The "neck-hanging" gesture is referring to "honours", like "K.B.E" (Knight of the Order of the Brirish Empire"), which are notionally hung round necks or pinned on the bosom. Humphrey already has a number which he wants to display with pride. Honours will come up again with their own episode.
@Keith Beall Sir Humphrey is already Sir in this episode. He wants an upgrade to an even higher Order of honours... The ultimate is Order of the Garter
@@hoorooblu I can't remember what Knighthood he currently holds at this point in the series but it isn't Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael & St George (GCMC: God Calls Me God).
You'll find throughout Yes Minister and Yes Prime Minister series that sometimes Jim Hacker wins in an episode, and sometimes Humphrey wins. That's part of the enjoyment that you're not sure who is going to come out on top. Thanks for doing these reactions. Very enjoyable watching these again.
What I always loved with Yes Minister was how everyone has their price, and you can imagine this to be so accurate. Politicians, Civil servants, union leaders, the press, the BBC, the Church of England, the EU, literally everyone could be bribed 🤣
KBE means Knight of the British Empire. Bernard mentioned earlier that Humphrey is in line to getting this honour (order/medal), so Hacker mentioned it to him at the end to suggest that he could use his influence to speed up Humphrey receiving it. He effectively bribed Humphrey with the medal and title. That's why he says "everyone has his price". The President gets his essentially free oil rigs, Hacker avoids a diplomatic desaster and saves the scottish elections for his party and Humphrey gets his desired status upgrade. They are all joined in corruption.
At 08:12 when Jim Hacker says about Scotland: “It’s the pink bit about 2 feet (on the map) above Potters Bar”. He’s being sarcastic about Humphrey’s disdain for anything outside of London. Potters Bar is in Hertfordshire on the borders of North London.
A By-election is a constituency (special) election held outside a General Election because the 'seat' has become vacant by way of retirement, resignation or death of the sitting member of parliament; it's rare for these by-elections to bunch but it can happen if there are scandals involving a number of MPs.
Or after a change of government at a general election (which happened at the start of Yes Minister) when there can be a group of retirements from the former government now in opposition leading to a bunch of by-elections on the same day.
Or MP's are offered Diplomatic Posts, you win government and have a bunch of people from one of the other party factions you want to move aside in they are senior and old enough you send them off to the Lords, if they are not you make them Ambassadors or back then pack them off to the EU Parliament, their Seats become Vacant and you have to hold what the Yanks call a "Special Election".
"Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire", A small correction, but a vital one if you want to understand what the various awards are. Many people say someone got the "OBE" - Order of the British Empire; but it ACTUALLY stands for "Officer of the Order of the British Empire". Without the correct names, you cannot workoit what the relative value of the MBE, OBE, CBE and BE are.
The actor playing Sir Frederick/Jumbo, John Savident, has been in a lot of UK TV shows. Probably best known for his role as butcher Fred Elliott in the world's longest-running TV soap opera, "Coronation Street", in the 90s/00s.
Unfortunately I think our western leaders (certainly in Australia) are now using it as a training tool. I can’t believe how many press statements in the last 2 years have been almost direct quotes.
tended to use that for a telly that failed to work, the picture would come up, then collapse back down again, a swift hand slap to the right hand side fixed it for a while.
I live in Queensland in Australia.. the State Government here recently announced they have scrapped a Parliamentary rule that required all Cabinet deliberations to remain secret for 30 years and have introduced a rule to release Cabinet deliberations after 30 days. The reasons for the 30 year rule were all about privacy and protection of sensitive matters, the reality was no politician or public servant was likely to still be in the job 30 years later and couldn’t be held responsible for what happened and it could be fobbed off with well , that wasn’t us,that was a previous Government and it’s all in the past .
Freddie Laker was an entrepreneur who shook up the largely Government owned and run airline industry by founding Skytrain, intended to be a budget walk on-walk off operation. Huge resistance from all the big boys but he fought his way through and it was a great success to begin with.
Sir Humphrey is against the proposal set by the president (an implied despot or dictator) up until the point where he is made to realise that he will be more likely to get another medal or title if he can stop him from making an embarrassing speech. That is essentially all you need to understand about the episode and most specifically the last few seconds of it. In a sense, this central theme is an inversion of what you saw in the pilot: there, Hacker was trying to stop a deal going ahead with another country (in that case, the US) that would appear to put British jobs at risk and Humphrey was in favour of it, or at least used it as a means to dispel Hacker's view of "open government". Here, Hacker wants to go ahead with a deal with another country (Burundi) and Humphrey is against it, but Hacker uses Humphrey's one weakness to get him to use his superior skills at diplomacy. This is probably why you like Bernard the most out of the characters: in a sense we *are* him, watching the constant manipulation and power play between his superiors directed at each other. He has the function of interjecting to voice concerns (often comically) with their arguments and raising the same questions we want to ask them and then, whenever you ask yourself whether Humphrey or Hacker is "right" (whether politically, morally or simply within the logic of the storyline), he either steps out of the room or remains silent.
