Jim's Going To Europe | Yes Minister | BBC Comedy Greats

[@hayreddinbarbarossa661]

The writing is exceptional, the delivery flawless, and the facial expressions absolutely phenomenal. Pure comedy genius.

[@igimyoume1515]

I Completely Agree with you.👏🤗 USA Taught us everything Brits know about Sitcom Comedy

[@igimyoume1515]

@Praxis Alba America has Influenced every angle of acting,drama,and Comedy sitcoms. Europe is very Greatful i hope

[@CoastHobbit9340]

Flawless indeed - with the possible exception of Sir Humphrey' s repeated sips of an obviously empty soup spoon! ;-)

[@chrisweidner4768]

Best documentary on government ever.

[@jemert96]

That's what you get when you don't have to dumb everything down

[@richri1673]

"He keeps falling asleep in Cabinet" "I thought they all did" "Yes, but not while they're actually talking" Four decades later, nothing's changed!

[@tonydrozdjek]

The system works

[@32shumble]

So you're seen people falling asleep in Cabinet?

[@snapdragon9300]

Didn't know they were talking about Joe Biden.😁

[@iainballas]

@@snapdragon9300 I think they are talking about British politics. Here in America, Trumpsters tend to scream too loud about the march of progress for anyone to get any decent sleep.

[@TuhljinTampergauge]

@@iainballas "Progressivism" is a misnomer, unless maybe it's a reference to some sort of progressive cancer. You can't even keep basic biology straight, and to prove its cancerous nature, if I go into more detail (even if I use only polite, scientific, and objective truths) my comment gets automatically deleted by KZbin.

[@reunny]

"Glad to know you read the Sun". Sir Arnold is such a rascal :-D

[@newjerseyyouth4853]

@ZZKJ ZZKJ the sun is uk playboy

[@RJSRdg]

@@newjerseyyouth4853 Well, it was in those days - see Bernard's quip on the end of the "Who reads the papers?" scene. Of course a top-level Civil Servant may well be reading ALL the national papers.

[@PrashanthSadashivan]

Sir Arnold strides the show like a Colossus - supremely dignified, possessed of diabolical craft, and always utterly unruffled by the quotidian shenanigans of high politics! My favourite character.

[@superchargerone]

3:18 love the incredulous look on Humphrey's face and how his voice changed while saying "a big success, in the next day or two" they are all such wonderful actors.

[@shawnkristoferu8303]

My favorite character was Sir Arnold. I watch these two series every year during the New Year Holidays. Believe it or not, I keep laughing every year, over & over again.

[@zyc8198]

Same. Especially I like his "Difficult. Like asking which lunatic should run the asylum."

[@shawnkristoferu8303]

@@zyc8198 His most famous phrase for me is this, I do not remember a Minister with two ideas.” in response to Sir Humphrey saying the Minister now has another idea.

[@MurrayJoe]

John Nettleton aka Sir Arnold Robinson, is one of the cast that is till alive, he’s 92.

[@shawnkristoferu8303]

@@MurrayJoe Sir Arnold was the best. I still remember some of his great statements: 1. I don’t recall meeting a Minister with two ideas. 2. I can’t discuss it. National security. 3. Specially in Winter months. Going to Caribbean in Winter month for meeting on how to improve England’s Civil Service.

[@paulkerrigan9857]

That's not hard to believe at all!

[@johnking5174]

3:23 - Notice the slip from Sir Arnold here "That would give me" and he then quickly turned it to "Give the PM" - we all know who does the real cabinet reshuffles. We have always known.

[@ajkhan1115]

Oh hey! You're right.

[@freebornjohn2687]

I can't believe the Cabinet Office would have chosen the cabinet we have now. Patel, Raab and Gavin Williamson FGS truly awful people.

[@andyrob3259]

@@freebornjohn2687 I think things have changed since the 1980’s. It’s become far less independent and far more political on one side.

[@freebornjohn2687]

@@andyrob3259 What side?

