"Well You Must Resign From The Government" | Yes, Minister | BBC Comedy Greats

[@damshek]

"A comedy for civil servants, a documentary for politicians, a tragedy for the public."

[@wunpawngmangshang1688]

I would agree with your summary of the comedy! It is unfortunate but it is true!

[@infidelhindu]

I would say 'A how-to' manual for civil servants

[@bobbrown5460]

👏👏👏

[@atikshagarwal5147]

No... A comedy for the public, a documentary for the politicians and a tragedy for the service.

[@puttingtechniques]

This is politician studies 101🤣✌️❤️🤘

[@TimTams_64]

its frightening how timeless Yes Minister is

[@xander1052]

yep, you could do reruns today and it'd still work...

[@steveross8364]

Depressing I would say. The more times change the more things stay the same.

[@simonsharp7802]

That’s because it’s a documentary

[@angeleyes2c]

As far as I can tell as a non-British, this is exactly how a tory government works.

[@bryn494]

If you think the past's an alien place wait until you see the future... :D

[@bodavidson2804]

Humphrey's utter sincerity is what makes this so funny. Of course the real enemy are the French. Why would it be otherwise?

[@jeromefitzroy]

Have Russia or Soviet Union ever invaded or attacked the U.K.? How many times have France did?

[@katyhibbert292]

Look at Macron. He hates us.

[@michaelbayer5094]

For most of those 900 yrs, Eng-Gr Brit.- UK fought France to prevent its continental domination or alliance with any or of all of the German states. In another episode Humphrey explains that the UK is in the EU to stymie France. Turns out the French and Germans got the best of UK, hence Brexit.

[@TestTestGo]

@@jeromefitzroy Neither France nor Russia directly attacked Britain very much, nobody did because it's very difficult to invade an island nation, especially when that nation maintains the world's most powerful navy. There were a number of wars over trade access, but the fighting was mostly done at sea or in mainland europe. Britain has a very long history of trying to maintain a divided Europe. France was historically the most powerful European nation a lot of the time, because it is quite big, has quite abundant natural resources and has existed for a long time. It's much older than Germany for example, and a much greater threat than a loose collection of independent germanic states. So Britain was often trying to stop France swallowing up her neighbours. Britain would fight Russia on occasion, particularly when Russia sided with the French but would also often ally with Russia against France or other powers. Most British expansionist wars in Europe were naturally against France, being the nearest target. Interestingly, Scotland would often ally with France against the English back before the unification, so the anti-French attitude expressed by sir Humphry here is a more stereotypically English view than a British one.

[@tolep]

@@TestTestGo Normans.

[@Saleh.T]

I love how Sir Humphrey gets so angry and shocked at Hacker’s attempts to improve government

[@danieldickson8591]

It would mean Change, Humphrey's greatest bogeyman.

[@jesseberg3271]

It's the thin edge of the wedge, you see. Once they start implementing such systems for local government, it's only a matter of time before they implement them for the national government, and that means for him.

[@glengraham7080]

When perfect casting meets perfect script.

[@minimumeffort4948]

Too right, I saw the remake in 2011/12, with David Haig as the Prime Minister, he was definitely wrong for the casting, too shouty. The original show was basically lightning in a bottle

[@bradameerbeg2154]

Indeed.

[@toolatehello3345]

Meet Jacob Rees Mogg . What's not to dislike? His Company Made £103 million but paid no Cooperation tax in the last 5 years His parent company is based on the Cayman Islands even though they operate in GB No contribution to the NHS, Police, Schools , Welfare, Defence. This is why he wanted out before the EU forced him to pay tax on new legislation they introduced. Did you really think he cares about the people of the UK? BTW he managed to scrounge £6.7Million in grants to refurbish their 300 bed ancestral home The ultra catholic Somerset MP is against abortion even in rape cases (but that didn’t stop him profiting from investments in a company that makes abortion pills )

[@SpailpinMhaighEo]

Well said Glen. I've never seen Yes, Minister's genius described so well.

[@kenmarriott6816]

You are correct

[@sohrabnizoumi-berizi328]

Lol ''Half of them are self centered busybodies on an ego trip and the other half are in it to see what they can get out of it''...''Perhaps they should be in the house of commons'' . In reality many of them do end up in the commons.

[@mattevans4377]

And those that don't, like my former local MP (now Liverpool Metro Mayor), are the actually competent ones, who realize Westminster is a complete joke, and avoid it at all costs....

