Jim Meets The Israeli Ambassador | Yes, Prime Minister | BBC Comedy Greats

[@judsonbaker8128]

“Press statements aren’t delivered under oath” that line is gold lmao

[@zx7-rr486]

I thought that was a great line. Definitely one Bojo should use in the coming days! 🤣

[@adhiwicaksono6149]

@@zx7-rr486 And you believe Bojo will tell the truth, even under oath?

[@1ramises]

Not by this gov anyway lol

[@EvilSean62]

increasingly so it would appear

[@rodgerhempfing2921]

So very true

[@mattwho81]

I like the follow up: Bernard “Prime minister the Americans are delighted, they have a whole battalion ready if we need reinforcements!” Humphrey “Reinforcements of what?!” Jim: “Reinforcements, of good will.”

[@verttikoo2052]

This series is really amazing 🎉

[@KCCOmug]

Easily my favourite scene from Yes Prime Minister. "No, it's just an awful lot of good will."

[@seamusoflatcap]

How on earth do you choose one scene out of so many excellent ones?

[@JM-mh1pp]

@@seamusoflatcap they once tried to upload "best bits of season 1" but then stopped because uploading entire season seemed a bit excesive.

[@sampuatisamuel9785]

@@JM-mh1pp Hahaha, just do it anyway. Love it

[@jonathanfraser321]

A very Jewish response!- which you'd expect from an Israeli Ambassador. Even better is Jim telling Luke he's being sent to Tel Aviv-s he can explain why Britain never supports Israel at the Security Council

[@EvilSean62]

@@seamusoflatcap my thoughts exactly i have too many favourites !

[@davidharris8496]

Israeli Ambassador: "They don't trust you." Jim: "Why not?" IA: "Because you trust the Foreign Office." Jim: "fair, tbh"

[@Silverfoxwolfen]

Finally this scene is back on again! Nothing will beat this exchange from not knowing exactly where the island is to 'reinforcements of goodwill'.

[@joyghosh8610]

Sly fox says , atlast some sense !

[@JonatasAdoM]

"It's just an awful lot of goodwill."

[@lomax343]

"The Americans invading a Commonwealth country? The Palace will hit the roof." This episode was broadcast shortly after the Americans DID invade the Commonwealth country of Grenada. Rumour has it the Palace DID hit the roof.

[@shqa574]

LOL

[@fredrikkirderf2907]

also the capitale of Grenada is St George's so you could argue the Americans did invade St George's island

[@matthew8153]

@@fredrikkirderf2907 Shows you just how good the writers were.

[@adrianjohnson7920]

@@fredrikkirderf2907 Slick!

[@iandhr1]

And I shall look ridiculous😅

[@garyquinlan4075]

I loved that episode and the actor who played the Israeli Ambassador did an excellent job of his role.

[@fifthof1795]

That actor is David de Kuyser. Me and my friends always referred to him as "The Voice" , because he did so many overdubs on foreign programs in the Sixties and Seventies.

[@garyquinlan4075]

@@fifthof1795 Thanks for the heads up. David certainly appeared in a variety of different roles.

[@fifthof1795]

@@garyquinlan4075 No probs. He also did the overdub on Tracy's (Diana Rigg) crime boss dad in OHMSS.

[@josharnold3450]

His voice is amazing

[@veganmatry]

I know.

[@jkolorath]

Humphrey- I believe an airborne battalion is in the air. Hacker- Seems like the right place for it! 😆

[@voicification]

You beat me to it!!

[@doodeen]

Possibly the best British Comedy series of all time.Superb scripts and top class acting.

[@olefredrikskjegstad5972]

Love the exchange with Humphrey right after this scene. "Prime Minister, I gather there's an airborne batallion in the air" "Sounds like the right place for it"

[@bryanadkins6776]

I love this episode because it's one of the few times that Hacker pulls a legitimate victory that's for good and unselfish.

[@Delightfully_Witchy]

Under that exact criteria, I think it's the only time. It's what makes it my favorite too.

[@withonelook1985]

Its the good and right choice, but he still does it for selfish reasons. He wants to look strong to the Americans and he wants to punish Luke for disobeying his orders.

[@Slaaan]

Is there any way one can watch the actual episodes online as a non brit?

