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Structure
Interesting Questions, Facts and Information
- There are a total of 30 general entries.
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 Interesting Questions, Facts, and Information
 Yes, Minister / Prime Minister
Sir Humphrey. Normally the epitome of discretion, Sir Humphrey gives an exceptionally dull interview (during which, in the best traditions of the Civil Service, he essentially says nothing), but then talks frankly to interviewer Ludovik Kennedy afterwards, not realising that the microphone is still on. This was the last of the 16 episodes of "Yes, Prime Minister", a classic of British comedy.
| In "The National Education Service", which language does Sir Humphrey speak, that Jim cannot understand? | Yes, Prime Minister
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Latin. "Si tacuisses, philosophus mansisses - If you had kept your mouth shut, we may have thought you were clever".
| In "A Patron of the Arts", what does Jim propose to do with the National Theatre? | Yes, Prime Minister
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Sell it. Jim manages to outmanoeuvre Sir Humphrey and the head of the National Theatre by threatening to sell the National Theatre, if Monks' speech introducing Jim at a banquet should include any anti-Government digs.
| In "Power to the People", which local council leader proposes the abolition of parliament, the courts and the monarchy? | Yes, Prime Minister
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Agnes Moorhouse. Agnes Moorhouse was played by Gwen Taylor. The combative verbal exchanges and eventual collusion between Agnes and Sir Humphrey are priceless.
| In "A Conflict of Interest", whom does Hacker appoint as the Governor of the Bank of England? | Yes, Prime Minister
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Desmond Glazebrook. Only because Glazebrook will cover up a politically embarrassing financial scandal in the city.
| In "A Diplomatic Incident", what does the French President propose to present as a gift to the Queen? | Yes, Prime Minister
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A puppy. The French know that presenting a puppy would break the (then) quarantine law and that Hacker will have to refuse the gift. They plan to use the "affront" of the refusal as a bargaining chip to get their way over the Channel Tunnel, but Humphrey foils them.
| In "Official Secrets", who accidentally tells the press that Hacker tried to suppress the publication of then former Prime Minister's memoirs? | Yes, Prime Minister
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Bernard. Bernard gets ambushed by the press and gets trapped into saying things which he had not meant to say. By the time he says that he was speaking off the record, it's too late.
The Employment Secretary. The resignation is cunningly orchestrated by Sir Humphrey, who convinces a paranoid Jim that Dudley, the Employment Secretary, is plotting a leadership challenge. Humphrey does it to end Dudley's plan for defence relocations, but Hacker ploughs on with the plan regardless.
| In "One of Us", which former head of MI5 left a posthumous confession that he had been a Russian spy? | Yes, Prime Minister
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Sir John Halstead. When rumours were circulating that Halstead was a spy, Humphrey led the internal inquiry that cleared him. "That's what internal inquiries are for - to find no evidence!"
Bury St Edmunds. This is possibly the best episode of the whole two series. Humphrey manages to get Jim to pick the Dean of Bailey College for the vacancy. Jim gets to take the credit for sending the Dean to intercede in the Middle East on behalf of a British nurse. Humphrey clears the path for himself to become Master of Bailey.
| In "A Victory for Democracy", which island does Hacker save from invasion (and in the process, upset the Foreign Office and Sir Humphrey) by sending an airborne battallion for a "goodwill visit"? | Yes, Prime Minister
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St George's Island. Jim and Bernard have to resort to consulting a globe to find out where St George's Island is.
| In "A Real Partnership", Bernard warns Sir Humphrey that Hacker is raising questions about a very important issue - which issue? | Yes, Prime Minister
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The Civil Service pay claim. Humphrey takes the opportunity to discredit the author of the pay claim, his rival Sir Frank, and put forward his own proposal.
Dorothy Wainwright. Frank Weisel was Hacker's political adviser in the earlier episodes of "Yes Minister". Diana Hioddinott played Annie, Jim's wife. Ronnie Hazelhurst composed the music for the show.
The Minister for Health. The plan includes a total ban on advertising and progressive tax increases until a packet of 20 cigarettes costs the same as a bottle of whisky. Humphrey says that only "fanatics" like doctors would support it.
| In "The Ministerial Broadcast", what was Hacker asked to consider before his Prime Ministerial broadcast was filmed? | Yes, Prime Minister
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Some dental work. The director of the broadcast was played by John Wells, who played Margaret Thatcher's husband Denis in the play "Anyone for Denis?". "Yes Minister" and "Yes, Prime Minister" were Margaret Thatcher's favourite comedy programmes.
| What name did Hacker give to his plan to reintroduce conscription, thus solving the problems of defence and unemployment? | Yes, Prime Minister
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The Grand Design. "The Grand Design" was the title of this, the first ever episode of "Yes, Prime Minister".
