There are only three endings in Yes Minister: 1) Humphrey wins and the status quo is maintained. This is the most common. 2) Hacker wins, and the status quo takes a temporary hit for the benefit of political expediency. Much rarer, but arguably more fun. 3) The two end up teaming up and beating the snot out of someone else. The two are unstoppable, when they're not pulling in opposite directions.
@@anuradhajoshi7389 Actually that wasn't them working together, that was Sir Humphry trying to prevent the EM's idea by presenting him as disloyal. In the end, it worked against him because Hacker decided the plan was actually sound and with the minister gone he could implement it himself and take the credit. Sir Humphry couldn't respond because he'd never put any effort into stopping the plan itself only the employment minister
The third type of ending can be seen in episodes 'Bed Of Nails' and 'Writing On The Wall', and 'Diplomatic Incident' from Yes Prime Minister. I don't think they teamed up anywhere else throughout.
Hi, i'm foreign speaker and i can catch pretty much every word and joke, but may i please ask who he's referring to at 0:20 ? Like, besides Nap and the last dictator? Even subtitles are misleading (to me they say still Napoleon but isn't it a different name he's saying? Would make more sense too)... Cheers and much love for British wit and humour :)
That Vietnam era axiom makes for sound political strategy and foolish geopolitics. Politics runs on a much shorter clock than Diplomacy, and short term solutions are often all you need.
I always love when Hacker drops the bumbling façade and the real politician begins to shine through :P You can see it in the other characters' eyes that they've obviously made a mistake of underestimating Hacker.
It's not a facade, we just usually see him out of his element. If we could see more of him as an MP or in cabinet, he would have looked a lot more competent. It's just that the DAA is Humphrey's home court, and the rules are very different.
@@user-ez9ng2rw9c No one knows how to run a country. Human beings are not suited to the task of ordering the daily lives of hundreds, much less hundreds of millions, of other human beings.
@Donald Piniach So the US under Donald Trump must be left win because it has dealings with China? Two countries can have similar short term goals, Germany got to attack westwards without the Soviets attacking him, Stalin got time to modernise more and prepare for a world war, which would follow if Germany failed to suppress France and Britain, or a full German offensive if they didn't fail. They both got to split Poland to sweeten the deal.
It's hard to pick a favourite "Yes Minister" episode. But I find this one just a little special. The play with words is just amazing. Who can forget the whole "in one swell swoop - approbation, elevation and castration" speech. And the wonderful difference between "smiling on" and "smiling at".
My favorite is when Jim is bounced into sending the military to an island in the Indian Ocean which is just about to be invaded by Yemeni communists. That's how the Commonwealth should work.
My favourite is the one where the British cabinet have alcohol at a diplomatic party in an Arab country. Their coded messages to each other to have a swig in the communications room is extremely funny.
Ironically, there is a Napoleon Prize. The Prix Napoleon is a prestigious academic award granted annually to the best non-Francophone historical work on the First Napoleonic Empire. It was first awarded in 1989, well after this was filmed.
There also used to be, and still is, a Charlemagne Prize awarded by the University of Aachen which was for services to European Unity. Heath won it in 1963 for leading the failed British accession negotiations. A good indication that while France famously vetoed, it is was in the distinct minority. The other five were furious with de Gaulle.
@@Meylan191083 De Gaulle believed the UK not to be fully aligned to the EU ideals, that once inside the EU it would want to "impose it's own conditions" and "would be there to hide the destruction of a structure that was built at the cost of so much pain and in the midst of so much hope". He was right of course, history gave him reason
@@thomasb.5643 and yet De Gaulle seems to have fallen over himself to assist Germany in doing what Hitler never could. Groß Europa with joint German/French hegemony and everyone else along for the ride. And it’s worked out exactly like that - throwing tanti’s whenever another country objects to their decisions
Humphrey knows exactly how to "arrange" anything, once everyone has decided what is to happen. Sir Humphrey is as sharp as the best solicitor in the Realm.