[@andyrob3259]

@@freebornjohn2687 the Tories were far less likely to cut back before the 1980’s the civil service , specially the Whitehall ones. They seem far more readier to do that these days, particularly with the lower echelons and privatisation so I think as a whole the Tories have become to be seen as the enemy somewhat by the ‘general staff. ’ Labour being more likely to protect them as a rule. Don’t know about the senior civil service

[@johnking5174]

Sir Humphrey and Sir Arnold were always seen dining in fine establishments. They never went hungry working in the civil service. Even Bernard was well fed in the Civil Service Mess.

[@mutfol]

If you watch this clip carefully, you'll notice that Humphrey is "eating" from an empty spoon...

[@giovanniacuto2688]

In my 13 years in the Civil Service I preferred to bring sandwiches to work rather than eat in the staff canteen

[@johnking5174]

@@giovanniacuto2688 I prefer eating out too, as you escape the madness of your work for an hour. I usually eat lunch at the Marks and Spencer cafe near my office.

[@johnking5174]

@Ruth Collins That is life. It has always been that way and always will.

[@rubyshah5844]

“He keeps falling asleep. I thought they all did. Yes, but not while they’re talking”.

[@Miking008]

“Yes but not while they’re actually talking.” That one caught me by surprise.

[@florinivan6907]

The West Wing was a show written by folks who read some stuff about politics and injected about 1 ton of idealism into it. Yes Minister was a show written by folks who actually knew how politics works and injected about 5 pounds of british humor into it.

[@roadrunner3232]

Hear hear.

[@Blackcomanche]

Very well-put!

[@Diego-zz1df]

They injected about 1 ton of empty, shallow idealism into it.

[@johnhughes2124]

Same goes for Borgen

[@Fake_Dude]

Most of the time, you also get two intelligent people arguing with each other. Humphrey can argue convincingly for 500 employees in a hospital that doesn't take patients, and he makes a good case! Total bullshit, but you get the feeling that this person actually could exist in the real world and defend this policy instead of being a cruddy strawman. West Wing showed a 'fanatical Christian' that both didn't know the First Commandment, AND also gives his direct political opponent a chance to show off by asking him what the First Commandment is - all because that political opponent was a main character.

[@jeremy1860]

There have been many satirical shows about politics over the years, but this is the only one that's ever stayed with me 😉

[@HasturYellowSign]

I judge all others by this one. It’s the only one I rewatch or have made it all the way through.

[@CiceroLounge]

The writers had inside knowledge of Parliament in writing this including Baroness Faukender and Lord Donoughue.

[@LovingPrinceTamayuki]

Right, satire, that's what this is. 😉😉😉

[@tonyb9735]

Indeed. The wit and intelligence of this show has never, imo, been bettered.

[@ksec6631]

Well because this is not a satirical shows but a documentary.

[@davidavery2629]

I think John Nettleton plays the cool, matter of fact Svengali/Oracle Sir Arnold to absolute perfection.

[@LetsGetMikey982]

At 2:55 when Humphrey says “yes, I know ..i know..” gets me 😂

[@alanjenkins6768]

Arnold was the only person Sir Humphrey was scared of.

[@allenjenkins7947]

Who is this impostor?

[@allenjenkins7947]

Seriously, let's hope that neither of us ever has to post a disclaimer that we're not the other (or at least not too often).

[@SamvedIyer]

And even as Cabinet Secretary, Sir Humphrey had to solicit Sir Arnold's opinions on some occasions.

[@georgebuller1914]

LOL Possibly true. Though I think he wasn't actually 'scared' more wary...

[@llukas58]

There's Agnes too.

[@FrugalOverFifty]

“Yes but not while they’re actually talking.” 😂😂😂

[@aritragupta4182]

RIP, Sir Arnold. John Nettleton, 1929 - 2023.

[@sacradotjoannes]

Was John Nettleton related to the John Nettleton VC who led the Augsburg raid in 1942?

[@spetsnatzlegion3366]

‘There is such a thing as integrity’ *cut to sir Humphrey looking like he just saw someone drop their trousers and take a shit while yelling profanities in the middle of the aisle in Parliament*

[@florinivan6907]

That would actually be less offensive. If anything such an action would raise his curiosity as to why someone would do that.

[@davidlewis6464]

I notice that Sir Arnold is wearing a Royal Marines tie.

[@ahmedamine24]

Hardly implausible.

