Yes, Prime Minister
Weekdays at 7.40pm, from Monday 6th July
One of the most influential and celebrated comedies from the 1980s comes to G.O.L.D. for the very first time. Three series of Yes, Minister were made between 1980 and 1984 and it instantly became a classic. It followed the Right Honourable James Hacker MP (Paul Eddington), Minister For Administrative Affairs, and his attempts to make officialdom and administration make some sense. Standing in his way is Sir Humphrey Appleby (Nigel Hawthorne), one of Whitehall's most Machiavellian civil servants.
As Hacker tries to streamline the department and introduce sweeping changes throughout the political system, he's sabotaged by Sir Humphrey at every opportunity thanks to a barrage of political spin, even before political spin was invented.
Although set in the Thatcherite era, Yes, Minster has a timeless quality, which sheds light on politics' endless capacity for bureaucracy, self-service and unintentional comedy. Very topical.
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About Yes, Minister
The political battles between MP (and then PM) Jim Hacker and Civil Servant Humphrey Appleby made for one of the best comedies of the 1980s.
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Nigel Hawthorne
Nigel Hawthorne achieved great success on stage and screen, but it was no easy road to fame.
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Paul Eddington
Although he'd been an actor all his life, Paul Eddington didn't find fame until he was in his forties.