I always liked Martin, the Foreign Secretary in this first series - probably the only loyal and able ministerial colleague Hacker ever had in the series
@@hoarder1919 the Foreign Office wants to push its own agenda, that's why television is ironically the better option for finding out what is happening in this case.
Well, Hacker did support Martin in the leadership fight before they won the election. Martin had too much sway in the party and couldn’t be placed anywhere but Exchequer, foreign officer, or Home Secretary.
@@TheRip72 David Hague, who was in the remake as the Prime Minister, just shouted his through every episode, the actors of the OG show were in a class of their own
@peace leader What exactly have Putin, Jinping, or Trump contributed to European Unity? Seem like you're just trying to shoe-horn your own, albeit completely justified, dislike of those politicians.
@peace leader Neither was what I was talking confined to the subject of the actual "European Union". The reference point was Napoleon and Hitler, the EU didn't exist in either of their time.
@peace leader I notice you have trouble staying on topic, sir. I'm vexed. You seem to think I've said something to you out of place, which I have not. I should change that considering your attitude. Now... to the Mahabharata. I think ancient Indian Epics have many things to say, and all of it more relevant to our time and place and far more intelligent than anything you have to say. Good night.
@@DomWeasel To be fair, Charlemagne does not factor into the public conscience in anything like the same way Napoleon does. Barring a few countries in Europe, his legacy isn't a popular one.
The plan has been put forward to quash the administrative department and PM was smiling on it but the other person the PM is smiling 'at' it , not' on' it is a hilarious statement.
I love Bernard as a character, but some of his pedantry is stupid. The "you don't put boats in bags" comment is so wilfully obtuse that it feels like when writing this scene they thought "oh crap we need a line for Bernard, quick, think of something" and had to cram it into the scene. Usually it's far better. He's a wonderful character, just some of his gags are silly, an afterthought.
@@icphbk316amw I thought he meant when the minister said "Backbenchers, leaks" that humphrey acted as though that were a description of the Welsh nationalists. As in they are back benchers (not big) and they often have leaks.
They're a joke and should quit while they're still somewhat relevant. Wales is a part of England and always has been. They are the same nation, separated for a brief period due to political turmoil, but reunited soon after.
@@venmis137 Not true. Wales has be a part of England for about 800 years, but the further back you go the more independent they were. Go back far enough and you'll reach a time when there were no entities known as "Wales" or "England". I'm a Yank so I really don't have a dog in the fight, but I do think that Plaid Cymru has some decent ideas. Welsh Independence may not be practical, but giving people a greater say in how their local areas are governed isn't all that radical of a notion is it?
@@giovanniacuto2688 It seems appropriate that a Leek is their emblem, since It's always raining over there. Never took the Welsh for having a sense of humour though, so It's probably just a coincidental pun.
You can see why later series were better - pruning back all the extras, focusing on word play and interpersonal relations between the leading characters.
The Napoleon Award is a coded reference to the Charlemagne Prize, (also called the Coudenhove-Kalergy award) awarded every 2 years by the EU to the person or organisation which has most contributed to European unity. If you want a clue as to what that really means, look up "Coudenhove-Kalergy Plan" . It's real, not the plot of a bad futuristic dystopian film. 😳 (Angela Merkel was awarded the Charlegmagne Prize in 2015 for inviting all those mainly single military-age Syrian, Afghan, and Somali males to Germany without asking neighbouring countries if they wanted the stampede across their borders).
In essence, they learned the Prime Minister was up for an award at the EEC (the EU of the time). This would have been very awkward bc he would have got it by forcing UK citizens to carry "Europasses". This is at the moment top secret, but Hacker is threatening to leak that information to government backbenchers, who would then reveal it to the public in questioning time in Parliament. The ultimate point is that they will only not leak the info if the PM doesn't shut down their department.
France is a NATO member, and was so when the series was filmed, but 1966-2009 France's forces were not part of NATO's military command structure. A quote from NATO's own website: "In practical terms, while France remained a NATO member and fully participated in the political instances of the Organization, it was no longer represented on certain committees like the Nuclear Planning Group and the Defence Planning Committee. Foreign forces were removed from French territory and French forces temporarily withdrawn from NATO commands. The stationing of weapons - including nuclear weapons - was banned and furthermore, NATO’s political headquarters and SHAPE moved to neighbouring country Belgium."