[@blackbird5634]

I've seen the show and each episode finds me more and more ready to throttle Sir Humphrey and his ilk. This is masterful writing and the actors are splendid.

[@Witnessmoo]

Sir Arnold was a towering colossus

[@SamvedIyer]

@@jmack8767 Indeed, and may he be blessed with great health. I find his dignified and elegant character quite underappreciated.

[@FGN123]

Lol always loved the episodes where Jim and Humphrey had mutually beneficial goals and teamed up.

[@tonyb9735]

"You know how it is with politicians; they get taken in with their own speeches" .... here we are in 2020 ...

[@bazza945]

Not forgetting 2024. A very 'interesting' year.

[@williamdrijver4141]

Sir Arnold's discrete laugh says it all 🙂

[@redwick00]

Imagine if this was pitched to the BBC today as a sitcom. It would never see the light of day. Come to think of it none of our favourites would have been made if the Current BBC management were in place then.

[@johnking5174]

The BBC changed when Alen Yentob became controller and John Birt became Director General. They laid the foundation of the rot which started to set back then in the late 80s.

[@jakedee4117]

Certainly no Monty Python.

[@ALEXANDER1318]

Aren't reruns of 'Allo 'Allo banned from BBC because of racist portrayals of Germans and Frenchmen?

[@johnking5174]

@@ALEXANDER1318 BBC commercial arm BBC Studios are perfectly happy to repeat Allo allo all the time on GOLD, Drama or Yesterday channels. Maybe there is a difference between BBC Studios (commercial arm) and BBC Television (licence fee arm)?

[@seanworkman431]

Imagine the Goodies going to air again, took me a long time to figure what my father was laughing about.

[@deesplaylists6941]

Oh god how I want this show back!!!

[@alanjenkins6768]

It never went away. If it was broadcast tomorrow on BBC1it would still be right up to date.

[@MrGranfield]

Alas the 3 protagonists are all deceased and are irreplaceable.

[@Megabishop65]

A remake was tried by Gold channel some years ago. It was badly written and the acting was dreadful.

[@hiratiomasterson4009]

The original series was created and written by Antony Jay (strong conservative views) & Jonathan Lynn (moderate Left to strong centrist views): these two worked together brilliantly and could easily find fault in both the other side and in their own. They both had extensive contacts in the British political, military and administrative establishment. And they were superb writers and highly educated, intelligent individuals. That mix is really, really hard to get again. And sadly, as mentioned, all of the three main actors have passed on. Yes, there are many great actors who with the right script we could all grow to love, but actually getting all the ingredients in place? It would prove exceptionally challenging.

[@Balt21Raven]

Arnold is an understated and yet utterly invaluable character.

[@danieldickson8591]

The truly powerful men never feel the need to raise their voices.

[@josemaria8177]

Jim Hacker is the only man who can sort out Brexit

[@mattevans4377]

I think you mean Humphrey. We wouldn't like the result, but I'd think we'd all except it, just so we could make him be quiet ;)

[@22espec]

@@mattevans4377 Humphrey would have been in favor of staying in the EU.

[@Account.for.Comment]

@@22espec that is a big part of the problems, the technocrats warned that it would be a mess, and when it passed, none of them want to be dealing with it. So you got the politicians to sort it out with the same comedic results as Hacker when Humphrey not around. Edit:autocorrect.

[@amoral_minority]

@@22espec Humphrey is "but a humble vessel" xD

[@muffinspuffinsEE]

@@amoral_minority hahah x)

[@Dwagginz]

This clip reminds me that one thing I love about Yes, (Prime) Minister is they leave the minor line flubs in, which just adds to how real this show feels.

[@DomWeasel]

That's also something I enjoy about That 70s Show, that and the characters actually laughing at the funny stuff they all say. Old British TV shows didn't have the money for reshoots, unlike today where they'll be up all night doing reshoots. Hugh Laurie described how while working on House, it was often busier at midnight than midday at Fox's studios.

[@justin.booth.]

And it also just highlights how fantastic all the actors were to deliver incredibly complex lines without mistake

[@CiceroLounge]

"Minister, I'm now convinced on your views!"