[@Cryptonymicus]

It's a pretty accurate description of the entire human race.

[@sohrabnizoumi-berizi328]

@@Cryptonymicus Probably true, but here he refers to certain group who are there to represent the ordinary people.

[@Kevin-mx1vi]

"and the other half are in it to see what they can get out of it''. Indeed. I'm reminded of my former (Labour) MP who decided it was time to retire from Parliament after she got her husband a job with a 6-figure salary on the European Commission. Coincidence ?

[@jameswatsonatheistgamer]

@@mattevans4377 Joe Anderson is a criminal.

[@alexisjordan3303]

As a Frenchman, I love this. Vive l'humour anglais !

[@grease_monkey6078]

Merci

[@UmarWazir]

You think he was joking?

[@FatGouf]

@@UmarWazir i mean the Russians had never directly attacked the British Islands, the French on the other hand. 🤣

[@Delightfully_Witchy]

I am like 90% sure the French also have this mentality and the only other reason why they wouldn't is because they're too focused on their other nominal ally, the United States/Americans.

[@scottcarson3004]

Humour?? Where?

[@fransbuijs808]

Reminds me of that joke from Blackadder where general Melchett asks Baldrick if he is ready to against those Frenchies and captain Darling says: It's the Germans we're fighting, sir. The French are on our side.

[@weckar]

You mean the line about giving the Frenchies a good licking? (There mere idea of licking a German is too revolting for Melchett to even contemplate)

[@stuartm2106]

This is an allusion to the British commander in the Crimea Lord Raglan, a veteran of the Napoleonic Wars, who was in the habit of referring to the enemy as"the French" when in fact the French were his allies and the enemy were Russian!

[@fransbuijs808]

@@stuartm2106 I know, I just didn't feel like writing a long post.

[@herseem]

@@stuartm2106 Thanks, didn't know that

[@odysseusrex5908]

@@stuartm2106 During the Spanish-American War, a former Confederate general was appointed to high command in the force invading Cuba. he had a tendency to refer to the Spanish as damn Yankees.

[@jonvaden1208]

One of my absolute favorite comedies in any country. Simply Brilliant!

[@normangoldstuck8107]

Nigel Hawthorne was born in the UK but grew up in Cape Town where I am now. I sat next to him on Qantas going to Australia. He was in obvious discomfort. He died a few months later. Great actor.

[@jacksawildjackschan9469]

you killed humpy?

[@annatamparow4917]

He was a great actor and a perfect gentleman in the mould of Sir Alec Guinness, NOT Sir Ian McCellen and Sir Derek Jacobi!

[@Banana_Split_Cream_Buns]

One wonders why he would be going to Australia when he's old and in pain. Even Clive James, who said he'd dearly have loved to be able to die in Australia, decided to stay in England so as not to aggravate his pain. Some people just need to remain busy, I suppose. At least he didn't die in the seat next to you.

[@ΤάσοςΚαυσοκαλυβίτης]

Given this is a Yes Minister clip, one can excuse the pedantry and point out that the way you wrote the sentence it implies that Hawthorne was in obvious discomfort due to sitting next to you :P

[@beckyenglish4783]

Best comedy ever made. EVER. And (with obvious 80s exceptions) hasn’t dated.

[@sophisticat7673]

exceptions? Surely not...

[@dejonger1963]

It never bores, always a delight to watch. And it hasn’t aged a lot

[@danieldickson8591]

The issues it satirizes haven't aged. And great writing and acting are timeless.

[@pjabrony8280]

I begin to question the minister's patriotism...I've never met an Englishman who trusted the French so much.

[@toker6664]

We hate each other civility

[@toker6664]

Brexit has proven the French hate us and how much they love our fish, we've never asked for a share of the French grape share

[@mikaruyami]

English : The English and French hate each other equally. French : Yes, but we hate you more.

[@rca168]

Actually, most French don't care or they mostly like the British today.

[@dwindebabk]

@@rca168 that's not disproven the point at all

[@harishnunkoo509]

Love it when Bernard corrects Sir Humphrey

[@SlideRulePirate]

The only thing more dangerous than a powerful enemy : A powerful ally.

[@jameswatsonatheistgamer]

The French aren't powerful.