Yes, when I got the DVD box, I was surprised at first that the intro for the first episode was different. "Have they changed that classic intro for the DVD release??" is what I wondered, thinking maybe that there might have been some rights issues. I was very relieved when the second episode's intro was as I remembered it.
Hey glad to get your reaction. Glad you get the Bernard/Bernet thing, I can accept that as I now know you get it etc etc. Just keep on reacting and enjoying. In very recent days, this has taken on even more relevance. Keep on reacting on...
Understanding Humphrey I think is always possible, but you have to anticipate it coming, and you have to really REALLY concentrate to follow him to the end of the maze.
"This show is so awesome because it's not even satire, it's real." You are so right - it was Margaret Thatcher's favourite show. She said it was the closest portrayal of the British Civil Service she had ever seen.
9:24 He was asking if Humphrey had many honours to his name. He made the hang gesture to indicate chains, and badges, which people with honours often wear at official meetings.
They were on the Overnight train from London to Edinburgh (Scotland), it's a sleeper train, quite exciting to travel one which I did a few times early in my career.
What was amazing about the very first viewings of Yes Minister etc, was that it was just uncanny how we watched any episode about a particular topic and the national press reported on something in real life during the next week or so. The writers really knew how Humphrey's department, etc. went in real life. And over the years it was shown it got 'worse'...wonderful!
Your comment at the end of the episode is entirely correct, in my view. The emphasis on "democracy" being a "front" was never more true than it is today. But, I fear, it were ever thus.
much better than EP1 , the visual and verbal interaction comes into its own , with a belivable plotline while still introducing the machinations of state, etc.
A by election is when an MP resigns or dies and the constituency votes for a new member of parliament. It’s not a general election (when the whole country votes) it’s just the constituency (area) that was represented by that MP. This series was a great favourite of Margaret Thatcher (our first female prime minister) and the whole cynical point of it is that it’s the unelected civil servants who actually make the decisions and govern.
If you’re looking for new UK video, try the London to Brighton road rally for vehicles made before 1905. Held every year, very repetitive but fascinating.
A By-election fills an unexpected vacancy in Parliament during the interval between General Elections. You probably have a different word for the same thing.
When I lived in China one engineer told me it was his favorite show. Likewise dubbed into Chinese but after the first few episodes the CCP banned the show and all books. The penny had dropped this show is not just about UK politics but could be applied to all politics including Chinese.
TUC is the Trades Union Congress, the body that represents Trade Unions nationally. The CBI is the Confederation of British Industry, which represents big business.
A By election, an election to replace an MP who resigns, dies or for any reason has to be replaced before a General Election when the country as a whole elects a full set of MPs.
Yes, but this young man is patently one very smart guy. His desire to learn the arcane and vernacular is commendable and he realises that, once learnt, can be so rewarding. As an example, I recall an episode of Friends where Phoebe uses The Louisiana Purchase as a 'punchline' which prompted me to read up on it. What an interesting episode of America's history that was. So of course, he misses a few things but that is far outweighed by the value of what he learns.
Making your own point is can be but not always the same as missing someone else's. Two people can make two different points in the same conversation and still have it be a reasonable discussion, one emphasis placed on info not always being relevant to the audience, and another on how irrelevant information not always staying irrelevant.
Well put, @stephendisraeli1143. And I also like the last scene particularly, because it's so well-planned and all gets pulled together. Apart from using his speech, Charlie is doing what Jim said he used to do at university, keeping people a bit off-balance. Couple other things you were asking about, @McJibbin . . . Yes, Buranda is fictitious but probably meant to sound a bit like Burundi. Re by-elections, each of the members of Britain's Parliament represents a certain area (electorate, or seat, or constituency). When one of them dies, or resigns, or gets "kicked upstairs" to the House of Lords or whatever, a by-election is held in their electorate to elect a new member there. So it isn't a full general election. Having a big reception in the region (including the monarch) is likely to sway some votes. And at 25:30, Charlie is making clear he knows why the reception is being held in Scotland at just that time. Yes, 14:22 is a play on the n-word, although the play is on the fact that Jim doesn't know the meaning of "enigma". The n-word is disparaging and racist, but doesn't invoke the same viscerality as in the US. And very well anticipated regarding the Ireland reference at 20:25!
