[HN Gopher] The Chemistry of 'Yes Minister' (2017)
___________________________________________________________________
The Chemistry of 'Yes Minister' (2017)
Author : lnyan
Score : 89 points
Date : 2023-02-08 15:23 UTC (7 hours ago)
(HTM) web link (sphericalbullshit.wordpress.com)
(TXT) w3m dump (sphericalbullshit.wordpress.com)
| kwertyoowiyop wrote:
| The scary thing about Yes Minister is that most episodes were
| based on actual events.
| hnthrowaway0315 wrote:
| And will be relevant in after a thousand years.
| dghf wrote:
| When the EU and UK had that recent spat about sausages [1], my
| immediate reaction was "But ... this was an episode of Yes,
| Minister ..." [2].
|
| [1] https://www.rte.ie/brainstorm/2021/0614/1227938-sausages-
| bre...
|
| [2]
| https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0751812/plotsummary/?ref_=tt_ov...
| v8xi wrote:
| Just a helpful acrostic I remember from organic chemistry: ROMP.
| R is your reference chain, then ortho, meta, para as you go
| around the ring.
| db48x wrote:
| That is one of the more memorable episodes. Even the head of the
| British Chemical Corporation has no clue what he's talking about;
| he's a political appointee with no actual chemistry education,
| since this is a nationalized industry. They're not holding back
| in this episode.
| ly3xqhl8g9 wrote:
| "It would appear that the American report leaves some important
| questions unanswered, some of the evidence is inconclusive,
| some findings have been questioned, and the figures are open to
| interpretation and different results might come from a widened,
| more detailed study over a longer time scale." [1]--words that
| killed any possibility of science under the umbrella of the
| political since 1981.
|
| I don't understand why the author needs to qualify: " _Yes,
| Minister_ is one of the most seminal British political satires
| ", it simply is the most seminal political satires [2],
| together with the follow-up, _Yes, Prime Minister_ [3].
|
| [1] Around minute 25 of the episode 4, season 2.
|
| [2] Of course, some might say _de gustibus_ , however, even
| _Veep_ could not succeed in combining wit, humor, and relevancy
| in such a manner. Not to even mention the unique use of the
| English language: any of the Humphrey-ian soliloquyial
| verbiages is up there with any speech from Hamlet and above.
| The fact that there are so few episodes certainly helps in
| keeping the essence dense.
|
| [3] https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086831/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
| db48x wrote:
| I tend to agree. It's definitely a British television show,
| but it wipes the floor with any other political satire I've
| ever seen, British or otherwise. Of course I haven't watched
| all the television shows that ever aired, so... top 5 at
| least.
| dadadad100 wrote:
| "The thick of it" is right up there. Less about the process
| and more about the bullying. It's creator then created
| Veep.
| ly3xqhl8g9 wrote:
| And in between _Veep_ seasons made _The Death of Stalin_
| [1] in 2017: Steve Buscemi as Nikita Khrushchev is all I
| have to say.
|
| [1] https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4686844/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
| dghf wrote:
| And Jason Isaacs as Marshal Zhukov, with a Yorkshire
| accent because why not?
| ly3xqhl8g9 wrote:
| The accents were a brilliant move: instead of making them
| speak English with a Slavic accent, they use only heavy
| English accents as to demarcate and indicate the
| provenance of the speaker in the same manner as if they
| spoke actual Russian, Georgian, Ukrainian, and so forth.
|
| 'Director Iannucci explained the decision to Metro: "I
| felt Russian accents would just kill the comedy dead," he
| said. "It makes the whole thing artificial. It makes you
| feel like you're not there. And I want people to feel
| like they're there."' [1]
|
| [1] https://slate.com/culture/2018/03/in-praise-of-the-
| accents-i...
| ly3xqhl8g9 wrote:
| I watched the Zelenskyy political comedy series [1], well,
| because of the implication. In the same period, 2015-2019,
| there is also _Au service de la France_ [2]. They both have
| their moments, but they cannot deliver the constant
| overflow of satirical point-counterpoint in the same manner
| as _Yes, Minister_.
|
| [1] _Servant of the People_ ,
| https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6235122/?ref_=nm_knf_t_3
|
| [2] https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4367560/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1
| GeekyBear wrote:
| The bit on which group of people read which newspaper is an
| absolute gem.
|
| https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/yes_prime_minister/quotes/
| tialaramex wrote:
| Note that _particular_ gag is somewhat older, here 's an
| article dating it to 1973:
|
| https://www.dirtyfeed.org/2021/04/what-the-papers-say/
|
| [The writers for Yes Minister acknowledged that this
| wasn't their invention]
|
| The "tits" punchline used in later versions of the joke
| makes more sense in an era where the association between
| the role of Prime Minister and male gender is shaken,
| which in 1973 may still have seemed like a distant future
| possibility - whereas by the time Yes Minister was first
| broadcast Margaret Thatcher was in 10 Downing Street.