“You don’t put boats in bags”
Bernard has always been my favourite character - rest in peace Derek Fowlds
"You cannot have a graveyard in a minefield" must be one of the funniest and unexpected observations put to film
He hates cliches and mixed-metaphors.
@@beavisbutt-headson3223 the way he enacted the bodies possibly flying all around was hilarious
The best Bernard quip is definitely the one about the readers of the Sun Newspaper
There are only three endings in Yes Minister:
1) Humphrey wins and the status quo is maintained. This is the most common.
2) Hacker wins, and the status quo takes a temporary hit for the benefit of political expediency. Much rarer, but arguably more fun.
3) The two end up teaming up and beating the snot out of someone else. The two are unstoppable, when they're not pulling in opposite directions.
The third point is funny but frightening in real life. There's one episode when employment minister had to forcefully resign
@@anuradhajoshi7389 or, I don't know, how it should be rather than viewed as cats and dogs living together
@@anuradhajoshi7389 Actually that wasn't them working together, that was Sir Humphry trying to prevent the EM's idea by presenting him as disloyal. In the end, it worked against him because Hacker decided the plan was actually sound and with the minister gone he could implement it himself and take the credit. Sir Humphry couldn't respond because he'd never put any effort into stopping the plan itself only the employment minister
@@MrSniperfox29 one more example I Can give
That episode when Hacker says "oh look, a park"
The third type of ending can be seen in episodes 'Bed Of Nails' and 'Writing On The Wall', and 'Diplomatic Incident' from Yes Prime Minister. I don't think they teamed up anywhere else throughout.
"When you got them by the balls their hearts and minds will follow." Love it.
Hi, i'm foreign speaker and i can catch pretty much every word and joke, but may i please ask who he's referring to at 0:20 ? Like, besides Nap and the last dictator? Even subtitles are misleading (to me they say still Napoleon but isn't it a different name he's saying? Would make more sense too)... Cheers and much love for British wit and humour :)
@@dorianblue4229 Sir Humphrey's words are "Since Napoleon....that is if you don't count Hitler"
@@brianhayden3509 oh I see, so subtitles got it right in the end. Cheers!! :)
That Vietnam era axiom makes for sound political strategy and foolish geopolitics.
Politics runs on a much shorter clock than Diplomacy, and short term solutions are often all you need.
@@dorianblue4229 Adolf Hitler, have you heard of him?
I always love when Hacker drops the bumbling façade and the real politician begins to shine through :P You can see it in the other characters' eyes that they've obviously made a mistake of underestimating Hacker.
Humphrey taught him well :-)
@@ColinWatters Not really. Hacker is an administrative idiot, but a master politician. There is a reason he winds up being a fairly successful PM
It's not a facade, we just usually see him out of his element.
If we could see more of him as an MP or in cabinet, he would have looked a lot more competent. It's just that the DAA is Humphrey's home court, and the rules are very different.
@@vikramkrishnan6414 Exactly. Politicians have no idea how to actually run a country.
@@user-ez9ng2rw9c No one knows how to run a country. Human beings are not suited to the task of ordering the daily lives of hundreds, much less hundreds of millions, of other human beings.
I like the the phrasing that Nixon had “henchmen”.
Dude, they were so right wing and white the press called them "The Berlin Wall".
😂😂😂😂😂
@@theGhoulman this is a bit ridiculous but in a good and in a bad way too
@Donald Piniach Remember when they INVADED RUSSIA??? omg
@Donald Piniach So the US under Donald Trump must be left win because it has dealings with China? Two countries can have similar short term goals, Germany got to attack westwards without the Soviets attacking him, Stalin got time to modernise more and prepare for a world war, which would follow if Germany failed to suppress France and Britain, or a full German offensive if they didn't fail. They both got to split Poland to sweeten the deal.
my god, when jim and humphrey working together they are unstoppable.