The actor who acts as the minister was in Australia and he had been having trouble with a rash in his hair. The doctors here told him that it was very advanced skin cancer. He died not long after.
A "bye election", is where a new member of parliament elected outside of the normal General Election timing, usually because of the death or resignation of the previous member
FORMER PRIME MINISTER MARGARET THATCHER LOVED THIS SHOW, SHE SAID I LEARN MORE FROM THIS TV PROG THAN , WHEN WORKING IN DOWNING STREET. THEY ARE ALL GREAT ACTORS, AND EVEN IF YOU CAN'T FOLLOW THE STORY, IT'S VERY FUNNY
Some things have changed, others haven't, but politics will forever be politics, even when what we argue over is fundamentally different. Throughout both history and prehistory, humans have discussed, argued and occasionally resolved ( in spirit but not letter) situations, opinions and opportunities, and regardless of who's doing this, whether it's the church, the government or average people, it stays relevant.
To your point about politicians and the civil servants who actually work in government you have watch the episode about public access and security. I think it is called The Need to Know or something like that.
Conor, re your commentary at the end , yes I get your gist ! It comes down to three phrases . 1. Real Politique. 2. Vested interests and 3. Pragmatism All 3 are what normally proves insurmountable to zealous new reformer politicians who’s vision normally gets watered down over time , just like Jim Hacker in the tv series 👍🏴
Buranda is a fake name, as is British Equatorial Africa, but they do refer to real places. Names changed to protect anyone involved in the (probable) real or similar event.
ive no idea why you dont shoot these videos as a livestreams, at least then viewers could interact with you and tell you all the bits you dont understand.
@@Steve-gc5nt he has done Google searches in the past but it is distracting from the flow of the reaction, so it’s good that he uses his judgement on whether or not to do a Google search.
You could look at an old UK TV series called house of cards it had a recent US remake set in the American political arena but the British original was excellent it was played straight no comedy but had some amazing dramatic points namely a comment made which passed in to actual political parlance “ you might very well think that, I couldn’t possibly comment”
Having watched both versions, whilst essentially telling the same story, I felt the US version had much higher production values and was a much better show as a result.
I wouldn't say that it had no comedy at all. It was all slightly exaggerated, and had some very dark humour, what with the main character being an outright villain. His name was Francis Urquhart in the British original, while his counterpart in the American remake was Frank Underwood. In either case, the initials were FU. Was that intentional? Well, "you may very well think so. I couldn't possibly comment." 😏
Yes!! 'A special affinity with the Celtic peoples'! Humphrey's attitude to Scotland was typical of the 'Establishment' in those days. We have our own Parliament now, but a lot of government decisions are still under the control of Westminster, rather than the Scottish Parliament. A lot of those views still hold. Another point at the time was that most of the oil is in Scottish waters and the infrastructure was manufactured here. As the African leader said, the rigs were Clyde built, (river Clyde flowing through Glasgow). The Westminster (British) parliament didn't want to acknowledge this.
I think the gesture at the neck was pretend-tugging on a white bow-tie, which is what you wear with extraordinarily fancy white-tie suits to formal events at the highest level of society. The referral to the Honours List - receiving a knightship or lordship - comes just after the tugging gesture at both sides of the throat.
...no, he is referring to Honour medals, which are worn around the neck. Lesser status medals are worn pinned over the heart, which is the preceeding motion. Jim is asking if Humpy has received any such awards, which is why Bernard replies 'several, and he's on the list for a KBE this year.' a line which makes zero sense if you think Jim is talking about a bowtie.
I love that you struggle with 'Bernard'......I did too when I lived in the States. We both have same spelling but you emphasise the second syllable and here we emphase the and totally swallow the second - in posh circles anyway. So try doing that and it will sound good here. (I remembered to spend time on the second syllable, with a very long aaarrrd at the end in the US)
@McJibbin No, Rwanda is a real central African country, bordered by Burundi to the south and the Congo to the west, Uganda to the north and Tanzania to the east. The fictional name Buranda is a combination of Rwanda and Burundi. A by-election is a small scale election to find a new MP for a constituency as the sitting MP has either died or resigned. There are many influences over a government proposal which may or may not need a new law or scheme. A government can be influenced by multiple inputs the backbenchers of their own party, the cabinet, the civil service, the opposition leader and their backbenchers, the press and media, the general public, think tanks (a well heeled and funded lobby group) and lobby groups. Ex MPs and Prime Ministers commenting in the media, the House of Lords, and Select Committees also have an influence.
