This classic BBC comedy is set in the fictitious Ministry of Administrative Affairs. Following an election, and change of government, Jim Hacker finds himself the minister in charge of this department. Working with him are civil servants Sir Humphrey Appleby, the permanent secretary and Bernard Woolley his Principal Private Secretary. When he arrives he is keen to get things done and has ideas for reforms... it isn't long before it becomes obvious that the civil service will try to block his plans by finding reasons they can't work or, if they really want to stop him, Sir Humphrey will tell him the plans are 'courageous'. Over the course of three series he gradually learns to play the game... at least within certain limits.
This series may have first aired almost forty years ago but not only is it still funny the issues being talked about often feel as though they could be present events. The cast does a brilliant job bringing their characters to life; most notably the three main cast members, Paul Eddington, Nigel Hawthorne and Derek Fowlds as Hacker, Sir Humphrey and Bernard respectively; their scenes together are a joy to watch; especially some of the longer speeches where some technical point is discussed in a way that is both funny but also feels real. Part of the genius of the series is that it is never clear which party Jim Hacker is a member of; I always assumed he was on the left of the Conservative Party but when I mentioned this to my mother she said she always assumed he was on the right of the Labour Party. Overall I would definitely recommend this to anybody interested in the workings of British politics or just wanting a good laugh.
This series may have first aired almost forty years ago but not only is it still funny the issues being talked about often feel as though they could be present events. The cast does a brilliant job bringing their characters to life; most notably the three main cast members, Paul Eddington, Nigel Hawthorne and Derek Fowlds as Hacker, Sir Humphrey and Bernard respectively; their scenes together are a joy to watch; especially some of the longer speeches where some technical point is discussed in a way that is both funny but also feels real. Part of the genius of the series is that it is never clear which party Jim Hacker is a member of; I always assumed he was on the left of the Conservative Party but when I mentioned this to my mother she said she always assumed he was on the right of the Labour Party. Overall I would definitely recommend this to anybody interested in the workings of British politics or just wanting a good laugh.