]

Of political science.

[@amitpalve6089]

@@glishev Of everything POLITICS actually ‼️

[@andrewbriers1166]

one of the things i love about this show is it is about the political system between ministers and civil servants not about a party.jim hackers party was never revealed.if they revealed which party he represented i dont think this classic would have been so popular

[@TimmsyZR7]

@@andrewbriers1166 While not explicitly stated it was most certainly alluded to that he was of the Labour Party. If you recall the episode about him being specially appointed a new assistant under party orders.

[@nnannakalu9423]

The optics of Sir Humphrey in culturally appropriate attire-"Sheik Humphrey", as it were-is even more hilarious than his usual long-winded exposition! 😆😆😆

[@highdownmartin]

“The minister has had nearly as many urgent communications as he can take “ Superb

[@Generalscorpio]

Believe it or not, this is based on an actual event, Supposedly, on visiting a reception in a Muslim country (the country in question was never mentioned in the documentary I watched), people from the foreign office had a decanter filled with orange juice and some form of whisky set up in a private office somewhere so they could slip off and get a slightly stiffer drink than those on offer when they needed it.

[@JdeMonster]

Funny thing, Napoleon is a type of Cognac.

[@AAARREUUUGHHHH]

+Amareto Suuuureee

[@LattiMonstaaa]

not very hard to believe lol

[@pumbar]

@amereto. It's someone else's fault.

[@andrew7taylor]

+JDMonster - Perhaps with quotation marks it would be more accurate. As in: Napoleon is a type of "cognac". ;-) The grade is great, but the Napoleon brand is shitty.

[@hiratiomasterson4009]

This is still indeed how business is done, but the mechanisms are more circumspect, convoluted even. Direct consultancy fees do attract suspicion and scrutiny, so in many jurisdictions, shelf companies that have nothing to do with defence contracts are used, with directors/beneficiaries anonymized. Consultancy fees may be used, but so are training services, software, artistic / historical pieces, travel services - basically anything where high prices are common and true value is tricky to establish.

[@TheElckey]

Is it weird that I read this in sir Humphreys voice?

[@MrBabylon]

one of the best BBC documentaries ever made.

[@ETH5626]

James Hacker: "Ah, Lawrence of Arabia, you're wanted in the communications room." Sir Humphrey Appleby: "Oh, good. Er, who is it?" James Hacker: "Napoleon!" LOL

[@fds7476]

...I don't get it.

[@chap0syoutuification]

Name of an alcoholic beverage. A cognac.

[@JonatasMonte]

@@chap0syoutuification Still don't get it.

[@lawyerofjustice]

@@JonatasMonte they were being discreet before saying normal people's names that were also drinks

[@saoirsedeltufo7436]

@@JonatasMonte the whole joke of this is that they are surreptitiously drinking (presumably alcohol is banned or frowned upon in the country), so they're making excuses (urgent messages) to go and have a drink

[@ShaoVideoProduction]

Believe me, this IS how business is done...

[@amitpalve6089]

Of course, everywhere in the world 🗺

[@AlifNurfakhri]

Of course, even in office I always give the clerical staffs and treasury staffs good gifts from whenever I was going to, so that they will prioritize my stipend and credentials everytime i'm on assignment to some place far

[@iamsheel]

The supposedly British guy wears his clothes better than the supposedly Arabic guy

[@Pitmirk_]

nigel hawthorne rather suits the outfit

[@bobbyaldol]

Rather! Was thinking the same.

[@sheridanburton4532]

You're both just remembering his costume from Demolition Man

[@JonatasMonte]

Didn't you hear the PM? He's Lawrence of Arabia!

[@arthurdont1478]

BBC used to tell truth in the 80s

[@obradinn7491]

The truth is a lie given to children to make themselves feel more safe going about the world. There is no "truth" only evidence and inference. And both of those can be influenced and distorted. ...it must be nice living in a world where the perception you rely on so heavily can be confused with undisputed objective truth.