The thing is that Sir Humphry doesn't represent conspiracy as much as reality. Part of his job is making sure that a moron politician can't burn down the whole country on a whim.
Wow, that's a great selection of British comedies that you intend viewing. Much for us to enjoy therefore too - Blackadder, Fawlty Towers, Peep Show, Inbetweeners. Excellent , perfect imo, if you also do Alan Partridge, and The Office, (original, UK, version). 👍👍👍
Connor - you are so damn cute and you're learning too. You get it! Congratulations! bts Yes Minister and Yes Prime Minister are my two favorite shows too!
Connor, it's a classic comedy still repeated on the BBC & Freeview channels. It just shows you how stupid politicians are & how clever the civil servants are. I never get tired of f watching it. I love the fact you are enjoying the show. Your blogs are so diverse with History, comedy ect. You may also like to watch "Are you being served" a comedy show set in a department store, set in London.
I get exactly what you were saying at the end. The pretense of democracy, not in that the people most voted for don't end up in the top jobs, but in that the country isn't really run by those that win elections, but by those already in positions of power that don't have to be elected every 4 years.
Yes it is timeless and universal, in fact Margaret Thatcher the British prime minister at the time, thought the programme was totally accurate, she did a re-enactment and appeared with the actors.
It is not bern-ǝt it is bern-ǝd The final letter is "d" not "t" just as it is in the spelling of the name "Bernard". The Americans and the French stress the second syllable, the English speaking world stresses the first.
Conor , a by-election is an election for an MP that is out with normal time term of office . Usually these occur when a sitting incumbent dies or resigns during his term , usually due to a scandal OR in some cases when a sitting MP suddenly decided he wants to swap parties and feels he needs to legitimise that change by resigning and forcing another vote . 👍🏴
A by-election is where a 'sitting' MP dies, resigns or is removed (usually due to criminal activity). There is then a vacancy in the constituency and a mini election is called to replace the departed MP. It is quite common for the governing party to loose these as a protest vote.
Civil servants at Humphrey’s level were often awarded “honours “ by her majesty. They are letters after your name. One of the most often used is OBE. Order of the British empire. You can google them all. You will have noticed that Humphrey is a Knight. Sir Humphrey! Similarly another honour. You really must distinguish between civil servants and Ministers who are elected politicians elevated by the Prime Minister into running Departments of State which is what Jim does. Until the programme becomes yes PM when his colleagues elect him to the top job. He then elects to promote Humphrey an£ Bernard to his officials in his new job.
The "neck-hanging" gesture is referring to "honours", like "K.B.E" (Knight of the Order of the Brirish Empire"), which are notionally hung round necks or pinned on the bosom. Humphrey already has a number which he wants to display with pride. Honours will come up again with their own episode.
Well said.
Humphrey is hoping to become Sir Humphrey
@Keith Beall Sir Humphrey is already Sir in this episode. He wants an upgrade to an even higher Order of honours... The ultimate is Order of the Garter
@@hoorooblu I can't remember what Knighthood he currently holds at this point in the series but it isn't Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael & St George (GCMC: God Calls Me God).
@@Kian2002 oh! 😂
I’m back to this channel because I hear you’re doing yes minister and no one else is doing it. PLEASE continue. It gets better and better.
Medals, honours.
Silly English gongs
You'll find throughout Yes Minister and Yes Prime Minister series that sometimes Jim Hacker wins in an episode, and sometimes Humphrey wins. That's part of the enjoyment that you're not sure who is going to come out on top.
Thanks for doing these reactions. Very enjoyable watching these again.
What I always loved with Yes Minister was how everyone has their price, and you can imagine this to be so accurate.
Politicians, Civil servants, union leaders, the press, the BBC, the Church of England, the EU, literally everyone could be bribed 🤣
And atleast in one episode, if memory serves me, they both win in the end. :)
Hacker wins only because he has a super secret agent who helps him (Bernard) against Sir Humphrey's schemes
KBE means Knight of the British Empire. Bernard mentioned earlier that Humphrey is in line to getting this honour (order/medal), so Hacker mentioned it to him at the end to suggest that he could use his influence to speed up Humphrey receiving it. He effectively bribed Humphrey with the medal and title. That's why he says "everyone has his price". The President gets his essentially free oil rigs, Hacker avoids a diplomatic desaster and saves the scottish elections for his party and Humphrey gets his desired status upgrade. They are all joined in corruption.
At 08:12 when Jim Hacker says about Scotland: “It’s the pink bit about 2 feet (on the map) above Potters Bar”. He’s being sarcastic about Humphrey’s disdain for anything outside of London. Potters Bar is in Hertfordshire on the borders of North London.