[@יהודהסיימונס]

​@@Slaaan dailymotion website

[@gregdeandrea1450]

​@@SlaaanIf you're American, the streaming service is called "BritBox." You get this, Keeping Up Appearances, and if you care, Classic Doctor Who!

[@ThePurple1968]

"A awful lot of goodwill" - one of the many classic lines of this series!

[@NickJohnCoop]

The way he says “I know” is perfect.

[@jesseberg3271]

"Don't ask me how the Mossad gets its information about Britain and I won't ask you how MI6 gets its information about Israel. We're friends, Jim, but don't push it." all boiled down to two words and a tone of voice.

[@sandmboy1]

probably from the israeli ambassador or defence attache in Berlin.

[@Foxstab]

@@sandmboy1 And those who understand, understand.

[@redrackham6812]

This is one of my favorite episodes, and one of my favorite scenes. The reason is that, if this show had a flaw in how it portrayed how the bureaucracy is able to control policy while pretending only to execute it, it was that it tended to neglect how the most powerful weapon in the bureaucracy's arsenal is its ability to control the flow of information to the elected politicians. The reason for that is that that does not usually make for good television. Instead, they would usually show Humphrey persuading Hacker why Hacker's preferred policy would be unpopular or would be bad public relations. Here, they really showed how it was about controlling the information that gets to the politicians, and how Hacker could get his way when he gets an alternate avenue of information.

[@brucewilliams8714]

Thank you, Sir Humphey's apprentice. Beautifully enunciated.

[@redrackham6812]

@@brucewilliams8714 Thank you! That's such a nice thing to say. You're too kind.

[@CHR1SZ7]

More often than not Humphrey’s attempts to control the information that reaches Jim are very carefully undermined by Bernard, who has (or at least believes he has) much more to gain personally from allowing Jim to get his way every so often.

[@jamesp3902]

@@CHR1SZ7 It's established that Bernard still believes in elected leaders making decisions.

[@masterblob7196]

Well said

[@floris.927]

“How do you know?!” “I know …” Brilliant delivery, I’m always immediately transported to a line by Livia in I, Claudius, “ I know, well, I make it my business to know.” Must be a wonderful feeling being able to say sth. like that in a meaningful way.

[@StarboyXL9]

Can confirm, it is. Addicting in fact

[@barmybarmecide5390]

@@StarboyXL9 okay you eminence grisé lmao

[@MLaak86]

"...I know..." - left unspoken 'please do not ask me how I know... I might have to have you killed'.

[@TomFynn]

If you have the Mossad on your side, you always know.

[@retroftw4644]

Sth? Whats that mean.

[@NicNacSN]

"..a surprise visit.. alright, a 'routine' surprise visit.." Hacker has finally mastered the language of beauraucracy, and at the same time, is at complete ease speaking the politicians' language. All-in-all, a real Prime Minister and dare I say, a leader. The Israeli Ambassador comes as a breath of fresh air, for having remarkable clarity of thoughts and issues.

[@matthew8153]

Perhaps he was advised how best to handle Hacker.

[@hagamapama]

@@matthew8153 By telling him the whole truth? Because the British political class screwed up and actually elected a half decent human being to the PM's office?

[@matthew8153]

@@hagamapama Well a broken clock is right twice a day.

[@anastasiosgkotzamanis5277]

-Prime minister, an airborne battalion is in the air. -Well, isn't that where an airborne battalion should be Humphrey?

[@lindaharwot2169]

"How do you know?" "I KNOW..!" I love this series :)

[@sztypettto]

The actors are legends to have delivered these lines with a straight face, staying in character. I can never even deliver the same lines without laughing my head off. And it's been over 40 years. Timeless!

[@harbourdogNL]

Never a dull scene in the entire series. This show, and The Sandbaggers, had the best writing in British TV.

[@curt8652]

"Press statements aren't delivered under oath." That's for sure....

[@trevorhart545]

Yes Minister and Yes Prime Minister THREE Brilliant Actors and Perfect Scripts. Amazingly accurate.

[@janolbratowski1814]

I love this "I know" in 1:43

[@Boa_Omega]

the Israeli government spies on everyone. That is how they know.

[@anarosa3905]

"How do you know?!" " - ...I knooow!" Brilliant!