[@billkeaveney1526]

There will never be another Paul and Nigel 👏

[@jaypandya7441]

Sir Arnold: He keeps falling asleep in cabinet Sir Humphrey: I thought they all did Sir Arnold: yes but not while they are actually talking

[@robertmcqueen289]

Wonderful programme. Pity the BBC have never aired this programme, not even on other channels. So glad l have this series, as well as yes prime minister on Dvd. Brilliantly funny comedy.

[@MariusRiley]

: You mean re-air the programme? They have done, just not lately, though it did get a feature on the Beeb as one of British comedy's greats. I doubt the Tories want it shown, not this current lot anyway. Thatcher loved the show.

[@adamcarreras-neal4697]

got my Dad the complete set on DVD for Christmas, just might have to go and get a copy for me

[@robertmcqueen289]

@@adamcarreras-neal4697 . Both of them are well worth it. Enjoy

[@OverlandTT]

These were a weekly broadcast when I was a child, my late father loved it.

[@stuartrandall2584]

It's currently on BBC 4 on a Tuesday evenings

[@conservativemike3768]

Sir Arnold is my spiritual advisor.

[@henryhirschler6766]

Love this series

[@robinmyman]

RIP, Sir Arnold.

[@pauloconnor5850]

It's so brilliant it's true. How could it be anything else.

[@Sunil778-l4c]

*When the backbiting gets tough, the tough keep backbiting.* 🙏🙏🙏🙏

[@thegrumpyyorkshireman5277]

1 ov the few decent things they actually put on the bbc

[@K1W1fly]

Reality TV at its best...

[@blueponypics4112]

Pure Magic! 🐎🐎🐎🇭🇲🇺🇸

[@magnetospin]

The look of disgust on Humphrey's face at the word "integrity".

[@cryptan6756]

Always amazes me how thick Arnold’s glasses are.

[@rogermoore27]

1:42 - 😂

[@Rohwit]

Not while they are actually talking...lololol!!

[@TimStamper89]

Just perfect

[@wendywebster5351]

So much better than the unfunny drivel that is supposed to be comedy now. Brilliant scripts (often based on how ministers and the civil service work!) and great acting. The whole lot should be shown again.

[@fredo1070]

Sad, the best the BBC can do today is Mrs Brown's Boys

[@derekmulready1523]

And there IRISH. Funny isn't it. Irish and EU Citizen

[@fredo1070]

@@derekmulready1523 You'd have thought comedy would've moved on since Old Mother Riley.

[@johnking5174]

Mrs Brown's arseholes are aired time and time again, but gems like Yes Minister are either aired on GOLD, their subscription channel or hid behind a paywall on Britbox.

[@michaelprobert4014]

@@derekmulready1523 " they're "

[@derekmulready1523]

@@michaelprobert4014 Don't you just hate autocorrect

[@macbuff81]

Very prescient show writers given the on-going Brexit drama

[@StonyRC]

Those were the GREAT days of the BBC - before the standards plummeted and they started to commission nothing more than endless reality TV and grubby talent shows. Before woke trumped quality!

[@mosspally6995]

Yes Minister was itself a ‘woke’ show. It shows up the moneyed and established classes, frequently and pointedly showed up the fact that the establishment was dominated by white, rich men, and called out the prejudices of them. Plenty of problems with the bbc. Not sure if being ‘woke’ is among them.

[@johnking5174]

It is not just BBC - ITV, Channel 4 don't bother either. Remember the era of Saturday Live, Friday Night Live, The New Statesman, Spitting Image, Bremner, Bird and Fortune? Not made any more

[@Jack-fs2im]

brilliant brilliant

[@ciaheadoffice5506]

Laughs in British 2:50 almost as good as the one from Lt Gen in the Patriot

[@jamessmith9983]

It really is a shame they're all gone. Would have loved them to do a Brecit sketch

[@swarbhanumajumder5745]

Sir Humphrey reads the Sun😂

[@sporkfindus4777]

Nigel Hawthorn was a fantastic actor, but they could've given him real soup in this scene!

[@votemonty1815]

Basil Bloody Corbett!!

[@studiobencivengamarcusbenc5272]

The acting is too good - we need to fine them retroactively 🤠😂reshuffle... sort of 🥳🤪

[@stoyanfurdzhev]

The more I watch it, the more I like it, because of the insides of the working of politics. Don't you agree, current prime minister?

