A Very Courageous Decision: The Inside Story of Yes Minister

by Graham McCann

Overview

A behind-the-scenes history of one of the most successful and admired British sitcoms of the 1980s.

In 1977 the BBC commissioned a new satirical sitcom set in Whitehall. Production of its first series was stalled, however, by the death throes of Jim Callaghan’s Labour government and the ‘Winter of Discontent’; Auntie being unwilling to broadcast such an overtly political comedy until after the general election of 1979.

That Yes Minister should have been delayed by the very events that helped bring Margaret Thatcher to power is, perhaps, fitting. Over three series from 1980—and two more as Yes, Prime Minister until 1988—the show mercilessly lampooned the vanity, self-interest and incompetence of our so-called public servants, making its hapless minister Jim Hacker and his scheming Permanent Secretary Sir Humphrey two of the most memorable characters British comedy has ever produced. The new prime minister professed it her favourite television programme—a ‘textbook’ on the State in inaction—and millions of British viewers agreed.

In the years since Yes Minister has become a national treasure: Sir Humphrey’s slippery circumlocutions have entered the lexicon, regularly quoted by political commentators, and the series’ cynical vision of government seems as credible now as it did thirty years ago.

Much of this success can be credited to its writers, Antony Jay and Jonathan Lynn, who drew on their contacts in Westminster to rework genuine political folly as situation comedy. Storylines that seemed absurd to the public were often rooted in actual events—so much so that they occasionally attracted the scrutiny of Whitehall mandarins.

In A Very Courageous Decision acclaimed entertainment historian Graham McCann goes in search of the real political fiascos that inspired Yes Minister. Drawing on fresh interviews with cast, crew, politicians and admirers, he reveals how a subversive satire captured the mood of its time to become one of the most cherished sitcoms of Thatcher’s Britain.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781781313220
Publisher:	Quarto Publishing Group USA
Publication date:	12/20/2022
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	385
File size:	9 MB

About the Author

Graham McCann is the bestselling and critically acclaimed author of Do You Think That's Wise?: The Life of John Le Mesurier, Bounder! The Biography of Terry-Thomas, Dad's Army, Fawlty Towers, Morecambe and Wise and Only Fools and Horses.

Table of Contents

Prologue 1

Part 1 19

1 The Writers 21

2 The Situation 37

3 The Pitch 58

4 The Preparation 73

Part 2 93

5 Series One 95

Case Study 1 Mr Wilson Changes on Trains 125

6 Series Two 130

Case Study 2 From the Government of People to the Administration of Things 160

7 Series Three 166

Case Study 3 Whisky Galore 185

8 Interregnum 190

Part 3 215

9 Yes, Prime Minister 217

10 Series One 232

Case Study 4 Thank Yon for Not Smoking 252

11 Series Two 258

12 The End 284

Part 4 301

13 The Revival 303

Epilogue 325

Episode Guide 331

Acknowledgements 339

Notes 341

Bibliography 366

Index 370

Editorial Reviews

'His book is exemplary, everything we could have wished for. As well as talking to everyone and doing the legwork, he offers a critical acuity rare to this sort of book. And his conclusions are powerful.' 

'It is rare to find an academic study in which there is such clearly felt affection for its subject and its protagonists. McCann takes us, in unobtrusive displays of intelligently practical criticism, through large numbers of the series’ funniest and sharpest scenes, balancing judiciously what he has to say about Prime Minister Jim Hacker as opposed to the actor, gallant and lovable Paul Eddington, and just as tactfully playing the character of Sir Humphrey Appleby off against Sir Nigel Hawthorne. Among the great pleasures of this book is simply to rediscover the splendid jokes. Shrewd and excellent book.' 

'Acclaimed entertainment historian Graham McCann goes in search of the real political fiascos that inspired Yes Minister. Drawing on fresh interviews with cast, crew, politicians and admirers, he reveals how a subversive satire captured the mood of its time to become one of the most cherished sitcoms of Thatcher's Britain.'

'His book is exemplary, everything we could have wished for. As well as talking to everyone and doing the legwork, he offers a critical acuity rare to this sort of book. And his conclusions are powerful.' 

'Acclaimed entertainment historian Graham McCann goes in search of the real political fiascos that inspired Yes Minister. Drawing on fresh interviews with cast, crew, politicians and admirers, he reveals how a subversive satire captured the mood of its time to become one of the most cherished sitcoms of Thatcher's Britain.'

'The delight of this book is that he places Yes Minister in the context of both satire and politics, something that has its roots back in the 17th and 18th centuries, and shows that the genius behind the show's writing was a combination of new insider sources and the way in which the two writers Anthony Jay and Jonathan Lynn complemented each other's talents.'

'It is rare to find an academic study in which there is such clearly felt affection for its subject and its protagonists. McCann takes us, in unobtrusive displays of intelligently practical criticism, through large numbers of the series’ funniest and sharpest scenes, balancing judiciously what he has to say about Prime Minister Jim Hacker as opposed to the actor, gallant and lovable Paul Eddington, and just as tactfully playing the character of Sir Humphrey Appleby off against Sir Nigel Hawthorne. Among the great pleasures of this book is simply to rediscover the splendid jokes. Shrewd and excellent book.' 

The delight of this book is that he places Yes Minister in the context of both politics and satire – something that has its roots back in the 17th and 18th centuries, and shows that the genius behind the show’s writing was a combination of new insider sources, such as The Crossman Diaries, and the way in which the two writers Anthony Jay and Jonathan Lynn complemented each other’s talents.

From the Publisher