[@signalrepeater]

An instant goodwill visit. I will start using this phrase more and more in my life.

[@TonyRule]

Instant routine goodwill visit haha

[@perperson199]

Love the Israeli ambassador! Absolutely brilliant

[@vastariner]

The fine actor and voice artist David de Keyser. Yes (Prime) Minister was always very good at casting one-off roles; see for example Thomas Baptiste as the charming yet deadly President of Buranda.

[@shaughnfourie304]

me ME TOO

[@spectrum7virkeytroni]

@@vastariner John Wells as Godfrey in "The Ministerial Broadcast" was also brilliant. At one point he seems to break into a Boris Karloff imitation for a few seconds.

[@evanherk]

His smirk while Jim is getting on the phone... pure gold

[@olesrensen7819]

RIP David de Keyser. He died in 2021, 93 years old. Funny how we don't get to live equally long. He and Eddington were born in the same year, 1927, but he got to outlive Paul by 25 years. Fine actors, both of them.

[@robkeeleycomposer]

the wonderful David de Keyser - that unmistakable voice!

[@colindowd9756]

This 'documentary' never gets old!

[@frog382]

@卐 Infidel 卍 Exactly, people mistake documentary for instruction video.

[@andrewg.sharwood3378]

It's amazing how it's still so relevant...

[@rezimonavardisashvili393]

Scene right after this is one of my favorite. When Jim masterfully "rewards" Luke by appointing him ambassador in Israel

[@iandhr1]

Yup. The look on Luke's face when he is told he is being sent to Tel Aviv is priceless

[@beckyenglish4783]

I love it!

[@stevetaylor7403]

It’s even more significant in book form.

[@zingzangspillip1]

The actor who played Luke was excellent. I've always loved this episode because of the way he tells off Jim.

[@Samplesurfer]

@@zingzangspillip1 The actor who plays Luke was in the first two series of The Crown at Netflix. I heard his voice and was puzzled for about a month "where did I hear that voice before?" and then it dawned on me, it was Luke!

[@jonyprepperisrael60]

R.I.P. David, you actes like a true Israeli diplomat

[@LennyCole96]

4 minutes of screen time he proved himself as crafty as Sir Humphrey and as cunning as Sir Arnold

[@hagamapama]

Also bringing him in was brilliance on Hacker's part. He knew he might actually get a whiff of the truth.

[@jeremyrogers5103]

How nice to see David de Keyser - I met him once at my parents house and he was charming

[@MartinManscher]

Probably the best episode of YPM ever. Also contains Sir Humphrey and Sir Richard explaining foreign policy to Bernard

[@amazer747]

close competition to "The Key" when Humphrey tries to enter via a window and actually swears.

[@GhostEye31]

​@@amazer747 Him bursting in Bernard a bit before that "My God." "No just your boss!"

[@huiarama]

I seem to remember Margret Thatcher was a critic of the Foreign Office, referring to them as an 'Office for Foreigners'. I might be paraphrasing here. Fantastic series.....

[@KissTheGreat]

“Press statements are not delivered under oath” The current government’s mantra

[@edipires15]

All governments' mantra...

[@ulture]

@@edipires15 Childish view of the world. There is such a thing as a government that is a genuine democracy, genuine "people's rule". We just don't have them in this country because of our political and economic system. But they are possible. The "all politicians are liars" meme was started by lying politicians (and the businessmen who benefit from their lies and corruption" to lower your expectations and make you think that you aren't worthy of someone fighting your corner.

[@edipires15]

@@ulture I would say a realist view of the world. Governments, as much as their purposes may be genuine , lie to the press all the time, even in the best democracies. They have to in some way, as Sir Humphrey would say “for stability”

[@ulture]

@@xunqianbaidu6917 from one who believes in the fairytale of 'human nature'

[@rhas356]

@@edipires15 Indeed - I feel like KTG's comment will remain popular whoever the government happens to be at time of reading!

[@jameskvo]

Two very fine actors delivering a wonderfully intelligent and funny script and they make it look easy

[@shirleynitka5030]

I miss these type of shows. So many laughs.

[@noyb-yb]

how did they know ~40 years ago what the world will look like in 2024? A masterpiece of TV comedy. One of the best ever. Nothing much has changed.

