Best Yes Prime Minister Episodes
Yes, Prime Minister is the sequel to the award winning British political satire sitcom Yes, Minister. The series was written by Antony Jay and Jonathan Lynn and ran from 1986 to 1988. Yes, Prime Minister continues essentially with the same cast as Yes, Minister and follows the events of the premiership of Jim Hacker, played by Paul Eddington, after his unexpected elevation to Number 10 upon the resignation of the previous Prime Minister. As in Yes, Minister, the series portrays the struggles of Jim Hacker in formulating and enacting legislation or effecting policy changes while facing opposition by the British Civil Service, in particular his Cabinet Secretary, Sir Humphrey Appleby, played by Sir Nigel Hawthorne. His Principal Private Secretary Bernard Woolley, played by Derek Fowlds, is as usual caught between the two. Yes, Prime Minister and its prequel Yes, Minister are regarded as two of the best British sitcoms ever produced. Here, I have compiled a list of all the episodes from the sequel. Please rank these episodes from best to very good (because, of course, there are no bad episodes in this fantastic series)! Source(s): IMDB
The Tangled Web (S2E8)
The Tangled Web (S2E8)
The Prime Minister finds himself in a bit of a pickle when he flatly denies in the House that the government has bugged MP's telephones. It turns out the government was and Sir Humphrey was aware of it. The PM wants Sir Humphrey to back him, but he refuses to participate in a cover-up. The shoe is on the other foot however when Sir Humphrey makes unwise comments to a radio interviewer thinking that the tape recorder has been turned off. The PM agrees to help him, for a price.
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The Key (S1E4)
#11.0Sir Humphrey has to scramble when the Prime Minister's Political Advisor, Mrs. Wainwright, convinces the PM that she should get her old office back. Sir Humphrey and his predecessors have been trying to get her moved for years but he may have met his match when she also suggests to the PM that he re-assign Sir Humphrey's responsibilities for promotions and appointments. When the PM orders Bernard to take away Sir Humphrey's key to the door connecting the Cabinet Office to 10 Downing Street, the Cabinet Secretary sees the light.
One of Us (S1E8)
#22.0When the Director General of MI5 informs the Prime Minister that his predecessor was a Soviet agent, Jim Hacker learns that he had been thoroughly investigated some years previously by none other than Sir Humphrey and given a clean bill. Needing to regain the upper hand over Hacker, Sir Humphrey suggests that he order the rescue of a dog that has wandered onto an artillery range. While the ploy to get positive publicity works, it also provides Sir Humphrey with valuable leverage.
The Tangled Web (S2E8)
#33.0The Prime Minister finds himself in a bit of a pickle when he flatly denies in the House that the government has bugged MP's telephones. It turns out the government was and Sir Humphrey was aware of it. The PM wants Sir Humphrey to back him, but he refuses to participate in a cover-up. The shoe is on the other foot however when Sir Humphrey makes unwise comments to a radio interviewer thinking that the tape recorder has been turned off. The PM agrees to help him, for a price.
A Diplomatic Incident (S2E3)
#44.0When the French hold out for primacy over a sub-Channel tunnel, P.M. Hacker uses the info that they planted a bomb in their own embassy to obtain more favorable terms.
The Bishops Gambit (S1E7)
#55.0P.M. Hacker is to appoint a new bishop, and Sir Humphrey may secure a cushy appointment on retirement if he can convince Hacker to appoint the current Dean to the bishopric.
A Real Partnership (S1E5)
#66.0The Prime Minister must deal with a worsening financial crisis that requires all government Departments to cut their budgets. The belt-tightening coincides with a hoped-for civil service pay increase and Sir Humphrey and Sir Frank Gordon, the Treasury Secretary, decide they need to ensure the pay rise is announced as soon as possible. The PM thinks he has Sir Humphrey this time when his political adviser provides challenging questions about the pay rise. Sir Humphrey seeks advice from his predecessor, Sir Arnold Robinson, and develops a plan to win over the PM.
The Smoke Screen (S1E3)
#77.0Sir Humphrey opposes P.M. Hacker's plan to cut taxes, so Hacker steers the Minister for Health into campaigning against smoking as a diversion.
A Victory for Democracy (S1E6)
#88.0The Foreign Office is having problems with the PM who is starting to question their advice in favour of a more pro-US line. In question is the political situation in St. Georges' island where Marxist guerrillas are posing a threat and am impending vote at the UN to condemn Israel. Sir Humphrey and his Foreign Office counterpart connive, of course, to ensure that the PM sees things their way. The PM, however, sets about to outwit them.
The Grand Design (S1E1)
#99.0The new Prime Minister is preoccupied with defense issues as he begins to learn some of the details, such as the Russians having six times as many nuclear weapons as the UK or that the armed forces could withstand a conventional attack for 72 hours at best. As only Jim Hacker can do, his "Grand Design" is less than practical and it is left to Sir Humphrey, now Cabinet Secretary, to inject a dose of realism. The PM also wants a cook for 10 Downing St., but wants the government rather than himself to pay.
Man Overboard (S2E1)
#1010.0The Employment Secretary wants to move army regiments to north England to save money, so Sir Humphrey leads P.M. Hacker to believe the Employment Secretary is after the P.M.'s job.
Official Secrets (S2E2)
#1111.0P.M. Hacker wants to prevent publication of the unflattering memoirs of the previous P.M. as an official secret, and a furor erupts in the press when his actions are leaked by the press.
A Conflict of Interest (S2E4)
#1212.0P.M. Hacker, pressured by rumors of wrongdoing in the City, is tricked by Sir Humphrey into appointing a less-than-honest man as the new Governor of the Bank of England.
Power to the People (S2E5)
#1313.0A local councilwoman is throwing her weight around, but P.M. Hacker's plan to make local government truly responsive to its constituency motivates her to cooperate with Sir Humphrey's opposition.
The Ministerial Broadcast (S1E2)
#1414.0Jim Hacker plans to introduce his "Grand Design" to the British public during his first broadcast as the new P.M. However, Humphrey continues to try to convince Hacker to hold off, planning to let it die.
The Patron of the Arts (S2E6)
#1515.0P.M. Hacker is scheduled to speak at a broadcast awards ceremony -- right after the announcement that the arts budget will be much smaller than hoped.
The National Education Service (S2E7)
#1616.0On the advice of his political adviser, P.M. Hacker plans to eliminate the National Education Service and let parents choose the schools their children will attend. Horrified, Humphrey must prevent the precedent being set of eliminating unnecessary bureaucracy.
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