[@daviniarobbins9298]

We are only allied with the French because they are an enemy. Wiseman once said keep your enemies close and your friends even closer(or was it the other way round?). Humprey is right though. The French are not a friend of Britain. I think that one point in time the Brits, French and Germans virtually owned most of the world together. The only bits none of them ever controlled was Russia.

[@shelleyphilcox4743]

@@jameswatsonatheistgamer Dont underestimate a vain man with a very big army. We should know that ourselves from Mr Blairs actions

[@jacobf5699]

@@daviniarobbins9298 there’s all of the America’s except Canada and the British and French Guiana’s and Belize was also not owned if we don’t count Liberia, Siam, Ethiopia and China and obviously not most of Europe

[@Croz89]

@@jameswatsonatheistgamer Militarily they are not to be sniffed at. WW2 made them determined to have a world class armed force.

[@michaeljames4904]

2:27 That _volte-face_ by Paul was MASTERFUL and *literal!*

[@cycleSCUBA]

Classic comedy. Paul, Nigel and Derek were brilliant.

[@culshie]

It is depressing that all the issues that this Comedy so brilliantly defined a generation ago are still with us and they seem to have got worse...

[@rangelo7281]

Especially the French.... :-)

[@DaSkonk]

Two generations ago - and counting!

[@brett22bt]

Much worse (I'm an Aussie, if you know what I mean). How do you say AUKUS in french?

[@MrBandholm]

The writers got the idea for the show, by going through newspapers from their day, and looking at the newspapers form the 1950s, and saw that the stories were all essentially the same.

[@DanBeech-ht7sw]

​@@brett22bt"Les Anglo-Saxones"

[@emthatyourefuse2494]

"Excuse me, Sir Humphrey, but you can't have a graveyard in a minefield... because all the corpses would 💥." Sometimes I'm pretty certain Bernard Woolley is the most relatable character in the history of television. This probably says nothing good about me as a person.

[@stephenphillip5656]

Derek Fowlds aka Bernard had the most difficult part in YM/YPM as he usually had to sit quietly listening to Sir Humphrey's and Jim Hacker's verbal jousting, then come in with the punchline. Sublime, sadly this type of erudite comedy will not be made anymore. We can still enjoy the high point of British comedy in reshowings and clips such as this though.

[@fishyc150]

A corpse wouldnt set off the mines. Mines by definition are victim operated. A corpse by definition doesnt move. Non moving corpses couldnt set them off.

[@johnyrevenge6356]

@@fishyc150 They would if they were zombies.

[@rin_etoware_2989]

Bernard is an easy self-insert for us, the audience. we both are the third party observing this madness in our front-row seats, and knowing our sheer powerlessness at the moment, all we can do is to crack a few jokes

[@fishyc150]

@@johnyrevenge6356 good point!!! 🤣

[@toveychurchill6468]

Bernard couldn't be more lovable in this scene

[@fyngolnoldor4891]

I again call upon the BBC to release this series on BluRay. Why are you not working on this? Doesn't such a good show deserve to be remastered, cleaned and preserved for the HD era?

[@fyngolnoldor4891]

@@soulsphere9242 You could clean it a bit and upscale it professionally at the very least. Heck I've seen results rendered by people using normal graphic cards to do AI upscaling stuff that looked decent (there's a notable Star Trek DS9 project going out there), surely professional film editors and graphic artists can do better...

[@orubenlopes]

Indeed.

[@zakofrx]

@@soulsphere9242 you want it on Bluray becsue it stops them changing it as the mob or their workers demand.. So many streaming shows and movies get regular cuts or changes now whenever some SJW complains.. Sombody in the BBC will watch this and find some line they says negative things about comunism and then they line will be cut... Try and watch the movie Van Wilder streamed on KZbin.., it's like a 3rd of the movie is missing.. So the people watching only get the SJW approved version compared to the real one... Look at Little Britain, they banned all sales and streaming of it forever after the BUM mob complained and called it racist.. So now the only people who can see it are those with the BlurRays etc..

[@tolep]

You can have the past in HD only if it was recorded on film, not on magnetic tape. Check "Film: the reason some of the past was in HD" by Technology Connections

[@fyngolnoldor4891]

@@tolep Again, they could take the original tape, professionally clean it and upscale it to HD. There is AI upscaling right now that looks REALLY good being made by people at home, never mind what a professional studio can do.

[@ThePamastymui]

-Who cares about the Russians? Think about the French! -The French?