Annie. Annie Hacker was played by Diana Hoddinott. Lucy was the name of Jim's daughter.
| Managing the delicate balancing act of keeping the peace, and being an ally to Jim Hacker and Humphrey Appleby, was Bernard Woolley. Which future star of "Heartbeat" played him? | Yes, Prime Minister
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Derek Fowlds. A former master of the puppet Basil Brush, Derek Fowlds was superb as Bernard and went on to play Oscar Blaketon in "Heartbeat".
| The Cabinet Secretary, wily and highly intelligent, counteracted Hacker's "political will" with his "administrative won't". Who gave a masterly performance as Sir Humphrey Appleby? | Yes, Prime Minister
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Nigel Hawthorne. The late Sir Nigel Hawthorne (he was knighted in 1999) died in 2001, aged 72. On the international stage, he is probably best remembered for his Oscar-nominated performance in "The Madness of King George".
| Prime Minister Jim Hacker, idealistic but shrewd, was played to perfection by which great British comedy actor? | Yes, Prime Minister
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Paul Eddington. The late, great Paul Eddington also played Jerry Leadbetter in "The Good Life", alongside Richard Briers. He sadly died in 1995, aged 68.
| Normally, Sir Humphrey could get his way by doing an end-run around Jim Hacker. Over what issue did Hacker turn the tables and score "checkmate" against Sir Humphrey? | Yes Minister
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the creation of privacy safeguards for a national database. In that episode, named Big Brother, Hacker learns of Sir Humphrey's stalling technique from his predecessor, who is now sitting on the opposition benches.
| The second episode of 'Yes, Minister' sees Jim Hacker having to deal with the issue of where to schedule a visit from the president of Buranda. Where does the visit get scheduled to take place? | Yes Minister
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Scotland. They put it in Scotland because the Queen was scheduled to be at Balmoral. The real reason Hacker scheduled the visit there was because there were three by-elections coming up in Scotland, all in marginal constituencies.
| In the first year of 'Yes, Minister', this character served as Jim Hacker's political adviser and generally earned the enmity of Sir Humphrey Appleby. Who was he? | Yes Minister
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Frank Weisel. Sir Humphrey used to make it a point to refer to Frank as "Mr. Weasel". Bernard would generally do it by accident.
| Which British politician appeared with Jim Hacker and Sir Humphrey Appleby for a mini-episode of 'Yes Minister?' | Yes Minister
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Margaret Thatcher. Margaret Thatcher loved 'Yes Minister' so much that she and her Press Secretary, Bernard Ingram, wrote a 4 minute script where Thatcher instructs Hacker to get rid of economists, which Sir Humphrey happened to have one of his two degrees in.
The London School of Economics. Inner Temple is one of the law colleges in Britain. Sir Humphrey particularly looks down on the LSE, but it always seems to be Bernard who makes cracks about this to Hacker.
Humpy. Hacker discovers this in the second episode when they are traveling to Scotland to meet with the new president of Buranda, who went to college with Hacker.
| In the episode "The Right to Know", what does Hacker's daughter, Lucy, threaten to do to protest the potential destruction of a badger colony? | Yes Minister
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Protest in the nude. Lucy notifies her father of this through a letter. When Hacker asks his Private Secretary what angle the media will take, Bernard replies "A wide angle, I should think."
| Which actor played Sir Humphrey Appleby, the Permanent Secretary at Hacker's ministry? | Yes Minister
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Nigel Hawthorne. Fowlds played Bernard Woolley, Hacker's private secretary. Eddington played Hacker.
| What was the name of the magazine that Jim Hacker edited prior to his entry into politics? | Yes Minister
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Reform. Jim's wife, Annie, notes in one episode how Jim was "very much different" when he edited Reform, in that he was more demanding and less controlled by his subordinates.
| When Jim Hacker is chosen for the Cabinet, which department is he made minister for? | Yes Minister
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Administrative Affairs. When the television commentators are discussing Hacker's entry into Cabinet, they remark that the department is a bit of a "political graveyard."
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