They could rule the world. Beautifully.
It's hard to pick a favourite "Yes Minister" episode. But I find this one just a little special. The play with words is just amazing. Who can forget the whole "in one swell swoop - approbation, elevation and castration" speech. And the wonderful difference between "smiling on" and "smiling at".
My favorite is when Jim is bounced into sending the military to an island in the Indian Ocean which is just about to be invaded by Yemeni communists. That's how the Commonwealth should work.
My favourite is the one where the British cabinet have alcohol at a diplomatic party in an Arab country. Their coded messages to each other to have a swig in the communications room is extremely funny.
It's not that hard to pick. The Key is undoubtedly the best one and quite possibly the greatest half hour ever aired.
Ironically, there is a Napoleon Prize. The Prix Napoleon is a prestigious academic award granted annually to the best non-Francophone historical work on the First Napoleonic Empire. It was first awarded in 1989, well after this was filmed.
There also used to be, and still is, a Charlemagne Prize awarded by the University of Aachen which was for services to European Unity.
Heath won it in 1963 for leading the failed British accession negotiations. A good indication that while France famously vetoed, it is was in the distinct minority. The other five were furious with de Gaulle.
Ironically there is a real Department of Administrative Affairs in Norway
@@Meylan191083 De Gaulle believed the UK not to be fully aligned to the EU ideals, that once inside the EU it would want to "impose it's own conditions" and "would be there to hide the destruction of a structure that was built at the cost of so much pain and in the midst of so much hope".
He was right of course, history gave him reason
@@thomasb.5643 and yet De Gaulle seems to have fallen over himself to assist Germany in doing what Hitler never could. Groß Europa with joint German/French hegemony and everyone else along for the ride. And it’s worked out exactly like that - throwing tanti’s whenever another country objects to their decisions
That's not irony
Humphrey knows exactly how to "arrange" anything, once everyone has decided what is to happen. Sir Humphrey is as sharp as the best solicitor in the Realm.
Extraordinary bit from splendid show. Magnificently written and played
I always liked Martin, the Foreign Secretary in this first series - probably the only loyal and able ministerial colleague Hacker ever had in the series
"able"? Isn't he the one who learns about foreign stuff from the telly?
@@hoarder1919 thats how you know he is well informed.
The only way I know whats happening in the world is the BBC World service-and thats on the radio!
@@hoarder1919 the Foreign Office wants to push its own agenda, that's why television is ironically the better option for finding out what is happening in this case.
Well, Hacker did support Martin in the leadership fight before they won the election. Martin had too much sway in the party and couldn’t be placed anywhere but Exchequer, foreign officer, or Home Secretary.
I've learned more about how governments work from this show than from any books I read about Political Science !
Me too
@Jan-Ola Ellingsen The re-make did not do so well because the issues & characters in the original are just as true today.
except there is nothing scientific about politics...
That was the point & that was why it was so popular all the way to the top, the show also presumed that it’s audience had a modicum of intelligence!
@@TheRip72 David Hague, who was in the remake as the Prime Minister, just shouted his through every episode, the actors of the OG show were in a class of their own
"stupidity is not a handicap in politics" Napoleon
It may be regarded as a disability, some are born with it and it remains incurable.
@GearóidODU - nah, look at the EU bureaucrats, they're often corrupt or silly too
That was wonderful synchrony between Sir Humphrey and Hacker
You don't put boats in bags - brilliant
"the most contribution towards European unity."
"Since Napoleon if you don't count Hitler."
Had me rolling.
He’s not wrong
@@tomassanz2003 he's completely right.
@peace leader What exactly have Putin, Jinping, or Trump contributed to European Unity? Seem like you're just trying to shoe-horn your own, albeit completely justified, dislike of those politicians.
@peace leader Neither was what I was talking confined to the subject of the actual "European Union". The reference point was Napoleon and Hitler, the EU didn't exist in either of their time.
@peace leader I notice you have trouble staying on topic, sir.
