SnoReptilePlenty Memorable, crazy movie

GrimPrecise I'll tell you why so serious

Pacionsbo Absolutely Fantastic

CrawlerChunky In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

grantss Following on from Yes Minister, Jim Hacker is now Prime Minister and Sir Humphrey Appleby is Cabinet Secretary. Bernard is also along for the ride, as Hacker's personal secretary. As in their previous roles, their jobs often devolve into a battle of agendas, ideals, wills and wits between Hacker and Sir Humphrey.Very similar formula to Yes Minister - the political ideals and poll-focus of the Prime Minister versus the practicality and preference to maintain the status quo of the civil service, with quite of few of Sir Humphrey's personal agendas thrown in for good measure. The main difference from Yes Minister is that everything is now at a higher level, and includes international diplomacy, defense projects and spending, education, local government - broader, national issues.Therein lies the problem with Yes, Prime Minister. Because of Yes Minister's lower level, its plots, issues and solutions were much more plausible. So plausible the series should be used in teaching Political Studies. Yes, Prime Minister, by comparison, feels contrived, and downright silly, at times.Fortunately this is a comedy, not a drama, so plausibility isn't a top concern. Still, it helps.When it comes to the humour, while still quite funny, this series seems less original than its predecessor, and happy to retread old jokes and use formulaic gags. Worst of all, Bernard, who was the face of innocence and the straight man to the machinations of Hacker and Sir Humphrey in Yes Minister, has been reduced to making lame puns and other one-liners. The writing is just not as tight or finely-crafted as in Yes Minister.This all said, it does make some great points about government and always does so in a very humorous fashion. Some issues raised are well ahead of their time and the laughs come thick and fast.Not as great as Yes Minister but still very good.

BeEarnest This series is simply the best political comedy ever. From first hand experiences not with the british but the european administration and from my studies of political science I can pledge the satire to be really, really sharp. The dialogues are superb and I simply love the characters. Sir Humphrey is unbeatable. As a fellow writer already commented a must see for everyone into politics.

grendelkhan "Yes Prime Minister" picks up where the previous "Yes Minister" left off, and continues the quality. The two series are bridged by a Christmas special, "Party Games", where the Prime Minister has retired, and Sir Humphrey has manipulated the selection process to place Jim Hacker in Number 10. The new series picks up with Hacker now in his new job.The series continued the fine work of its predecessor. The writing is first rate and the performers still shine. New dimension was added with the introduction of Deborah Norton as Dorothy Wainwright, Hacker's political advisor. Wainwright is a master strategist, who is able to counter Sir Humphrey's schemes. As such, Jim gets to win a few more this time. Still, never underestimate Sir Humphrey.There is more of a trade-off here, as the battles are split between Sir Humphrey and Hacker, and a few where they are allies. If there is any criticism of the show, it's that some of the themes had already been done in the original series. However, they are given a new wrinkle as Hacker is now in the top spot. He no longer has to worry about the PM, because he is the PM; but, he still will not make a "courageous" decision, or anything that is unpopular.Repetition may explain why this series was shorter. The series had explored everything it could, short of full scale war. Still, every episode is a delight.The entire series is available on vhs, in the US; and, hopefully, will follow the recent release of "Yes Minister" on DVD. Also, the two "diaries" of the shows are well worth seeking out. They beautifully capture the shows, through diary entries, memo's, and government documents. They are far more than a brief plot summary. You can find them through out-of-print book searches on the web.

Sanatan Rai A fitting sequel to Yes Minister. Yes Prime Minister is very, very slightly inferior to it, as the authors had realised that what they were creating would be regarded as the last word on British Democracy. The last episode therefore ends on a note of despair, and there is the occasional wistful tone which betrays Jay's and Lynn's awareness of what they were doing.The book and television versions of Yes Minister are fairly close to each other. However, in the book, Yes Prime Minister was substantially expanded. I should think that the books Yes Minister and Yes Prime Minister are on par with each other, so that means that the televised version of Yes Prime Minister is a bit below par. As I revise this comment in 2005, Yes Prime Minister seems very much to belong to a by gone era. Under Blair, the prime ministership of Britain has been conducted in a radically different style, which is more similar to that of Indira Gandhi than to that any British prime minister. Perhaps Anthony Jay can be persuaded to create a series based on Blair's time in power? All in all, 8/10.