Yes, Prime Minister

Synopsis

Prime Minister Jim Hacker, Cabinet Secretary Sir Humphrey Appleby and his Principal Private Secretary Bernard Woolley face a country in financial meltdown, with the only prospect of salvation coming from morally dubious allies - leading to deliciously comic consequences.

Our Review:

Simon Tavener - 6 March 2012

I was a fan of Yes, Minister and Yes, Prime Minister from their very first outings on the BBC. I watched the shows, listened to the radio versions, bought the books. I can still remember some episodes line-for-line. Consequently I approached the stage adaptation with a mixed of dread and delight.

Unfortunately my worst fears were realised.

Antony Jay and Jonathan Lynn are talented screenwriters. They thrive in the compact form of a short episode. Given the need to fill two hours of stage time, they seem to have somewhat lost their way. The plotting is nowhere as tight as episodes such as ‘Party Games’ or ‘The Key’ – there each element was carefully considered and played to perfection. Here we seem to get a number of under-developed ideas and plots that run out of steam without reaching a proper climax.

Of course the original series was blessed with one of the best casts in television history. And it is hard to get Nigel Hawthorne and Paul Eddington out of you...

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Latest User Review

Andrew Bennett - 14 May 2012:

Very good start and some funny quotes. But whoever thought of dealing with underage sex made a huge mistake. The laughter stopped and total silence as others just like me wondered why anyone would go down this road. Second half is very disappointing no laughs at all. Would not recommend. ...

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