Yes, Minister and Yes, Prime Minister

[Alan Brady's Hair]

I've re-watched all of the episodes of this show (Yes, Prime Minister is a continuation) in the last few weeks, and am just amazed by it. Now 30 to 35 years old, it remains easily the best, sharpest political show I've ever seen (either comedy or drama). It's completely unsentimental and somehow still topical today, largely because it addresses basic questions of politics and government instead of just the issues that were current at the time.

And it's funny. The main actors - Paul Eddington, Nigel Hawthorne, and Derek Fowlds - work perfectly together. There's not much in the way of slapstick, but the conversation moves from witty to (comic) anger and desperation seamlessly. Characters are allowed to say long sentences that are funny if you hang in and listen. No situation is so fouled up that the next scene can't confuse things further, and resolutions are nearly always more cynical than uplifting.

There's 37 episodes in five series, and I think there's not a really bad episode in the bunch. The comparison of UK and US shows can be a little apples-to-oranges, so I'll just say that this show ranks right up among the best Britcoms I've seen.

There's a 2013 reworking with different actors. I haven't seen it.

[icecream]

This was my favorite Britcom for a long time until I discovered Fawlty Towers in 2016.

[velvetfan]

Originally Posted by Alan Brady's Hair

I've re-watched all of the episodes of this show (Yes, Prime Minister is a continuation) in the last few weeks, and am just amazed by it. Now 30 to 35 years old, it remains easily the best, sharpest political show I've ever seen (either comedy or drama). It's completely unsentimental and somehow still topical today, largely because it addresses basic questions of politics and government instead of just the issues that were current at the time.

And it's funny. The main actors - Paul Eddington, Nigel Hawthorne, and Derek Fowlds - work perfectly together. There's not much in the way of slapstick, but the conversation moves from witty to (comic) anger and desperation seamlessly. Characters are allowed to say long sentences that are funny if you hang in and listen. No situation is so fouled up that the next scene can't confuse things further, and resolutions are nearly always more cynical than uplifting.

There's 37 episodes in five series, and I think there's not a really bad episode in the bunch. The comparison of UK and US shows can be a little apples-to-oranges, so I'll just say that this show ranks right up among the best Britcoms I've seen.

There's a 2013 reworking with different actors. I haven't seen it.

Well, I could not agree more! I watched these originally when they were shown on PBS. I recorded every episode on VHS until I had a complete set. I am a fanatic for Britcoms and lost about 70 vhs tapes in a flood a few years back. Since then, I have been buying Britcoms as they become available in NTSC format. Naughty boy sometimes rents from Netflix and makes home copies. Yes minister and yes Prime minister were my first DVD choices along with League of Gentlemen, and UK Shameless. I have had a hell of a time with Ideal. I was teased with PBS but they stopped after the 4th series. I had a time just watching the rest. It isn't available on NTSC so I have found sites to stream the rest but they die, or sometimes they have malware..a real hassle. My son just brought home a Firestick with something called KODI and apps that you can watch TV from all over the world. I am currently discovering British TV. Looks promising.