[@ebefl]

Simply because it’s what the world looked like back then as well

[@verttikoo2052]

You haven’t changed. We 🇪🇺 have.

[@pl8101]

​@@verttikoo2052 You are in denialism about War warmonger demented deranged senility of Europa league of propaganda 🤥🤥🤡🤣🤣 dummy deluded countries. 😂😂😅. 😊😊

[@louiswilliamterminator2887]

Except: 1) The PM is evil 2) The PM is corrupt 3) The PM is a traitor 4) The PM serves Blackrock 5) The PM has more in common with Jimmy saville than a caring family man 6) PM styles homself upon Bog Brother from 1984 7) PM is implementing a police state

[@cmm5542]

​@@verttikoo2052The Middle Ages would like a word . . .

[@a753951852]

Something like this did happen in the Indian Ocean in 1988.. It was a coup against Maldivian government and India responded with "operation cactus" , a military support operation of Indian paratroopers to protect the Maldivian government..

[@AuDHDeepDive]

"Press statements aren't delivered under oath." Goddamnit this gets better with age and more relevant by the day!

[@jameskvo]

It really does!

[@LesleyBerry-em3yv]

October 2024. Yes it does. Just watched episode where previous P.M. has died and Jim is discussing arrangements for funeral. One suggestion is to have representatives of nations seated in alphabetical order in the Abbey. Imagine Iran, Iraq, Israel and Jordan seated together Jim says. "You'd have the outbreak of WW3."

[@darter9000]

So much goodwill in this episode

[@xenofongrigoriadis7547]

"How do you know?" "I know...." 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@thethirdman225]

Possibly my favourite episode. I love the way Jim handles Luke from the Foreign Office. Brilliant writing and great acting.

[@jaydnvonrhoman736]

It would be nice if the Israeli Ambassador appeared in more episodes

[@anonUK]

How's your ouija board skills?

[@StarboyXL9]

No need. Rabbis are all trained in necromancy, given how they keep reanimating past "sins" of every other group but their own!

[@richardelson3261]

There has never been better comedy writing.

[@fool7491]

I just realized that even the Israeli ambassador didn't know how Jim uninformed was.

[@RobertBrown-lf8yq]

Yes PM and Yes Minister should be compulsory viewing by all prospective MPs. And it should be viewed as a ‘documentary’ rather than as entertainment…. although it is one of the all time entertainment series of all time. Regards Robert ( an ex-MP) 😎

[@nathanielhill5887]

You were an mp?

[@RobertBrown-lf8yq]

@@nathanielhill5887 13 years….2006-2019. NSW Legislative Council ( ie., the State upper House). Member for the Shooters Fishers and Farmers Party.

[@nathanielhill5887]

@@RobertBrown-lf8yq what was being an mp like?

[@RobertBrown-lf8yq]

@@nathanielhill5887 Worthwhile because I actually achieved some stuff for our constituents. Parliament? Bastard of a job because one must deal with all types of absolute bastards, liars, cowards… and plain old ‘time-servers’. Parliamentary employees ( not political staffers) were a great bunch of people. Incredibly long hours, very diligent and skilled at their work. Bureaucrats? 90% of them are EXACTLY like Sir Humphrey 🤣🤣🤣. Difficult to get stuff done…being a ‘minority’ or ‘independent’, unless of course you just happen to hold the ‘balance of power’ in a hung Parliament. I don’t regret my time…. but I’m bloody glad to be out of it. Robert

[@RagnellAvalon]

Should be made part of the education system under any form of bureaucratic government.

[@kornaktanker7633]

one of the best of the series

[@j.johnson3520]

Such wonderfull material...

[@GerhardMack]

Funny how the picture quality is better on here than on the DVD box set I actually paid for.

[@PuuberZ]

Yeah I was thinking the same thing. The Boxset I got last year is about 360p quality.

[@RagnellAvalon]

@@PuuberZ Pretty sure that's the set I have (blue foldout). Fortunately most of the show is talking heads so the picture quality is not hugely important to the content.

[@richardroopnarine870]

Absolutely brilliant

[@antigonemerlin]

"Who knows Foreign Office secrets apart from the Foreign Office?" "That's easy, only the Kremlin." Bernard forgot Tel Aviv as well. Considering that the role of the diplomat is to gather information, I often wondered if a wily head of state, if he did not trust his own ministers, could nicely ask the ambassador for a copy of their data instead.