[@PixelatedMaestro]

wait until you hear about the paedophiles

[@JonatasMonte]

@@obradinn7491 You've just said there is no truth and then you've said there the "undisputed objective truth"... Make up your mind!

[@blueberry1874]

i suppose that statement isnt true either then. you would have a tough time asserting that an assertion could be true or false simultaneously, or neither true nor false and having any hope of persuading anyone

[@JamesKelly-tn2oz]

@@JonatasMonte I think you may have misunderstood what he was saying.

[@JonatasAdoM]

I've heard once that bribery was normal in ancient Rome, so long no one knew about it.

[@danalmariti509]

Still normal in modern Rome!

[@richardclarke376]

Never gets old no matter how many times I watch it. Inspired writing and acting.

[@fbager]

“Everybody knows” there is bribery and it’s perfectly alright as long as “nobody knows”. 😂

[@BlackroseDN]

Lmao. I love British humor. I need to watch this.

[@GyitMulhaneski-GloriousYears]

BlackroseDN A fellow/channel across the pond called Bowlestrek did a great review on Yes Minister on DVD if you want to check that out. I recommend the box set!

[@jon-francis9289]

That reaction of Jim's when he says Napoleon is priceless.

[@goranvuletic8873]

The last time the Serbian public could see this was before 2000. Never ever later has any government let this serial show up on any TV channel.

[@sirierieott5882]

Timeless classic...

[@JonatasMonte]

Every time I rewatch this scene I forget what it is supposed to mean and get a new meaning out of it.

[@mandisgoj]

I think this is just brilliant. Great stuff!

[@knicol46]

You can never go wrong investing in brown envelopes

[@NerdGirlUK]

I blooming loved this show.

[@varunemani]

Strange world indeed, Outstanding..

[@KhanivoreQniba]

Great expose, magnificent.

[@jm15xy]

Just because _everybody knows_ something does not mean that something is _common knowledge._

[@BestVideos01]

great staff

[@jackiezhou9778]

Big fan of the show!

[@MrLengyeldoma]

LOOL great scene!!:DDD

[@karstenburger9031]

Nicely made!

[@farhanzeb8572]

Yes Minister creator commented this bit of the show was inspired by what happened in Pakistan in real......its amazing and done with superb excellence.

[@bibibibi9457]

The🎥🇬🇧 Legendary Script Writers, phenomenonal💯🇬🇧🎥 Actors, it is absolutely AGELESS🇬🇧🎥💐🍾🎉🥂

[@CorporateEvolution]

DVDs barely have DRM, the encryption was cracked nearly a decade ago. I bought the series for $49.95 for 36 episode. Omg there's new episode this year o.O

[@sebie79]

"VAT man" - "your 69 returns" : Vat69 (whisky) - brilliant!

[@JCD275]

Very appropriate

[@billkingston4402]

More true now than ever

[@minervali631]

I'm here after the snc lavalin scandal...

[@mzk1489]

What’s normally done is you pay the lawyer and he does what he does.

[@alexm566]

or a "consulting" or "media relations" firm

[@Herman47]

Bernard can be quite funny too!

[@JonatasAdoM]

Should have paid him more, he's not keeping his mouth shut.

[@michaelvidal1971]

Or rather he should have a severe hair cut for not keeping his mouth shut.

[@Alexanderiii]

@@michaelvidal1971 He probably thinks that everyone in the room are part of the bribery so it doesn't matter what he said there.

[@jonathanfraser321]

A very unsporting British goverment(David Cameron's?) passed a bribery act and these bribes are now illegal. But I do have tickets for Cvvent garden ,Next years Royal ascot, the FA Cup final. These are excellent ways of explaining Britains culture and sport to our overseas visitors. I look forwards to my visist to the Bolshoi, Real Madrid v Barcelona and the Superbowl a sI negotite our trade agreemnets now weve left the EU

[@TheDMM]

@selfsenter thank you for your well respond

[@Schlurble]

@selfsenter Wasn't this broadcast in like, 1980?