| TazeTSchnitzel wrote:
| Hey, the free market is also good at finding CEOs who don't
| understand their industries.
| alexwasserman wrote:
| When I was in high school (in the UK) we had a talk from someone
| who had been the Principle Private Secretary to the prime
| minister in the 80s and 90s, as well as cabinet secretary.
| Similar roles to Bernard and Sir Humphrey.
|
| He commented on how incredibly accurate the show was, not just in
| the humour, but in the rules, regulations, behaviour of the
| characters, etc.
|
| Even small details were accurate, like the time Jim (through
| Bernard) locks the door between Downing St and the cabinet
| office. We were told how there was a single door, and use was a
| privilege afforded to specific roles, and it could be cut off.
|
| For all its excellent humour, it was especially biting for how
| true and accurate it was about basically everything. The
| scenarios were all cleverly written to be generic enough to be
| timeless, while also specific enough to the time.
|
| We still argue about the value of nuclear deterrents, for
| example, and the politicians still mindlessly chase votes and
| vote winning ideas and slogans.
| raffraffraff wrote:
| My most rewatched show off all time
| onethought wrote:
| Modern Australian Equivalent of this is Utopia, though it's
| focused on the bureaucrats instead of the politicians.
| Chemistry/Writing/Performance all really hit the mark For the
| Australian Public Service.
| cjak wrote:
| And The Hollowmen, which is set in the Prime Minister's Office
| and is made by the same team.
| rcarmo wrote:
| I recently re-watched the first few seasons with my kids (who are
| now teens and were, beyond all expectations, absolutely riveted
| to the screen). I wholly agree with the "somewhat-Machiavellian"
| moniker regarding Sir Humphrey, but it is quite fun to watch the
| tables turn as the Minister (sometimes) gets the upper hand.
|
| That episode, in particular, was hilarious and felt very, very
| much up to date, and highlighted (also to my kids) how people "in
| charge" and "scientifically correct" could be overwhelmed and
| undermined by those kinds of situations.
| sundvor wrote:
| Thanks, I shall rewatch it with my 12 year old boy now - good
| tip! I'm already on a roll of watching classics not rewritten
| for a modern audience, it's been a complete hit so far.
|
| I completely loved it growing up in the 80s. It was simply
| brilliant. And as a Norwegian, I credit the show (along with
| Monty Python) with my spoken English ending up British style
| rather than American, which seems to have been the norm. My
| group of friends would mimic their ways of talking all day
| long. :)
| AlbertCory wrote:
| YM and YPM are amazing in that there are almost zero other
| political comedies that have any life beyond a year or two. Those
| shows are still hilarious even 30 years later.
|
| Last time this topic came up, someone put me on to "The Thick of
| It" which is quite different but also very funny. Too bad you
| have to subscribe to BritBox to see all of it, AFAIK.
| InCityDreams wrote:
| Would HIGNFY be considered a political comedy?
| mnd999 wrote:
| No it's a satirical panel show. And somewhat past it's best.
| AlbertCory wrote:
| Haven't seen that. In fact I had to look it up.
| zem wrote:
| quite possibly my favourite tv show of all time, though it's hard
| to compare across genres. definitely my favourite tv comedy,
| beating out even the excellent "jeeves and wooster" adaptation.
| randcraw wrote:
| Blackadder too? Bite my tongue.
| zem wrote:
| blackadder is awesome, but it can't match the sheer
| consistent quality and brilliance of dialogue in yes
| minister!
| ryzvonusef wrote:
| I miss this show and its characters.
|
| My father was a stenographer in a ministry (perhaps the Bernard
| equivalent), and he loved this show because it hit close to home,
| despite not being from the same country, issues were still the
| same. And I loved watching it with him.
|
| Now all three of the stars are dead, my father has passed away
| too, and every time I see a clip of the show on Youtube, it hurts
| a little, the nostalgia cuts.
| cletus wrote:
| I grew up watching Yes, (Prime)? Minister. The 70s to the early
| 80s were really the golden age of British TV. This show, Blake's
| 7 (if you like sci-fi and haven't seen this it's still great, go
| watch it), Dr Who's golden years (ie Tom Baker), even the
| Goodies. probably even Grange Hill (which had a high school
| student die of a heroin overdose).
|
| One particularly prescient piece was the Nuclear Deterrant [1].
| Even 40+ years ago this episode argued that nuclear weapons were
| mostly pointless because you'd never use them and instead you
| should invest in smart weapons. The linked segment even has a
| line that the Soviets can't take Western Europe, they can't even
| hold Afghanistan. Consider that in light of Ukraine. Think about
| where munitions have gone and "smart" weapons are particularly
| prevelent.
|
| And of course the writing and performance for Sir Humphrey in
| particular was absolutely top notch.