I'm vexed. You seem to think I've said something to you out of place, which I have not. I should change that considering your attitude.
Now... to the Mahabharata. I think ancient Indian Epics have many things to say, and all of it more relevant to our time and place and far more intelligent than anything you have to say. Good night.
What a difference a preposition makes. "Smiling at it, not on it"
this show taught me more about real life politics and the workings of the minds of those in politics..than anything else...enough to make you shudder
Best sitcom ever!
“You don’t put boats in bags”
Always good to see Jim and Humphrey on the same page
"When you got them by the balls..." was a quote by President Theodore Roosevelt. Nixon's guy Chuck Colson stole it.
Yes, but Colson [Nixon's henchman] said it; perhaps not first.
I can find no evidence that TR said or wrote any such thing.
But we needed the phrase "Nixon's Henchman".
Hahaha brilliant understated delivery “ backbencher, leaks-- what ? The Welsh nationalist party?”
When you've got them by the balls, their hearts and minds will follow
poor Daniel's never going to knock on doors again
I miss clean shaven men in three piece suits sooooo much.
I do miss the time when there were many more occasions when the wearing of a three piece suit was de rigueur.
Three piece suits are uncomfortable. I think that women shouldn't feel compelled to wear high heels anymore either
Donna Evans Not unless you forgot Mycroft Holmes in the newest BBC Wales variation!
@@michaelbme1983 a well tailored suit is more comfortable than the majority of casual stuff.
That mirror in the background is pretty risky, they did well not to get the camera or any crew in it lol.
If there ever was such a thing as the Napoleon Prize, no British politician would even dare to try and win it.
There is. It's called the Charlemagne Prize.
Five Britons have won it, including Churchill and Tony Blair...
@@DomWeasel To be fair, Charlemagne does not factor into the public conscience in anything like the same way Napoleon does. Barring a few countries in Europe, his legacy isn't a popular one.
@@cobbler9113
How many people know anything about Napoleon anymore? To the British, he's just 'that short guy' and Waterloo is an Abba song...
But he might try TO win it...unintentionally, of course.
@@DomWeaselthat’s very depressing to think about
I feel Putin should be given Napoleon award.
So true, Minister.
The plan has been put forward to quash the administrative department and PM was smiling on it but the other person the PM is smiling 'at' it , not' on' it is a hilarious statement.
Sir Hilton Cubitt from the Granada Sherlock Holmes!!
I love Bernard as a character, but some of his pedantry is stupid. The "you don't put boats in bags" comment is so wilfully obtuse that it feels like when writing this scene they thought "oh crap we need a line for Bernard, quick, think of something" and had to cram it into the scene. Usually it's far better. He's a wonderful character, just some of his gags are silly, an afterthought.
“Arrogant and offensive. Can you imagine having to work with these truth twisters?”
👏👏👏😅😅😅😅
@@bobese5099 there real even when you win against them they also win somehow
nice show, seems very interesting!!
0:31 and you can't bite any bullets if you're gritting your teeth
If you don't count Hitler!! :D
Napolean prize is nice parody of the Charlemagne Prize
Humphrey can be "feisty" sometimes, let the man say his peace!
The welsh nationalists party?
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
@tzarbg123 the Leek is a vegetable and famous Welsh symbol pronounced the same as Leak
@@icphbk316amw I thought he meant when the minister said "Backbenchers, leaks" that humphrey acted as though that were a description of the Welsh nationalists. As in they are back benchers (not big) and they often have leaks.
@@forshort6769 no you got the first part right but it is also definitely referring to leeks being a Welsh national symbol
They're a joke and should quit while they're still somewhat relevant. Wales is a part of England and always has been. They are the same nation, separated for a brief period due to political turmoil, but reunited soon after.
@@venmis137 Not true. Wales has be a part of England for about 800 years, but the further back you go the more independent they were. Go back far enough and you'll reach a time when there were no entities known as "Wales" or "England". I'm a Yank so I really don't have a dog in the fight, but I do think that Plaid Cymru has some decent ideas. Welsh Independence may not be practical, but giving people a greater say in how their local areas are governed isn't all that radical of a notion is it?