[@SidneyBroadshead]

At the time France was a nuclear power that was not fully part of NATO (since DeGaulle pulled out in 1966). It had observer status on major committees and boards, but was not part of the integrated command structure. Foreign NATO troops garrisoned in France (including the US Air Force) were removed by 1967. France participated in the Gulf War (1990-1991) and was involved in NATO peacekeeping operations in the 1990s, but only under their own command. This changed gradually from 2004, when France started attaching staff officers to NATO permanent staffs and headquarters. In 2009 France began returning to full integration.

[@danieldickson8591]

@@SidneyBroadshead All of which is true, but none of it guarantees the French wouldn't backstab the English today. At least not to the satisfaction of an Englishman.

[@Banana_Split_Cream_Buns]

@@SidneyBroadshead true, but it was a joke that was not reliant on that fact. But the reason France is back in is probably so it can exercise veto over any new potential members: that's why they had to admit both Greece and Turkey at the exact same time.

[@favesongslist]

@@danieldickson8591Macron is quickly moving towards that direction over Russia in the Crimea. History repeating itself.

[@scottlang7271]

0:53 - Sir Humphrey (with astonishment) says "You have a plan!"

[@favesongslist]

"You never done anything before"

[@sajjadhossain3947]

Now, I can relate the recent submarine deal of Australia with the UK and the US, with this. So, relatable..haha

[@nigewood4945]

As great as it was at the time, ironically only now can you see it's class when compared to the current dross. The writing and performances are outstanding.

[@Delightfully_Witchy]

Nothing can live up to Yes Minister.... Not even Yes Minister.

[@aliwakanda7327]

Jim and Humphrey: *Speaks* Bernard: *Well actually...*

[@ivanitczykok6157]

You can see why Thatcher postponed cabinet meetings so she could watch this!!!!

[@ArtyEffem]

Presumably you mean she didn't know how to operate the VCR.

[@RoninofRamen]

Had you seen the price of a Betamax in 1982? It was more prudent to postpone the meetings.

[@peterallen4331]

@@RoninofRamen The French would use Betamax and the English VHS because it is superior.

[@williamkidd3220]

How I loved this show. Superb writing and performance. With the passing years, I'm not sure if this was a comedy show or a documentary.

[@deesplaylists6941]

Ha, this show was way ahead of it's time in more ways than one.

[@Tjalve70]

This show has never been ahead of it's time. It has always been ON time. And will always be on time. As long as we have politicians.

[@pocketdynamo5787]

Na, it wasn't ahead of time. It's just that some things never change.

[@TheHansoost]

This was such a brilliant program: writing, acting and substance. Too true.

[@green0563]

This show is amazing, I need to find full episodes somewhere.

[@SurreyMan0409]

They’re all available on DVD and well worth watching over and over again.

[@fredsmith-kingofthelunatic7810]

You could try DailyMotion. They have an app. I know they have at least some full episodes.

[@jono3929]

And they're all on BritBox as well.

[@nickcastings1568]

@@SurreyMan0409 totally agree!

[@dogwalker666]

They were also released as audio plays on radio 4.

[@awinis]

This show is excellent to watch for someone learning the English language.

[@dwindebabk]

You'll find no better place to be honest :)

[@noneimportant5951]

Watched 9 episodes 3 days before my gcse English safe to say paper went astoundingly well

[@afinecity1830]

@@anonymousaardvarkinnigeria8721 'Appointment to view TV' is a thing though... so not always.

[@tolep]

Also, I think it can't be translated. Making Polish subtitles to House MD was easy, even with all that medical jargon. For Yes (Prime) Minister - it can't be done, full stop.

[@danieldickson8591]

@@tolep When Humphrey launches into one of his eruditely obfuscating monologues, you can see his joy at displaying the full glory of the English language.

[@abhijitoka]

You can see how Humphrey and Minister are "Gray" in terms of JRR Tolkien's terminology. Only Bernard is the pure soul representing the common man caught between the tussle of two.

[@numbersix100]

“Protect us from the French”😂 very apt at the moment

[@TheKievKen]

“To see how a proper legislative assembly behaves” 😂

[@PatHand-og9yd]

Failure standards for government projects is an EXCELLENT idea!!!

[@phbrinsden]

Best tv ever made and never ages.

[@coilledragon279]

That might be the best segment I've seen from this show. Brilliant!

[@lisaburnett3368]

How actually accurate this truly is. Wonderful.