|
| [1]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o861Ka9TtT4
| karencarits wrote:
| > Nuclear Deterrant
|
| Also on Nuclear Deterrant: https://youtu.be/N6Et35vPYLg?t=184
| > Jim: Sometimes wonder why we need the weapons > Sir
| Humphrey: Minister, you are not a unilateralist? > Jim:
| Sometimes wonder, you know > Sir Humphrey: Well then
| you must resign from the government! > Jim: Nonono, I
| am not that unilateralist. The Americans will always protect us
| from the Russians, wouldn't they? > Sir Humphrey:
| Russians? Who's talking about the Russians? > Jim:
| Well, independent deterrent... > Sir Humphrey: It's to
| protect us against the French! > Jim: The French? But..
| But.. They are our allies! And partners! > Sir
| Humphrey: Well, that are now, but they've been our enemies for
| most of the past 900 years. If they have got the bomb, we must
| have the bomb
| dingosity wrote:
| Yup. Kind of amazing what you can do with decent stories.
| Blake's 7 and 70s Doctor Who were notorious for cheezy effects,
| sets, props and costumes. But the stories really were pretty
| decent. Blake's 7 eventually annoyed me by how slow it
| progressed, but if you relax and accept that it's slower than
| your typical trek episode, it's perfectly fine.
|
| The same era saw Survivors, The Tripods and Children of the
| Stones. Cheezy effects but very decent stories and still worth
| watching.
| raffraffraff wrote:
| After Stephen Greif left Blake's 7 and they replaced him with
| that awful guy, every episode with Space Commander Travis in
| it was excruciating. Apparently Mr Greif died last December.
| alexwasserman wrote:
| Yes, Minister was the original series.
|
| Yes, Prime Minister was a follow-up after Jim Hacker is elected
| Prime Minister. The series is just a continuation and just as
| funny, or more so.
| derefr wrote:
| I don't think the GP comment was asking a question in a
| parenthetical; rather, they were expressing the names of both
| shows together using regular-expression syntax.
| Mordisquitos wrote:
| True, though GP made a subtle mistake in not moving one
| space into the optional capture group. It should have been
| for example _/ Yes,( Prime)? Minister/_, lest it were to
| match Yes, Prime Minister Yes,
| Minister
| frupert52 wrote:
| Thank you Bernard. That will be all
| InCityDreams wrote:
| Source?
| valarauko wrote:
| Makes sense. In my case, I probably would have phrased it
| as a question myself, since I did watch them as a kid but
| honestly couldn't tell you which one of those I used to
| watch.
| secondcoming wrote:
| This [0] clip about Opinion Polls and National Service was an
| Ah-ha moment for me
|
| [0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahgjEjJkZks
| marcosdumay wrote:
| It doesn't say they are pointless. It says one would _never_
| use them (there is no worst case scenario that wouldn 't became
| worse by using them), but for them not to be used, one has to
| have them.
|
| Or, basically, it explained MAD.
| pixl97 wrote:
| Also the salami tactics episode was great.
| dingosity wrote:
| Don't you mean the "british offal tube" episode?
| labster wrote:
| Brexit means Brexit.
| hnthrowaway0315 wrote:
| YM and YPM are gems that will shine almost forever, as long as
| human minds don't change.
|
| Salut to the authors, and Salut to the trio that shall live
| eternally in our hearts.
| ur-whale wrote:
| One of the very best shows I've ever watched on TV.
|
| https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6BpkhAF8jQ
|
| https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvYuoWyk8iU
| jl6 wrote:
| If you've ever wondered why you like both Yes Minister and Clue
| (the 1985 movie), it's because they both come from the pen of
| Jonathan Lynn.
|
| Who can't hear an echo of Sir Humphrey in this exchange?:
|
| _Colonel Mustard: "No" meaning "yes?" Look, I want a straight
| answer, is there someone else, or isn't there, yes, or no?_
|
| _Wadsworth: No._
|
| _Colonel Mustard: No there is, or no there isn 't?_
|
| _Wadsworth: Yes._
| dingosity wrote:
| Growing up, my dad was a US Congressman (and later chief of staff
| of a different congressman's office and in retirement a minor
| functionary in the county tax office.)
|
| I LOVED Yes, Minister and Yes, Prime Minister. To this day I
| ramble on about meeting minutes in attempted imitation of
| Humphrey Appleby.
|
| I knew Jay and Lynn were onto something when my father watched 5
| minutes of one episode and said "I ain't watchin' that bullshit.
| It's too much like work."
|
| Speaking of chemistry, I caught the play at Chichester a while
| back (with different actors.) Perfectly good acting and perfectly
| good writing, but the "chemistry" was definitely different. Not
| better. Not worse. Just different.
| tolstoshev wrote:
| Reminds me of how Ozzy Osbourne didn't find Spinal Tap funny,
| and said that everything in the movie had happened to him
| including getting lost backstage:
| https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/ozzy-osbourne-didnt-laugh-this-...
___________________________________________________________________
(page generated 2023-02-08 23:00 UTC)