[@StCreed]

"I often wondered if a wily head of state, if he did not trust his own ministers, could nicely ask the ambassador for a copy of their data instead." Only if he wants to owe a foreign entity an awful lot of favors and goodwill. And makes sure nobody in his government trusts him again. But yes, the temptation surely must exist. However, I think it will be done very subtly, if at all.

[@cmm5542]

That's - exactly what Jim is doing!

[@jonyprepperisrael60]

always remember: The Israeli ambassador always got more intel than the PM

[@demicdah]

How do you know? I know! Priceless

[@andrewg.carvill4596]

1:24 A line for Bernard, if he'd been present: "The Palace can't exactly hit the roof, Minister; you see the roof is itself part of the Palace, so it would only itself move upwards if the Palace were to try to ...." Minister: "Not now, Bernard!"

[@cmm5542]

I'm too much like Bernartd 😆 I ALWAYS thought this!

[@clrobertson13]

One of my favorite scenes when the PM comes out on top! 😁

[@aidan-4759]

The KZbin algorithm has a funny sense of humour

[@JohnKozlowski-ot5ld]

The actor playing the Israeli Ambassador is absolutely fabulous

[@Jack-he8jv]

nothing is fabulous about a backstabbing specie.

[@JohnKozlowski-ot5ld]

@Jack-he8jv I was commenting on the gentleman's performance as an actor. Take a look in the mirror Sir. Calling Israeli's "a back stabbing species" is your hatred. That's why there's no solution to the war in Gaza and TWO States of Israel and Palestine!!!!

[@martinwetles]

I wonder if humankind will be able to produce something so masterly on TV ever again...

[@Maeda_Toshiie]

Unfortunately, the current political and social climate prevents such shows from even being proposed.

[@malcolmabram2957]

No

[@seagecko]

Not a chance. But this masterpiece will never get old.

[@kokoeteantigha389]

Neverrr!

[@emgee691]

" It's just an awful lot of good will!".

[@thiagodeandrade7081]

Well, Hacker succeded where Thatcher failed, preventing the Americans from invading a Commonwealth nation.

[@irishpatriotv2575]

what did the Americans invade during thatcher's time? Unless you are referring to Argentinians as Americans?

[@thiagodeandrade7081]

@@irishpatriotv2575 Granada in the early 1980s. Not part of the UK, obviously, but a Commonwealth nation, under Queen Elizabeth.

[@thiagodeandrade7081]

Grenada actually, but my spellchecker is settled in Portuguese.

[@irishpatriotv2575]

@@thiagodeandrade7081 never heard of it, i'll check out ye olde wikepedia

[@whatonearth9809]

@@irishpatriotv2575 he’s quite correct

[@gdwnet]

Every episode of yes minister and yes prime minister makes the UK government look inept, useless and clueless. It is depressingly accurate.

[@Psytinker]

@@ai-hb4et The problem with that approach is that a lot is based on real incidents in British history, with names switched. Getting drunk in a dry Islamic country? That happened, but in Pakistan. Commonwealth country getting invaded by Americans? That's Grenada.

[@gdwnet]

@qtsssim The are indeed. Just seeing Bojo today saying he didn't realise he was at a party but thought it was a work event. That's a yes minister sketch right there.

[@zx7-rr486]

All governments are bureaucratic monoliths. I think it's harsh to say "clueless and inept". The reality is politicians are fighting embedded inefficiencies, random events, public opinion (which is always split on every major issue) and the short term electoral political cycle. To be honest, I sometimes think it's a bloody miracle how well the country is actually run. You only have to travel around the world to see how pretty organised the UK is, even compared to other 1st world countries like the USA.

[@gdwnet]

@@zx7-rr486 _I think it's harsh to say "clueless and inept"_ When the PM of a country says he doesn't know if he was at a party of a work event then I think clueless and inept is a compliment.

[@sampuatisamuel9785]

@@gdwnet Bojo is a buffoon

[@diyguru9677]

In retrospect this is more a documentary than satire.

[@RagnellAvalon]

Comedy is holding a mirror up to the world, not painting a new world.