[@bhawanikabra7364]

Where can I watch the entire series online?

[@arigatoigosaimasu]

I love "Yes Minister" Ha ha... AHH...Lawrence of Arabia....Who is it? NAPOLEON...

[@jenniferschmitzer299]

Oh ye gods this is something I’d say three sheets to the wind... 😂

[@ABCDEF-cx1ic]

can i see these clips without going through youtube?

[@91BlacKSheeP91]

@selfsenter I second that.

[@qingmingshiren]

for keep my mouth shut

[@capri2673]

Apparently this is based on a true story. From Wikipedia: "The Moral Dimension: The communications room was based on a real incident in Pakistan. In an interview, co-writer Antony Jay stated: "I can't tell you where, I can't tell you when and I can't tell you who was involved; all I can tell you is that we knew that it had actually happened. That's why it was so funny. We couldn't think up things as funny as the real things that had happened."

[@duggeryclips]

Why don't you give these clips their proper episode titles?

[@YourTechGerman]

And that's still how politics work today XD

[@paulfu6475]

Politics is the same almost always throughout our history. It never really change, doesn’t matter who it is

[@sandravovin]

Ah, it's very hard to understand it for me...

[@donikajorgo5612]

Everyone knew accep pink diamond. 🤣

[@MapleSyrupPoet]

Some people, are just not with it ...but, be with them, anyway 😊

[@francesbernard2445]

🤣

[@hilale7533]

The word 'Efendi' is Turkish, and is of Greek origin. It's not Arabic. I hardly think Arabs use it.

[@zaidmagdub1819]

Hilal E the word is used in many Arab nations which were ruled by the Ottomams

[@hilale7533]

@@zaidmagdub1819 fair enough.

[@Zanimater]

This story happened in Pakistan though according to most civil servants. So they just mashed up everything up.

[@Herman47]

Then we encountered one exceptional Arab! (Don't get hung up on minor things)

[@hilale7533]

@@Herman47 i didn't get hung up on anything. I just pointed out something. Give me an effing break.

[@samedifference5504]

The laugh track is 2 times louder than the actors

[@derry667dingo]

Same Difference - not a laugh track. It’s an actual studio audience. The BBC insisted even though the actors said that it made their job a bit more difficult. So yeah, unfortunately they were too funny for the audience to laugh more quietly

[@ACKtube-of3qf]

@@derry667dingo oh that's interesting cause i noticed the first Arabian guy smile at the same time when i heard the laughs. that makes their work even more amusing

[@FixdalOK]

@@derry667dingo Would the audience laugh each time during retakes? If it's a live audience I'd be more compelled to believe they played back the cut episode to an audience and recorded their laughs.

[@jameshall9715]

@@FixdalOK They did have a live audience: there is footage of the actors making mistakes and the live audience reacting to it in real time.

[@nobodyhere7422]

Where can I watch the full episode ?

[@mikeevans5118]

On tv probably

[@saurabhpal1230]

@@mikeevans5118 amazing !

[@hifijohn]

You think they would be able to smell the alcohol on their breath.

[@andyrob3259]

I have no doubt certain ‘luxuries’ get imported in the diplomatic bag in these sort of countries.

[@Timic83tc]

how ling till them ban this

[@martinlisitsata]

Vat 69 - whisky Napoleon - brandy / cognac / rum / liqueur / whisky (and a cocktail) damned if i know which one they referenced

[@capri2673]

Courvoisier's logo is Napoleon. :)

[@CptFlasheart]

@florencelovme we are :)

[@GyitMulhaneski-GloriousYears]

Very refreshing and forward looking that this actor here in the 1980s didn't go for the old Michael Bates make up job when playing the Arab dignitary! Shocking!

[@jeromefitzroy]

What’s VAT69?

