Yes, Prime Minister to return
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and good on GOLD.
I'd love this to be as good a the original, but I'm not getting my hopes up at all. Hawthorne and Eddington made the show, in my opinion, and unless they find equally talented comic actors I don't see it grabbing me in quite the same way. I haven't seen the stage show, though, so perhaps it has legs.
Frankly at present they would be hard pressed to satirise the incompetence and malevolent intent of the current hapless administration.
However, I have seen the stage show and yes it was good. The actors (I saw the David Haig/Henry Goodman version) were terrific but the ghosts of Eddington and Hawthorne were too strong for it to work completely.
Link for this website's more comprehensive news: https://www.comedy.co.uk/news/story/00000784/gold_new_series_yes_prime_minister/
Dan
When I heard this I was very happy indeed.
Difficult to see how this could work. Too much has changed in the last twenty years, not least the relationship between ministers and senior civil servants.
In part at least, this change came about as a result of the original series, as Anthony Jay fully intended. Sir Anthony was a vocal advocate of public choice theory, which argued that there was no such thing as altruistic public service, and that all public servants acted ultimately out self-interest (hence the need to harness that self-interest through target setting and performance bonuses). Advice from civil servants was therefore always to be treated with suspicion.
New Labour were of the generation who grew up watching Yes Minister and when they came to power they were convinced that the civil service were deliberately setting out to thwart them. The defining moment was Tony Blair's speech to conference concerning "the scars on his back from dealing with the civil service". Senior civil servants soon learnt that it was career death to attempt to dissuade a minister from a course of action determined by the SpAds - the Special Advisors, men like Ed Balls or the Milliband brothers. The result is that the civil service retreated from its traditional role of "speaking truth unto power" and became unquestioning yes men. The raft of unworkable policies introduced under New Labour are evidence of this.
If this new series is to reflect current realities, then Sir Humphrey, as a Permanent Secretary, should be a departmental manager disconnected from the policy making process, and quite possibly imported from the private sector for his managerial "expertise"; whilst the true power should lie with the SpAd, Frank Weisel.
Personally, I think bringing Yes, Prime Minister back will only taint the programme's formidable legacy (much like the Only Fools and Horses Christmas specials).
A better alternative would have been to commission a fifth series of The New Statesman instead - as that would provide a better contrast with The Thick of It, as well as giving Rik Mayall a chance to make a television comeback.
Interesting point of note: I believe this will be the first ever BBC production for a non-BBC (branded/wholly owned) channel.
Also noteworthy that the episodes are to be 40 minutes each. I.e. 30 + ad breaks, so UKTV are already thinking about selling it back to Auntie for repeats...
(Shock! Horror! BBC Productions making a programme for a channel the BBC doesn't entirely control. How long till the Daily Mail start whining?)
Quote: groovydude89 @ March 29 2012, 3:25 PM BSTA better alternative would have been to commission a fifth series of The New Statesman instead - as that would provide a better contrast with The Thick of It, as well as giving Rik Mayall a chance to make a television comeback.
I agree here, I think TNS could make a welcome return and contrast much better with the YPMish TTOI. It has no great reputation to lose as it was silly in the first place. I think there's too much earnest satire that's tried to be the next TW3 and failed lately. Plain daft shows like TNS and Spitting Image are better suited to mocking an institution which has lost most of its credibility. It doesn't deserve another YPM to satirise it, it just deserves base mocking.
Fantastic! Best news I've had since the new series of Ed Reardon was announced.
Quote: groovydude89 @ March 29 2012, 3:25 PM BSTPersonally, I think bringing Yes, Prime Minister back will only taint the programme's formidable legacy
I - Do - Not - Care. Ok, it might be like Going Straight (Thinks: 'quite liked Going Straight'. Looks round for better example. Fails) but it might be Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads too.
Quote: Harridan @ March 29 2012, 10:42 AM BSTHawthorne and Eddington made the show, in my opinion, and unless they find equally talented comic actors I don't see it grabbing me in quite the same way.
Yes, but the writers are the same. Surely here, of all places, we should think that is the key.
(Oops, no, wrong section of forum. We don't have to think it is key)
Quote: Bomsh @ March 29 2012, 6:11 PM BSTI - Do - Not - Care. Ok, it might be like Going Straight (Thinks: 'quite liked Going Straight' Looks round for better example. Fails) but it might be Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads too.
Yeah Going Straight was likeable and not too bad, just not quite Porridge. Reggie was bad. And obviously didn't have the same actors as the the original, which puts some off straight away. The new YPM will have this hurdle to get over, if not the writing team one.
WHTTLL is more a case of the writers reaching a peak in their craft and creating even better material for the same characters and actors only 5 years later, that's almost the same time as taken for the 2nd series of Fawlty Towers, which also surpassed its first series. But it wasn't a 30 year break!
All this stuff about Yes, Prime Minister returning; Yes Minister was undoubtedly a better show!
I cannot wait to see this I never saw the original.
A perfect time to pick up this wonderful £15 bargain then, Jamey! https://www.comedy.co.uk/shop/item/218/the_complete_yes_minister_yes_prime_minister_collectors_box_set_dvd/
What's your cut Aaron?
I know saying this will make a few of you cringe but I tend to avoid stuff that too far before my time, I simply don't understand it.