[@danieldickson8591]

As someone born and raised in North America, I'm struck by how much more Europeans maintain cognizance of their history, and how far back that cognizance goes. And modern conflicts in Europe demonstrate that it still influences emotions and actions there today.

[@trooperdgb9722]

If you think history affects matters in Europe...try the Middle East!

[@mojeprice9654]

its normal. you are where you are because of what happened yesterday and also, you have experience how and why the other party will behave, also from the past. History is the teacher of life.

[@isidroramos1073]

I'm a bit late, I know, but as the saying goes, the main difference amongst our two continents is, in Europe 100 kilometers is a long distance; in America 100 years is a long time...

[@michaelbayer5094]

@@isidroramos1073 I'm an American. While many Americans study our history, few make the connection to British history. Americans may know that 13 English colonies became the US, but very few understand that in, say, 1770, every person in those 13 colonies (Washington, Jefferson, Franklin) knew they were British subjects and considered themselves loyal to the Mother Country. Americans believe the US came into existence on July 4, 1776 but cannot connect American independence to prior events in English history. For example, Americans could not explain how the English Civil War and Glorious Revolution influenced the "Founding Fathers" of our Revolution. It's not taught as part of any standard high school curriculum. It might be found in an upper-level Colonial America university course depending on the professor.

[@Dags470]

When Humphrey starts talking PM Jim just glazes over. Lol. This show was so bloody funny if you were a decent listener.

[@Alg007]

The last statement is so true.

[@mrkeefor]

One of the all time great comedies on the BBC. 30 odd years later we have Mrs Brown's boys.

[@steveoc1857]

Many topics covered are still relevant today. Holds up so well over time.

[@dcarbs2979]

Remarkable considering the scope and scale of political change in the near 40 years since.

[@martinphillpot2010]

@@dcarbs2979 Same tunes, different singers and words.

[@richardlloyd2589]

@@dcarbs2979 Or lack thereof. Or then again, “...ministers come and go, but your career depends on those in charge of appointments.....”.

[@Chris1553]

What great programmes from great TV days, they wouldn’t know where to start now to make a programme like this !

[@Paul-A01]

"You have a plan?" I love how patronizing this is, but it flew under the audience's notice

[@x--.]

Interesting, some chuckled but you're right it didn't land with many. Speculation time! (comedy is hard) but I'm going to suggest they cut from Humphrey too quickly, they needed a beat longer on his face. If you pause on his face right at the end of it, you get a bit of the effect. Letting the moment breathe before taking the audience attention. Also, I'm not an editor. So, whatevs but I think the acting was spot on.

[@3506Dodge]

Jim's so right about local government, then and now.

[@sandranaylor2348]

Great scripts and great actors

[@alastairhopkins245]

0:50 - Jim didn't have a cunning plan!!!

[@maverick9409]

Man Humphrey is spitting straight facts

[@2011dyrose]

Still relevant, still funny. Satire at it's best.

[@dogwalker666]

When the BBC actually produced comedy shows!

[@criticsatlarge0073]

You mean reality shows? 😂

[@dogwalker666]

@@criticsatlarge0073 well you could be right.

[@deesplaylists6941]

Yeah but u have to go back to how many decades to find one now? Sad, just sad. All gone.

[@dogwalker666]

@@deesplaylists6941 exactly my point.

[@Alex-cw3rz]

If you want them to make better comedies send in some scripts, comedy doesn't just grow on trees.

[@bonidle726]

“....they’ve been our enemy for most of the last 900 years...” ain’t that the truth?!

[@perperson199]

Still are

[@troymadison7082]

I remember watching this when I was stationed in the UK in the early 80s

[@nigelrg1]

One of the funniest scenes from one of the funniest series! "The French!"

[@HarshRaj-ec1dz]

It's fairly logical argument from Humphrey. French are allies at the present but given the history, there has to be strategic thinking involving timescales of centuries, present in planning policies.

[@theinternetshavecome1640]

The acting subtleties when he realises '...Votewinner?'. This show is incredible.

[@antonyedwardson9900]

‘Half of them are self-centred busybodies on an ego trip’, You have no authority here Jim Hacker!!

[@anthonycunningham8116]

Read the standing orders, READ THEM!

[@degrelleholt6314]

Humphrey's tie is fantastic! You know he's posh.

[@alanmackinnon3516]

Fantastic Documentary.