3:44 "Just as planned"
Fantastic
Leaks
What the Welsh nationalist party
Brilliant subtle joke
I don't get it, but I'm not a a Brit
@@Stilgarsan The leek, a vegetable, is also an emblem for the Welsh people like the rose is for the English and the thistle for the Scots
@@giovanniacuto2688 It seems appropriate that a Leek is their emblem, since It's always raining over there.
Never took the Welsh for having a sense of humour though, so It's probably just a coincidental pun.
@@giovanniacuto2688 wait... I thought they had the daffodil
@@melkorlapich802 daffodil is the flower of Wales, Leek is their vegetable I think
❤️😭😭😭l still love the Persian guys better than the Rooman guys, though. I❤️you Daei!.
who knows about the napoleon prize
it's top secret
so....everybody?
The quote about the ball was made by Theodore Roosevelt
Not really.
I don't remember this episode. Which one is it?
1st season yes munister
It’s called the Kalergi prize in real life.
No in real life it's called the Charlemagne prize.
Xenophobic conspiracy theorist call it the kalergi prize
You can see why later series were better - pruning back all the extras, focusing on word play and interpersonal relations between the leading characters.
Which series/episode was this from?
The series is "Yes, Minister", BBC comedy series that ran 1980-1984. A sequel, "Yes, Prime Minister", ran from 1986 to 1988.
"The writing on the wall"
To answer the question, Series 1 Episode 5.
@Albert Schmalbert You mean Weasel.
@@MoeLaneIII lol
A mouse who's learning to be a rat.
When they believe to be true ,
that which they know in their hearts to be a lie,
you have got them by the balls .
Wouldn't it be nice to have Yes Minister on Brexit ?
Like stereotypes this show sums up government and the civil service lol...
The Napoleon Award is a coded reference to the Charlemagne Prize, (also called the Coudenhove-Kalergy award) awarded every 2 years by the EU to the person or organisation which has most contributed to European unity. If you want a clue as to what that really means, look up "Coudenhove-Kalergy Plan" . It's real, not the plot of a bad futuristic dystopian film. 😳 (Angela Merkel was awarded the Charlegmagne Prize in 2015 for inviting all those mainly single military-age Syrian, Afghan, and Somali males to Germany without asking neighbouring countries if they wanted the stampede across their borders).
Are they talking about the Kalergi Award the EU gives away? ♥️
What is the meaning ok keeping the person who wins a prize secret ?
It's a secret until its officially announced
@@89Keith you mean everyone?
Can someone please break down what happened? I had a lot of trouble following along. What are they trying to do with leaks and backbenchers?
In essence, they learned the Prime Minister was up for an award at the EEC (the EU of the time). This would have been very awkward bc he would have got it by forcing UK citizens to carry "Europasses". This is at the moment top secret, but Hacker is threatening to leak that information to government backbenchers, who would then reveal it to the public in questioning time in Parliament. The ultimate point is that they will only not leak the info if the PM doesn't shut down their department.
Which series is this?
Series 1 of Yes, Minister.
Hacker and a moral dilemma ? I like him but this is preposterous 😂😆 - abolishing, departing, smashing ? 😂how even dare you ?
napoleon lost 4 times
And won 50
statesman who's done most for european unity since napoelon,...
....if you discount hitler, that is....
haaahahaha
As if any non French country would name a prize after Napoleon. Hilarious!
Odd that NATO would award a Napoleon Prize, given France is not a member
France is a NATO member, and was so when the series was filmed, but 1966-2009 France's forces were not part of NATO's military command structure. A quote from NATO's own website: "In practical terms, while France remained a NATO member and fully participated in the political instances of the Organization, it was no longer represented on certain committees like the Nuclear Planning Group and the Defence Planning Committee. Foreign forces were removed from French territory and French forces temporarily withdrawn from NATO commands. The stationing of weapons - including nuclear weapons - was banned and furthermore, NATO’s political headquarters and SHAPE moved to neighbouring country Belgium."