[@illuminati4786]

is this a documentary?

[@michaelmartin9022]

I thought it was genuine hidden camera footage.

[@robertboekee8733]

Qatar World Cup be like

[@feelwang]

Brilliant idea of someone is the decision to make it sitcom with 500 live approval right on which made BBC hard to cut it

[@St_Lucifer_Morningstar]

This is the absolute peaked perfection of our English humour. That these Americans and the pretentious ones call dry and poor!

[@djemba]

1MDB in a nutshell.

[@stevenwright9422]

not full episodes

[@joyghosh8610]

Some governments have not seen this, needless to say who they may be

[@sharathin]

Something other than the pandemic to watch

[@gaygaz9737]

Today, I have $13.00 in the bank. Why would I lie about a fact.

[@gaygaz9737]

However, I am not complaining, just commenting.

[@mrbojangles8133]

diplomacy

[@clementinejr5884]

can someone explain it to me.....???....

[@Tremulousnut]

They are all secretly drinking alcohol at the party in the presence of their Muslim hosts. The communications are actually drinks. The ‘names’ are all derived from the brands of alcohol.

[@hassan6692]

Which country did this metaphorical story happen? To understandable it occured in arab country but which?

[@edpatel713]

Pakistan.

[@sampuatisamuel9785]

It's fictional

[@ChakLong]

@selfsenter Video looks pretty old. And it's also meant to just be comedy. Stop taking everything so seriously. Also there are still people dressed like that, for traditional reasons...

[@basita8459]

Truth in movies, lies in news

[@pausetv5639]

It wasn't as funny as their usual, but it was still interesting.

[@sampuatisamuel9785]

Too close to the truth?

[@kamwrites]

Um....okay.

[@Tornado15555]

Actually our relations with Arabs declined only recently, and the reason many Arabs/Indians are in Britain is because illegal fighting overseas has made their traditional home extremely unstable. Are Brits elitest? Somewhat. Everyone is. But I'd say every culture has suffered a bit too much through modernism. While many would like to unite to restore old popular traditions and regain nationalism, for now what is left is a sad remnant, dictated by the likes of the USA. For now.

[@80sROCKKKKK]

Indians are not in Britain because of illegal fighting. It's because of the economic opportunities offered by Britain and its superior quality of life. Not everybody in India lives in south Bombay.

[@wiszak9370]

As an Arab, I can confirm this is not an exact Arab dress, and similar Arab dresses are not worn this way. Catcha BBC, you made a mistake here.

[@capri2673]

Maybe but it's still funny.

[@CptFlasheart]

@florencelovme actually were good at pretty much everything, we've invented most of the modern world, we created the modern democratic system, our schools are some of the the best in the world... were not particularly self centred, relatively modest to be honest. And excellent sports. where are you from then??

[@bradmichalson1900]

I’m from the U.K. and the problem with comments like this is we are always looking back. The schools we laud are continuously reserved for the sons and daughters of the wealthy, and our approach to social care hasn’t evolved in half a century. We DID have a lot to proud of just after the war. But to declare ourselves proud of that in light of what the country is today sense like navel gazing.

[@sushanalone]

its satirical comedy guys get over yourselves.

[@elizabethbrown2960]

They don't make original British comedies like that anymore they should, we are a great nation 🙏

[@cmur078]

love how all the 'arab' guys are obviously white. :) very funny though.

[@theholmes8308]

cmur078 most senior arabs are educated in the top British institutions

[@roshagawa]

strangely, a british education doesn't change the colour of your skin... believe me, i know.

[@fvriovs5502]

There are practically no Arabs in the UK even from the 2011 census. Barely over 200,000. I doubt there would've been very many at all when this was released.

