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NEWS AND VIEWS THAT IMPACT LIMITED CONSTITUTIONAL GOVERNMENT

"There is danger from all men. The only maxim of a free government ought to be to trust no man living with
power to endanger the public liberty." - - - - John Adams

Saturday, April 28, 2012

The Return of "Yes, Prime Minister"


Yes, Prime Minister.
The late, great Sir Nigel Hawthorne, the late Paul Eddington and Derek Fowlds


Yes, Prime Minister is back . . . . but do fans want it?

  • The series is the Crown Jewel of British comedy.



The Minister is coming back.  As the owner of the complete DVD set I cannot wait, but I do fully expect to boooo at the screen.

Sometimes re-makes work.  But overall it is not wise to try and re-make a Casablanca, a I Love Lucy or a Twilight Zone.  Those shows are all snapshots in a certain time and place.  Trying to make them "modern" mostly does not work.
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In any case, nearly a quarter of a century on, the much-lauded satirical sitcom Yes, Prime Minister is set to return to our screens for a new series seemingly based on the current Coalition government reports the UK Telegraph.
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This time around the Rt. Hon Jim Hacker, previously played by the late Paul Eddington, will be confronting “the greatest economic crisis in a generation”.  To give the new series a further contemporary twist, Number 10 will also face issues over a Scottish referendum on independence and the possible collapse of the European Union.

Video  -  A clear conscience.  From "Yes, Prime Minister"




Filming is expected to start over the summer but executives have yet to finalize details of who will be cast in the roles of Hacker, his permanent secretary Sir Humphrey Appleby and Bernard Wooley, his famously obtuse principal private secretary.
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Jane Rogerson, Director of Commissioning at UKTV, said: “The political landscape in Britain today is the perfect setting for Yes, Prime Minister to return.

Video  -  The Nuclear Button 


Yes, Minister, set principally in Jim Hacker’s private office within the fictional Department for Administrative Affairs, was first broadcast in 1980 and ran for four years.
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Its sequel, Yes, Prime Minister began in 1986 and followed the beleaguered Hacker as he continued to clash with his civil servants on becoming Prime Minister.

Video  -  Government Policy Policy
If you have ever wondered what the Hell civil service hacks are talking about, then watch this video.


Sir Humphrey Appleby was played by the late Nigel Hawthorne, who died in 2001, and Derek Fowlds starred as Bernard. The series received huge critical acclaim and was even enjoyed by the then incumbent Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher.
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Writers Jonathan Lynn and Antony Jay, who co-wrote the original series and were involved in its later stage production, were confirmed as being the authors of the new programs.  The six-part series is expected to be screened either at the end of this year or at the beginning of next, and will be filmed in front of a live audience in London.    (UK Telegraph)


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