[@Sunil778-l4c]

*Who's watching it while sniffing thier gas?? 😂😂😂*

[@dso2805]

On the same (top) level as Monty Python! Brilliant British humor @ its best.

[@neilgerace355]

2:10 Humphrey doesn't care who's running the country, etc.

[@jude175]

Does anyone know why there aren't more of these clips than there are?

[@cradle652]

The only proven antidote to depression

[@jude175]

Not the only. Wodehouse even better, because he never raises tempers.

[@geeky_gunner]

Even back then everyone knew the EU was a massive gravy train.

[@iandhr1]

Given the recent reshuffle, this seems relevant.

[@dubey_ji]

Hacker made a wise choice He became the prime minister in the end

[@rogermoore27]

😂😂😂

[@TELEVISIBLE]

Integrity !? wow !

[@Peter-tg1kk]

Obviously fantasy fiction

[@tobydawes6007]

They should revive yes minister and prime minister as we need a means of being able to keep up to date with politics whilst mocking politics. It would help elevate covid and brexit blues.

[@johnking5174]

Yes Prime Minister was revived in 2013, with a new version made for the GOLD channel, which bombed in the ratings and was panned by critics and fans alike. I don't think it will ever return again.

[@tobydawes6007]

@@johnking5174 the fact i didn't know that says a lot about how bad it must of been

[@johnking5174]

@@tobydawes6007 Yes, it was a botched version of the successful stage play from around the same time, however the big problem was it was one continued story spread over six episodes, not self contained episodes like in the classic series. Each episode linked into the next one, as the story all was supposed to happen over the space of 24 hours. It went down the toilet very quickly in ratings. Also, they reused a lot of the old jokes and lines from the classic era, which just seemed lazy.

[@tobydawes6007]

@@johnking5174 could be rescued by a proper showrunner and producer?

[@jeffhubbard4688]

Wouldn't work for anyone familiar with the original. The original characters are so imprinted on the mind that anyone attempting to emulate them would fail at the first viewing. They made a Dad's Army movie a few years back which was filled with an amazing cast of great actors, and the whole thing was a total failure for precisely the reason I have given. Actually the original actor playing the Vicar was in it, but it wasn't enough to save the thing.

[@readsomebooks666]

Ok, this is bugging the hell out of me. What exactly is Arnold eating??

[@cargotv]

Melon?

[@johnking5174]

Sir Arnold was seen before eating melon as a starter. I think it was in the Christmas special - must have been his favourite or at least John Nettleton's favourite food from the BBC canteen.

[@vaughanellis7866]

Looks like a kipper but not 100%

[@allenjenkins7947]

Kedgeree? A fish curry dish popular as lunch among the upper middle class. It's exactly the sort of colonial hangover served by the "Gentlemen's" clubs.

[@postscript67]

@@allenjenkins7947 Isn't kedgeree a breakfast dish?

[@DeclanMBrennan]

The "Yes Commissioner" series was a road not taken that no doubt would have been hilarious, but might have triggered Brexit a decade or two earlier.

[@odysseusrex5908]

Not while they're actually talking.

[@noersang]

The way the line is delivered is amazing. It is as if it’s just a normal thing, that a minister falls asleep in Parliament.

[@odysseusrex5908]

@@noersang Not in Parliament, in cabinet but, yeah.

[@numbersix100]

We’ll never see stuff like this again

[@TruckTaxiMoveIt]

Must be proper to eat and talk at the same time in England

[@TheNefastor]

Depends on what you eat.

[@funquay2219]

It is considered "proper" to eat and talk at the same time in England, but I wish it wasn't. I prefer to shut up and concentrate on enjoying the food! But maybe I'm just an antisocial blighter!

[@robert3987]

It's not proper to talk with a mouthful.

[@bhawanikabra7364]

Where can I watch the entire series online?

[@Blackcomanche]

Britbox!

[@GILLY56ify]

I would suggest the best comedy show ever ... except watching the current Government in action makes me think twice ... The writing and the acting of Yes Minister has never been bettered before or since

[@grease_monkey6078]

I don't care what anyone says, Sir Arnold was the puppet master behind the primeminister

[@ethzero]

♥

[@stanalvares6888]

I'm a curious person😀

[@jonnnyren6245]

Bloody hell isn't this comedy series a documentary in predicting Britain's current predicament.