[@TheShows247]

@Somali Kid yes but they are wearing khaleeji clothing

[@someone-wi4xl]

Somali Kid because there are real Arabians (Tribal Arabs = Ethnically Arabs in the Peninsula ) and those who are Arabs because they speak Arabic Tribal Arabians are mainly olive skinned with black hair and eyes

[@CptFlasheart]

@florencelovme bring it on web ninja...you know it's true. we invented computers, the internet for gods sake; wasted on you, evidently...

[@madworld-ul2tg]

اخخخ

[@halalpolice7544]

😂😂😂😂😂They drinking orange 🍊 because alcohol is Haram in Islam

[@matthewrayes3694]

Odd, that the show would use "Qumran" as an Arabian country--an Arabian country that appears to be on the Gulf, such as Saudi Arabia or Qatar, given their dress and how the Brits went to great lengths to accommodate them (oil money). Odd because Qumran is a site in the West Bank (Palestine), where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found, and where some archaeologists allege a Jewish sect known as the Essenes inhabited. It is as if the show is trying to imply that Arabs are Jews--or that Arabs currently inhabit old Jewish lands--both of which would cause quite a bit of controversy, which I am sure the folks at "Yes Minister" would crave. At any rate, this show is freaking awesome.

[@essen961]

Actually the storyline about the "Communication room" is from a government visit to Pakistan around the time the show was produced. But I didn't know the name was actually real. I wonder if the shows producers knew.

[@stephentrout7879]

essen961 it was leaked by cabinet mp's to the producers so they could make the show, because they all enjoyed it.

[@N1H1L9]

Interesting; I thought they'd made it up, so thanks. The scrolls were in the public consciousness a lot more then, so it's likely the writers were just looking for an authentic sounding name which wouldn't bring offence.

[@RichardGMoss]

Matthew Rayes This show was made in the 80s, by that time Qumran was no longer under occupation.

[@wynwilliams6977]

+Matthew Rayes Qumran in this context is set in the Persian Gulf.

[@selfsenter]

@BSEmadcow If the British declared war on Greece or Spain tomorrow, you think the foot soldiers would shoot them? or the highest army ranks themselves. The entire nation would stand firmly against such a war especially when the justification is not 100% clear. Get real here, you never see normal Arabs from the core middle east depicted accurately as another culture. Its always a skewed humorous or threatening image..This gets ingrained into peoples minds creating apathy towards X

[@ZubairKhan-vs8fe]

These arabs have been doing the "gift" thing for ever. What a disgrace

[@monapuckerburg1832]

YES MINISTER ＮｏBBC NO ISLAM

[@awddfg]

*_remove judaism and christianity_*

[@drd.n4695]

If I were to wear this Arab dress, I would simply trip and fall ...

[@HumanMonolith]

@florencelovme Compared to one that has Sharia Law? Without a fucking doubt.

[@Amadeus-ms9lt]

Shariah Law is non-existent.

[@Karim-is7ew]

Wish we were represented somewhat properly in this. 1) Nobody has worn that particular 'head-scarf ring', lets call it, for a little less than a century now. That old head-scarf ring was called a shattfa, today the plain two ringed rope worn by Arab men over their ghutra/kaffiya (the scarf) is called a Aqal. (للعرب: العقال القديم اسمه الشطفة) 2) The lack of representation then as is now is always upsetting but it never surprises me nor any Arab. we're not respectable to the world nor to us ourselves, thank you colonialism. 3) Nobody in the Gulf (where these ppl are supposed to be from) uses the word Effendi (third word in this sketch) only the Semitic Arabs (aka Laventines).

[@Ilovemountains-tb2qb]

I am afraid that Arabs were, and still are, fair game for mocking and insulting stereotyping on TV and in movies. It is especially bad in the US, but we know who runs movies and TV there don't we?

[@bradmichalson1900]

This show is 40 years old. Maybe you should go and have a cry at something modern?

[@Tremulousnut]

Look at the year this was aired. Back then there weren’t that many Arabs in the UK.

[@philipstokes2824]

It's purposefully inaccurate so as not to be mistaken for a real country.