[@zroutube]

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

[@salt_cots]

One of the great scenes in a series chock-a-block with great scenes.

[@volrath77]

Really should've also added the part with Humphrey and Luke after that. Those bits are also hilarious.

[@lachlanv.b.7783]

I like to think that the fact that Hacker is so pissed off at the Foreign office is the reason the Israeli ambassador is wanting to be so helpful to Hacker about St Georges.

[@flappospammo]

Amazing voice

[@hidayatsatari1315]

U have 2 comehere all i Will put fire my love...

[@hidayatsatari1315]

Yesterday i came to my old school and picture me with my friends but it turns out all are my foes!.

[@hidayatsatari1315]

I teapp te🙁🐩🤬🙄🏖️👍🦄🗺️🦄

[@hidayatsatari1315]

What's in the fair ground my enemies? No, they all be gone and the fair ground then belongs to 2 person thats wooley and me .

[@UV_B_1970]

One of the writers, Jonathan Lynn, is the nephew of Israel's former ambassador to the UN and minister of foreign affairs, Abba Eban.

[@krigry32]

when political satire was an art form and not rude attack on people you do not agree with.

[@stephennewton5697]

My most favourite scene from the story

[@MM-yi9zn]

Always so phenomenal & hilarious.

[@critter30002001]

Imagine the surprise on the faces of the airborne soldiers when they find out that instead of a relaxing time in Germany, they would be hoping on an airplane to a remote island in the middle of nowhere

[@ImperialJustinian]

A remote tropical island in the middle of nowhere. Probably a lot nicer weather than Germany.

[@DomWeasel]

@@ImperialJustinian When I worked on a British Army base, they all regarded Germany as a comfortable posting but the dream location was Cyprus which they viewed as a kind of paradise. Meanwhile, being sent to the Falklands is seen as a fate worse than death.

[@Dankseid-o1u]

Airborne Forces are by design and purpose high readiness units, they are supposed to be hop on and drop off planes in the middle of nowhere.

[@tightcamper]

@@ImperialJustinian And don't forget the field separation allowance. Nice tidy addition to their pay packets at the end of the month.

[@stevebagnall1553]

Paid leave in the middle of the Indian ocean, bliss.

[@McRocket]

Perhaps my favorite TV show of all time. ☮

[@Worldpeace197]

masterclass. Those were the days.

[@Hr-sd5sd]

Still a great series, even in repeats.

[@JonySmith-bb4gx]

Funny how Israel is ok but china isn't

[@dallasreid7755]

Superb. If only we got all our intelligence from the Israelis.

[@jonathanfraser321]

Actually you do- Israel keeps a close eye on what happens to, and anything the Arab countries might do. That why they bombed a nuclear reactor Saddam Hussein built, years before anyone in Britain had ever heard of him. Its also why from time to time they bomb syria, doing the stuff neither Congress or the house of commons would do. Uts also why you see reports that israel might do the same to Iran if the need arises

[@trespire]

Israel does a lot of the dirty work that Western powers would rather not do, yet are publicly repramanded for doing so !! I suspect behind closed doors it's a different story all together. We all scratch each others backs in one way or another.

[@tarsxenomorph8845]

Didn't Trump get in a bit of trouble for revealing that some intelligence came from the Israelis?

[@666Tomato666]

@BigJohn Hansome oh, but they are! By furrowed brows at the UN general assembly.

[@shaughnfourie304]

I AGREE

[@anakinskywalkerii4350]

Northern Indian Ocean situation report. Hilarious!

[@CA999]

The St George's Island storyline is a commentary on the then recent Grenada invasion?

[@KCCOmug]

The comparisons are pretty on the nose. The capital of Grenada is St George's and after the coup the Soviet Union and Cuba helped them build a new airport. The only difference insofar as I can tell is the location and that it was a while before the American's actually landed troops (which was supported by neighbouring nations like Dominica, Barbados and Jamaica)

[@stephenphillip5656]

Very much so.

[@viscountbp]

@@KCCOmug And the reference of 'palace would hit the roof' is on the fact that Grenada was not just a Commonwealth country, it was part of the Commonwealth realm i.e The Queen is the head of state.