[@thiagodeandrade7081]

"I have a plan". More terrifying words were never uttered.

[@paulnewman2000]

I disagree. "I have a cunning plan" should strike terremoto level terror.

[@thiagodeandrade7081]

Yes, that is even worse.

[@QuinctiliusVarus]

So brilliant. The writers and actors are Gods striding the earth.

[@joedoe27]

i bought the entire series to wach them...timeless series.

[@Vikotnick]

Best show ever.. so interesting and fun.

[@jm15xy]

"I didn't expect you to DO anything!"

[@paddy654]

Timeless comedy and reality show😂❤

[@nassimriah9506]

All right!!! The creator of this show is a pure genius, with Brexit happening we might see French and Brits becoming ennemies again, sir Humphrey was actually right !!!!

[@GeorgeSmith1066]

Sad to note that all three are no longer with us - life indeed is fleeting so try and enjoy it if you can! :)

[@davidkeogh1570]

The best written comedy of all time,very revelent today.

[@michamazur8705]

20.09.2021 AUKUS :) French remarks aged well.

[@sparklejuice]

I came to the comments looking for AUKUS. I was not disappointed! :)

[@mattycotgrave1945]

Excellent upload timing given the current political situation regarding Brexit

[@jameswatsonatheistgamer]

Brexit will turn out fine.

[@barriereid9244]

Its like has never been seen since. It was one of the few programmes I watched on TV. Genius. There are radio plays also, written in their own right.

[@Blackwater_House]

It wasn’t the Russians who were the Threat, but the French. Such Astute thought.

[@vzxvzvcxasd7109]

no wonder brexit

[@roxannac8059]

Nothings changed!

[@mikdavies5027]

@@roxannac8059 My thoughts exactly, even more so today!!!!

[@jameswatsonatheistgamer]

@@vzxvzvcxasd7109 Nothing wrong with Brexit. The EU on the other hand. It will burn.

[@SidneyBroadshead]

Sir Humphrey was right. The Russians were only a British enemy since 1918 (and would soon stop being such in 1991). The Germans weren't an enemy until the Prussian saber-rattling of the 1870s led up to World War One. (Leading Britain into alliance with the French and Russians against the Italians, Germans, and Austro-Hungarians). France has been a British enemy since 1066. Sir Humphrey would point out today that the Chunnel isn't a tunnel from Britain leading into France, but a tunnel from France leading into Britain.

[@pengejarbintang]

Bernard is legend!

[@petesmith9472]

Their timing is superb

[@seanmoran6510]

The Nature of Power Never Changes

[@jacobtebbe4435]

A brilliant idea, instead of a few major projects with large expenditures, we’d have a few major projects broken down into a lot of small pieces with individual expenditures under 10,000

[@SuperAna1954]

Brilhante, hilariante 😂 😂 😂

[@antonysmith9173]

'The highest priority of the government is to protect its citizens' if only todays government thought the same.😢

[@cycleSCUBA]

And Police!

[@philliprobinson7724]

Hi. Many of the situations in "Yes Minister" and "Yes Prime Minister" series have a historical precedent. Medieval Italian diplomat Niccolo Machiavelli who worked for the Medici family, wrote his classic work on amoral politics called "The Prince". It became required reading for all dictators, "Yes Minister", but more sinister. Although it's satirical, "Yes Minister" is more comprehensive in my opinion, because Machiavelli didn't have the fourth estate to factor into his treatise, or a free and educated population. If N.M. were to see the Y.M. series, he'd complain that we'd trivialized his brilliant self-help book for kings, into a silly black comedy for commoners. Niccolo Machiavelli's character is portrayed in the "Yes Minister" series by sir Humphrey Appleby. In him we see the iron fist in the velvet glove, the one that delivers the unkindest cuts of all. Cheers, and expect the Spanish Inquisition. P.R.

[@Ruhrpottpatriot]

"It is my intention to write a book that will be useful, at least to those who read it intelligently" - The Prince Ch.15 You failed at that task and that's why you didn't get what Il Principe was all about. Humphrey Appleby would never make that mistake.

[@pereriksson2211]

"The French" how funny and how historically correct.....but yes, I understand the drift!

[@professornuke7562]

Hacker: Do we NEVER win against the French? Appleby: Yes, of course we do Minister. Hacker: Oh? When? Appleby: Agincourt, 1415.