There was also the Alf Garnett mentality at the time of "They're all heathens north of Potter's Bar, and the wogs start at Calais."
Well, a bit, it's mostly a rejoinder to Humphrey saying Buranda is the 'red bit two inches below the mediteranean"
@@Belzediel yes, you’re right, again!
A By-election is a constituency (special) election held outside a General Election because the 'seat' has become vacant by way of retirement, resignation or death of the sitting member of parliament; it's rare for these by-elections to bunch but it can happen if there are scandals involving a number of MPs.
Or after a change of government at a general election (which happened at the start of Yes Minister) when there can be a group of retirements from the former government now in opposition leading to a bunch of by-elections on the same day.
Or MP's are offered Diplomatic Posts, you win government and have a bunch of people from one of the other party factions you want to move aside in they are senior and old enough you send them off to the Lords, if they are not you make them Ambassadors or back then pack them off to the EU Parliament, their Seats become Vacant and you have to hold what the Yanks call a "Special Election".
@@oneeyedrichmond death, elevation to the lords or retirement to the chiltern hundreds.
I loved your reaction when you understood Humphrey's long winded speech. It is a real coup if you can understand him.
A by-election would be equivalent to a special election for a senator or governor of a state in the US.
It's "bern-erd". There is an episode where Bernard explains the meanings of the honors.
KBE - Knight Commander of the British Empire - one of all sorts of awards and medals handed out to Important People like Humphrey.
"Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire", A small correction, but a vital one if you want to understand what the various awards are. Many people say someone got the "OBE" - Order of the British Empire; but it ACTUALLY stands for "Officer of the Order of the British Empire". Without the correct names, you cannot workoit what the relative value of the MBE, OBE, CBE and BE are.
@@martinbynion1589 I stand corrected.
Always a joy to watch your reaction to this wonderful series. I hope you get to watch more and see how Hacker finally gets the top job.
Greatest sitcom ever imo. Even now i still laugh my arse off watching it
So funny, one of my all time favorite shows, and shines a light on the real workings of politics.
"I know it's Burn-ahhhd" is an awesome clarification. Never change!
The actor playing Sir Frederick/Jumbo, John Savident, has been in a lot of UK TV shows. Probably best known for his role as butcher Fred Elliott in the world's longest-running TV soap opera, "Coronation Street", in the 90s/00s.
Yes Minister/Prime Minister - part comedy part documentary.
Unfortunately I think our western leaders (certainly in Australia) are now using it as a training tool. I can’t believe how many press statements in the last 2 years have been almost direct quotes.
"On the blink" is a common idiom that means intermitantly faulty, think of an electic or neon light that keeps flickering on and off
Also known as 'On the Fritz' though that might not be an Americanism either. . .
tended to use that for a telly that failed to work, the picture would come up, then collapse back down again, a swift hand slap to the right hand side fixed it for a while.
I live in Queensland in Australia.. the State Government here recently announced they have scrapped a Parliamentary rule that required all Cabinet deliberations to remain secret for 30 years and have introduced a rule to release Cabinet deliberations after 30 days. The reasons for the 30 year rule were all about privacy and protection of sensitive matters, the reality was no politician or public servant was likely to still be in the job 30 years later and couldn’t be held responsible for what happened and it could be fobbed off with well , that wasn’t us,that was a previous Government and it’s all in the past .
Freddie Laker was an entrepreneur who shook up the largely Government owned and run airline industry by founding Skytrain, intended to be a budget walk on-walk off operation. Huge resistance from all the big boys but he fought his way through and it was a great success to begin with.
Until the banks asked for the loans to Laker Airways. I don't know if the big airlines had anything to do with it.
The foreign minister gets his foreign information from the tv, which is hilarious
Sir Humphrey is against the proposal set by the president (an implied despot or dictator) up until the point where he is made to realise that he will be more likely to get another medal or title if he can stop him from making an embarrassing speech. That is essentially all you need to understand about the episode and most specifically the last few seconds of it.
In a sense, this central theme is an inversion of what you saw in the pilot: there, Hacker was trying to stop a deal going ahead with another country (in that case, the US) that would appear to put British jobs at risk and Humphrey was in favour of it, or at least used it as a means to dispel Hacker's view of "open government". Here, Hacker wants to go ahead with a deal with another country (Burundi) and Humphrey is against it, but Hacker uses Humphrey's one weakness to get him to use his superior skills at diplomacy.