[@revrichardclark7480]

Only at the time one US news station showed a map indicating that they had invaded Grenada in Spain!

[@jessmontgomery3454]

Indeed and St George's being the Grenada capital it does rather point towards it.

[@kayakmanonthego]

At last some pretty smart decision making on TRH Jim Hacker’ part.

[@doc0core]

Back when BBC was worth watching...

[@Weegie2]

Humphrey: Sending an airborne battalion into such an explosive situation, very unstable. Hacker: The Foreign Office are always telling me how stable it is... Humphrey: Yes indeed, very...., it's a sort of unstable sort of stability. The absolute peak of British comedy writing and acting! The entire episode is full of fantastic quotable exchanges.

[@William2-022]

Still relevant in December 2023: "The UK is preparing to send a warship to Guyana in a show of diplomatic and military support for the former British colony, the BBC has learned. It comes after neighbouring Venezuela renewed its claim for a disputed part of Guyanese territory that is rich in oil and minerals. The Ministry of Defence confirmed HMS Trent would take part in joint exercises after Christmas."

[@jesseberg3271]

Let's hope they bring lots of good will with them.

[@supernukey419]

A ship with an Oerlikon 30mm gun, which is designed to defend Royal Navy frigates against short-range missiles, grenades and explosives and Oerlikon KAA200 automatic cannons, which can fire 1,000 rounds per minute at a range of 2,000 meters seems like an awful lot to send on a show of support

[@Larsbor]

I would like to see the whole thing..

[@Saqu0007]

The British used to do a lot of surprise good will visits

[@Foxstab]

Some things never change.

[@muslimresponse103]

1:54 “of course!”

[@Freespeech1947]

You can watch this series now and it is still topical - it still rings true as how Government works - brilliant

[@charlielynes]

my Grandfather once told me, when I was a teenager, "Don't ever expect things to be better. The system they have created is working exactly as intended." 40 years later, as you say, the issues are exactly the same. millions of innocents unalived, Trillions of dollars spent, Countless countries annihilated... the system they created still works exactly as they intened. ☮️💜🙏

[@Freespeech1947]

@@charlielynes your grandad was right - we are brainwashed into thinking that we are entitled to continuously improve our lot - but that ain’t real life - not for individuals or countries

[@LesleyBerry-em3yv]

I'm doing so at the moment. So clever - when audience were credited as having some intelligence.

[@Elias_rais]

"press statements aren't given under oath" oof little bit of real world foreshadowing.

[@mavisemberson8737]

The real world since the newspapers were invented. Read history :-) Nothing new about it

[@Elias_rais]

@@mavisemberson8737 yeah but the English gvmt has been taking a few liberties lately.

[@motsu84]

Press statements are not delivered under Oath!!

[@daledesroches2318]

This is SO like reality.

[@eltigre001]

1:35 you have a battalion on standby in Germany! HOW DO YOU KNOW? - I know! Silly question! Mossad knows everything!!😂😂😂

[@jesseberg3271]

He's saying, "Don't ask me how the Mossad knows so much about Britain and I won't ask you how MI6 knows so much about Israel."

[@florinivan6907]

@@jesseberg3271 MI6 knows a lot less about Israel than the other way around.

[@GosWardHen98]

Brilliant, goodwill visit..! 😅

[@AlfonsoPosada]

excellent!

[@stephenphillip5656]

(From another YPM episode....) "The Russians already know what we're doing" Possibly the Israeli's Intelligence Service also are *particularly* well informed as well... 🤨. One of my favourite episodes.

[@tom201090]

Same Episode, different scene I think.

[@JM-mh1pp]

I loved the episode in yes minister in similar vain - Do russians know about it? - Well you just learned about it right now, so they probably know this since monday.

[@BedsitBob]

The best bit is when Humphrey finds out.

[@hagamapama]

Absolutely loved watching him sulk because there's nothing he could do about it. Jim Hacker handed him a _fait accomplis_

[@squizza28]

Both actors were great, but the one who played the Israeli ambassador was so true to life. It was highlighting that the Israeli intelligence services know everything, as America shares its intelligence with them.

[@JonySmith-bb4gx]

And they get what they want . But hate china

[@mylifepart2]

I hv always loved this part...where is the Humphrey part ?

[@shankarbalan3813]

Superb