[@eamonnsiocain6454]

Graveyard in a mine field, ha ha!

[@davidm382]

Fun Fact: The British actually developed "The Bomb" before France did

[@mankyscotchgit4986]

Humphrey was winding him up.

[@armstronggermany2995]

Yes well known. In fact we developed an enormous amount of things before the French.

[@ragzaugustus]

Nah, the British got most of the tech from the yanks (by asking nicely), the Soviets stole most of the tech from the yanks, the French actually figured it out more or less on their own (At massive expense).

[@PsilocybinCocktail]

@@ragzaugustus The British were working on 'Tube Alloys' *with* the Yanks to develop fission weapons. When we started on our own program to develop fusion weapons, they and we came to an ergonomic agreement. I believe the French analytical tools as applied to thermonuclear detonations are less adept than British and American applications, so they are a little behind.

[@adamcarreras-neal4697]

@@ragzaugustus hmm ignorance is bliss, bless. Shut up, you're proving an embarrassment. You're aware that British scientistic brought the Americans up to speed and worked with them to develop the bombs used in ww2?

[@acqua61]

Beautiful and auguri! 🎄☃️🎄☃️Grazie

[@-amosc.presley-7192]

*Happy Holiday wishes & many more my Beloved @BBC Comedy Greats*

[@vedraniskra9076]

Where did you get the idea of this dangerous nonsense. .. Minister, I have warned you before about the danger of speaking to people in the department. Sir Humphrey got really scared when realised that the Minister might come to an idea of expanding "his" plans to the central government as well. Actors at their best, all three of them say so much more with their mimics and posture. Masterpiece. Jokes about the Russians and the EU friends are timeless, like written today. Comparing these with the complete and utter lack of any intelligence and decency at, for example, Oscar awards ceremony or in the so called reality shows, really makes you wonder whether our society is heading to idiocrasy.

[@basilforth]

I sincerely mean no disrespect. At all. But, so help me.... the Minister does look like Senator Palpatine at 0:56

[@votemonty1815]

An American president need only side with the French to put the British Isles in a right tizzy. 🤣

[@vim1000]

What a fabulous script

[@vim1000]

@Ed by everyone including the day players and main actors. The mood was set to perform well

[@GurjantSingh-lv5bd]

" no no no no no I am not that unilateralist "

[@DeltaAssaultGaming]

Wait… that’s that Cocktoe from Demolition Man!

[@taxidude]

So well written, I even get angry at some of the scripts like the PMs salary being graded the same as the Cabinet Secretarys!

[@SubNL96]

There's a reason Tom Lehrer sang "the French got the Bomb, but don't you grieve, because they're on our side...I believe" 😂

[@CarAudioXpert]

As i remember RAF bombed in 1941 french warships in north Africa, just to make shure the won't ever use them against UK and... why not?

[@artur297]

in 1941, france was a member of the axis as a german puppet state.

[@florinivan6907]

@@artur297 Technically no. It was in a state of armed neutrality Vichy France that is. But in practice it found itself at war with the UK and a de facto civil war with Free France.

[@saltspringrailway3683]

An excellent documentary series to learn how we're governed.....badly!

[@neilgriffiths6427]

Well, actually....

[@wolemai]

I once had a conversation with a person who lived in Canberra - the seat of our Federal Government here in Australia. The citizens of Canberra are about 85% Public Servants who work for the Government. Their jobs are guaranteed, it is virtually impossible for them to lose their jobs no matter how incompetant they are. Canberrans vote Labor and are very Left Wing. This man, whose family worked for the government, and I were talking about the series, Yes Minister and its sequel, Yes Prime Minister. He thought, as I do, that it was very funny. However, as we talked it became apparrent that he saw Sir Humphrey as the hero of the series. He honestly agreed with all of Humphrey's ideals and aims to make sure that everything was contolled by the Public Service and that there should be no changes to government, education, the military, the Health system etc. He could not see at all that the series portrayed the dangerous power of the Left wing Public Service to prevent any reforms to a semi socilaist state. Nor could he see how politicians' self serving interest was also crippling any genuine progress. Sadly, the whole message of Yes Minister went over his head - and his was the typical view of the citizens of Canberra.

[@isaiahwelch8066]

Just saying...I love me some good British comedy. 😂😂😂

[@Kyleinasailing]

Quite brilliant.

[@LittleRedCapBWR]

0:14 So true!