This is probably why you like Bernard the most out of the characters: in a sense we *are* him, watching the constant manipulation and power play between his superiors directed at each other. He has the function of interjecting to voice concerns (often comically) with their arguments and raising the same questions we want to ask them and then, whenever you ask yourself whether Humphrey or Hacker is "right" (whether politically, morally or simply within the logic of the storyline), he either steps out of the room or remains silent.
Ah, that classic caricature intro! Only began with the second episode but glad it remained!
Yes, when I got the DVD box, I was surprised at first that the intro for the first episode was different. "Have they changed that classic intro for the DVD release??" is what I wondered, thinking maybe that there might have been some rights issues. I was very relieved when the second episode's intro was as I remembered it.
Hey glad to get your reaction. Glad you get the Bernard/Bernet thing, I can accept that as I now know you get it etc etc. Just keep on reacting and enjoying. In very recent days, this has taken on even more relevance. Keep on reacting on...
Understanding Humphrey I think is always possible, but you have to anticipate it coming, and you have to really REALLY concentrate to follow him to the end of the maze.
Hello from The Netherlands, thank you for the vid young sir.
"This show is so awesome because it's not even satire, it's real." You are so right - it was Margaret Thatcher's favourite show. She said it was the closest portrayal of the British Civil Service she had ever seen.
9:24 He was asking if Humphrey had many honours to his name. He made the hang gesture to indicate chains, and badges, which people with honours often wear at official meetings.
The cartoons at the start were done by Gerald Scarfe, who also worked with Pink Floyd on The Wall
By election: An MP has resigned their seat or has died. So the constituency holds an election for a new MP mid-parliament
They were on the Overnight train from London to Edinburgh (Scotland), it's a sleeper train, quite exciting to travel one which I did a few times early in my career.
I cant beleive this is over 40 years old... its as fresh today as it was then (if you excuse the references to the period)..wonderful stuff.
That's both the blessing and curse of politics, is that it stays relevant both when you think it should and when you think it shouldn't.
It took me ages to realise the theme tune was based on the chimes of Big Ben. Genius.
Loveeee this series. Each series gets better and better
My father, who was a very senior civil servant told me that all the Government ministers watched this programme avidly!
What was amazing about the very first viewings of Yes Minister etc, was that it was just uncanny how we watched any episode about a particular topic and the national press reported on something in real life during the next week or so. The writers really knew how Humphrey's department, etc. went in real life. And over the years it was shown it got 'worse'...wonderful!
Derek Fowlds (Bernard) tried to buy an original of one of the Scarfe caricatures and found he couldn't afford it.
Your comment at the end of the episode is entirely correct, in my view. The emphasis on "democracy" being a "front" was never more true than it is today. But, I fear, it were ever thus.
The neck gesture was indicating a medal on a ribbon like the medal of honor.
Britishg humour at it's best. A brilliant scriptwriter.
Connor....here, BERnard, in the US, BerNARD. Same thing with Cyril, I think.
much better than EP1 , the visual and verbal interaction comes into its own , with a belivable plotline while still introducing the machinations of state, etc.
A by election is when an MP resigns or dies and the constituency votes for a new member of parliament. It’s not a general election (when the whole country votes) it’s just the constituency (area) that was represented by that MP.
This series was a great favourite of Margaret Thatcher (our first female prime minister) and the whole cynical point of it is that it’s the unelected civil servants who actually make the decisions and govern.
If you’re looking for new UK video, try the London to Brighton road rally for vehicles made before 1905. Held every year, very repetitive but fascinating.
That was quite tense with some twists and turns but was ultimately quite anti-climactic. I'm talking about Connor's sneeze attempt not Yes Minister 🤧
We would say that sir Humphrey had "swallowed the dictionary"
A By-election fills an unexpected vacancy in Parliament during the interval between General Elections. You probably have a different word for the same thing.
I think the US term is Special Election.
This programme was dubbed into Russian and shown through the USSR. It became a firm favourite there. So Russian politicians are the same!
When I lived in China one engineer told me it was his favorite show. Likewise dubbed into Chinese but after the first few episodes the CCP banned the show and all books. The penny had dropped this show is not just about UK politics but could be applied to all politics including Chinese.
LSE = London School of Economics. A recurring joke as it's not seen as on the same level as the other universities; both of them.
TUC is the Trades Union Congress, the body that represents Trade Unions nationally. The CBI is the Confederation of British Industry, which represents big business.
I was eager to see how you’d react to the enigma bit. Always flew over my head as a kid as as an Aussie I’d had no exposure to the other word
What your trying to say at the end has a sardonic saying. "It dosen't matter who you vote for, the government always gets in!"