[@samdumaquis2033]

Hahaha

[@neroclaudius7284]

He kinda looks like Ian Smith

[@nni9310]

As if the EU would have a "word processing" conference.

[@nni9310]

@J M I think it was a joke on the part of the writers.

[@davidian7787]

Five star hotel, champagne, bring your wife or....the other woman. Maybe we could arrange it in Verbier and get some skiing in. You can't do any real political damage with word processing. Very safe topic. No. I think a Word Processing convention sounds like a splendid idea.

[@allenjenkins7947]

You have to remember that this was made in the 1980's when there were indeed intergovernmental conferences about which dedicated word processor to standardize on. Every one of the major typewriter manufacturers made a desktop word processor which used proprietary software and had limited or no compatibility with anyone else's.

[@christianfournier6862]

@nni9310= You are right : there never would have been a word processing conference at ministerial level, but there certainly has been (and will be) a number of conferences for specialized commissions in the EU on the matter of normalizing keyboards. This is serious stuff: I was once a consultant in a Paris outfit and a visiting American consultant had to quickly amend a report on our local keyboards; he stopped after two minutes… the AZERTY keyboard was too much for a man with a QWERTY muscle memory! I for one am a supporter of a universal (at least a European) keyboard for Roman languages, BUT with all the major accents in European languages AND with most of the characters used in international phonetic transcriptions. A daunting task indeed: specialized normalization conferences have been at it for more than fifty years. The use of international phonetic characters on keyboards would be handy for word-search purposes: many cities, rivers, and even countries, many names of persons and events are pronounced the same but not scripted the same way in various languages. Would be useful if phonetic spelling could be used [between brackets] to ensure a one-to-one correspondence between Wroclaw & Breslau, between Bratislava & Pressburg/Prešporok/Presbourg, and between Livorno & Leghorn… But this is an old pipe-dream of me… not to occur in my lifetime! __ .

[@nni9310]

@@christianfournier6862 Thank you for your interesting post. Do you think a competition to design the most nearly universal Roman alphabet keyboard would help?

[@jdawa6569]

Convid mentioned here.

[@arrows8367]

who is corbett btw?

[@RJSRdg]

Basil Corbett - one of the other Ministers, often spoken about but never seen.

[@rogermouton2273]

As everyone says, fine acting, except that Derek Fowlds was never very good at making his phone conversations seem at all realistic: 0:03

[@allthestroke88]

Brussels as a city is boring and dull. Perfect location for the EU.

[@christianfournier6862]

@Dany_Fraser= Boring and dull maybe, the poet Beaudelaire thought so too; but rich and powerful. Don’t be jealous! __ .

[@AxellTh]

Wonder if there Are Any soup in those deep plantes.

[@johnking5174]

Yes there would have been. I have been in the BBC canteens at Television Centre and I was told they had a lot of work supplying dramas and sitcoms with real food

[@achunaryan3418]

do you think i should take my life seriously to make you look like a joke right now?

[@scottmitchell8273]

🐒

The European ideal is no longer the done thing in Great Britain, potential national bankruptcy notwithstanding.

[@igimyoume1515]

Love this American tribute of the British paying homage to American sitcom. We inspired China also. USA taught EUROPE

[@hayreddinbarbarossa661]

Whatever you've been smoking it's some good stuff.

[@georgina3358]

Yes, whatever it is you've been smoking, i want some as well...

[@jonathanvesterlund9178]

Yes, I should like to have some of whatever you’re having aswell!

[@jdd109]

Bruh that's gotta be LSD

[@green0563]

What a brilliant man (or woman, or gender of their choice). Give him a cookie, guys.

[@peterkavanagh64]

Forget but it is not to find an answer,? !)(()

[@peterkavanagh64]

Corbett

[@richri1673]

Where can I watch the entire series online?

[@johnking5174]

Daily Motion

[@alyciagordanalyciagordan5497]

Where can I watch the entire series online?

[@johnking5174]

Daily Motion has them for free