A By election, an election to replace an MP who resigns, dies or for any reason has to be replaced before a General Election when the country as a whole elects a full set of MPs.
Nobody who would change the system, will be allowed to become Prime Minister. Just like Teresa May said.
For a young American guy, unless you're a student of twentieth century British political history, a lot of this would seem quite obscure
Yes, but this young man is patently one very smart guy. His desire to learn the arcane and vernacular is commendable and he realises that, once learnt, can be so rewarding. As an example, I recall an episode of Friends where Phoebe uses The Louisiana Purchase as a 'punchline' which prompted me to read up on it. What an interesting episode of America's history that was.
So of course, he misses a few things but that is far outweighed by the value of what he learns.
@@bayadere8308 I think you missed my point, I'm quite impressed.
Making your own point is can be but not always the same as missing someone else's. Two people can make two different points in the same conversation and still have it be a reasonable discussion, one emphasis placed on info not always being relevant to the audience, and another on how irrelevant information not always staying irrelevant.
Well put, @stephendisraeli1143. And I also like the last scene particularly, because it's so well-planned and all gets pulled together. Apart from using his speech, Charlie is doing what Jim said he used to do at university, keeping people a bit off-balance. Couple other things you were asking about, @McJibbin . . .
Yes, Buranda is fictitious but probably meant to sound a bit like Burundi.
Re by-elections, each of the members of Britain's Parliament represents a certain area (electorate, or seat, or constituency). When one of them dies, or resigns, or gets "kicked upstairs" to the House of Lords or whatever, a by-election is held in their electorate to elect a new member there. So it isn't a full general election. Having a big reception in the region (including the monarch) is likely to sway some votes. And at 25:30, Charlie is making clear he knows why the reception is being held in Scotland at just that time.
Yes, 14:22 is a play on the n-word, although the play is on the fact that Jim doesn't know the meaning of "enigma". The n-word is disparaging and racist, but doesn't invoke the same viscerality as in the US.
And very well anticipated regarding the Ireland reference at 20:25!
The pink bits on the map are British territories, commonwealth countries and colonies
'Bernard' is pronounced 'Burnurd', not 'Burnert' (and certainly not 'Bernaard'!).
Hilarious train scene - paying homage to the Marx Brothers ( "A Night at the Opera" ) 😂
A scene based on actual events.
The actor who acts as the minister was in Australia and he had been having trouble with a rash in his hair. The doctors here told him that it was very advanced skin cancer. He died not long after.
I'm sure you've figured it out by now, that the last line of dialogue in each episode is "Yes, Minister" then "Yes, Prime Minister".
A "bye election", is where a new member of parliament elected outside of the normal General Election timing, usually because of the death or resignation of the previous member
I love this documentary series 🎉
FORMER PRIME MINISTER MARGARET THATCHER LOVED THIS SHOW, SHE SAID I LEARN MORE FROM THIS TV PROG THAN , WHEN WORKING IN DOWNING STREET. THEY ARE ALL GREAT ACTORS, AND EVEN IF YOU CAN'T FOLLOW THE STORY, IT'S VERY FUNNY
over 40 years on...and Nothing Has Changed! This is how the world works.
Some things have changed, others haven't, but politics will forever be politics, even when what we argue over is fundamentally different. Throughout both history and prehistory, humans have discussed, argued and occasionally resolved ( in spirit but not letter) situations, opinions and opportunities, and regardless of who's doing this, whether it's the church, the government or average people, it stays relevant.
To your point about politicians and the civil servants who actually work in government you have watch the episode about public access and security. I think it is called The Need to Know or something like that.
Conor, re your commentary at the end , yes I get your gist ! It comes down to three phrases . 1. Real Politique. 2. Vested interests and 3. Pragmatism
All 3 are what normally proves insurmountable to zealous new reformer politicians who’s vision normally gets watered down over time , just like Jim Hacker in the tv series
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Buranda is a fake name, as is British Equatorial Africa, but they do refer to real places. Names changed to protect anyone involved in the (probable) real or similar event.
ive no idea why you dont shoot these videos as a livestreams, at least then viewers could interact with you and tell you all the bits you dont understand.
Good idea. Plus our guy often forgets he has Google at his finger tips!
@@Steve-gc5nt he has done Google searches in the past but it is distracting from the flow of the reaction, so it’s good that he uses his judgement on whether or not to do a Google search.
You could look at an old UK TV series called house of cards it had a recent US remake set in the American political arena but the British original was excellent it was played straight no comedy but had some amazing dramatic points namely a comment made which passed in to actual political parlance “ you might very well think that, I couldn’t possibly comment”
Having watched both versions, whilst essentially telling the same story, I felt the US version had much higher production values and was a much better show as a result.
I wouldn't say that it had no comedy at all. It was all slightly exaggerated, and had some very dark humour, what with the main character being an outright villain. His name was Francis Urquhart in the British original, while his counterpart in the American remake was Frank Underwood. In either case, the initials were FU. Was that intentional? Well, "you may very well think so. I couldn't possibly comment." 😏
KBE = Knight of the Order of the British Empire. A "by election" is to fill a vacancy. In America they are called "special elections".
Yes yes yes! Thank you thank you thank you!
A by election is an isolated election in a constituency in between general elections (when everyone votes).
Yes!! 'A special affinity with the Celtic peoples'! Humphrey's attitude to Scotland was typical of the 'Establishment' in those days. We have our own Parliament now, but a lot of government decisions are still under the control of Westminster, rather than the Scottish Parliament. A lot of those views still hold. Another point at the time was that most of the oil is in Scottish waters and the infrastructure was manufactured here. As the African leader said, the rigs were Clyde built, (river Clyde flowing through Glasgow). The Westminster (British) parliament didn't want to acknowledge this.
26:53, be warned, the "minispeeches" will get more convoluted in future episodes. Subtitles *will* help.
I think the gesture at the neck was pretend-tugging on a white bow-tie, which is what you wear with extraordinarily fancy white-tie suits to formal events at the highest level of society. The referral to the Honours List - receiving a knightship or lordship - comes just after the tugging gesture at both sides of the throat.
...no, he is referring to Honour medals, which are worn around the neck. Lesser status medals are worn pinned over the heart, which is the preceeding motion. Jim is asking if Humpy has received any such awards, which is why Bernard replies 'several, and he's on the list for a KBE this year.' a line which makes zero sense if you think Jim is talking about a bowtie.
I love that you struggle with 'Bernard'......I did too when I lived in the States. We both have same spelling but you emphasise the second syllable and here we emphase the and totally swallow the second - in posh circles anyway. So try doing that and it will sound good here. (I remembered to spend time on the second syllable, with a very long aaarrrd at the end in the US)
@McJibbin No, Rwanda is a real central African country, bordered by Burundi to the south and the Congo to the west, Uganda to the north and Tanzania to the east. The fictional name Buranda is a combination of Rwanda and Burundi. A by-election is a small scale election to find a new MP for a constituency as the sitting MP has either died or resigned. There are many influences over a government proposal which may or may not need a new law or scheme. A government can be influenced by multiple inputs the backbenchers of their own party, the cabinet, the civil service, the opposition leader and their backbenchers, the press and media, the general public, think tanks (a well heeled and funded lobby group) and lobby groups. Ex MPs and Prime Ministers commenting in the media, the House of Lords, and Select Committees also have an influence.
16:40 - "...charted from Freddie Laker..." Laker was the owner of early budget airline.
It took me decades to get the Enigma joke.
The thing is that Sir Humphry doesn't represent conspiracy as much as reality. Part of his job is making sure that a moron politician can't burn down the whole country on a whim.
Wow, that's a great selection of British comedies that you intend viewing. Much for us to enjoy therefore too - Blackadder, Fawlty Towers, Peep Show, Inbetweeners. Excellent , perfect imo, if you also do Alan Partridge, and The Office, (original, UK, version). 👍👍👍
A by-Election is aclocal election to elect the local representative for a constituency when the existing representative steps down, dies or resigns.
Connor - you are so damn cute and you're learning too. You get it! Congratulations! bts Yes Minister and Yes Prime Minister are my two favorite shows too!
Connor, it's a classic comedy still repeated on the BBC & Freeview channels. It just shows you how stupid politicians are & how clever the civil servants are. I never get tired of f watching it. I love the fact you are enjoying the show. Your blogs are so diverse with History, comedy ect. You may also like to watch "Are you being served" a comedy show set in a department store, set in London.
you are correct this show is timeless
Keep in mind this is Yes Minister.......Jim isn't prime minister......yet. Hunt for the episode where he becomes Prime Minister.....it's a hoot.
Byelection is when an election occurs outside of normal election time.
I get exactly what you were saying at the end. The pretense of democracy, not in that the people most voted for don't end up in the top jobs, but in that the country isn't really run by those that win elections, but by those already in positions of power that don't have to be elected every 4 years.
Yes it is timeless and universal, in fact Margaret Thatcher the British prime minister at the time, thought the programme was totally accurate, she did a re-enactment and appeared with the actors.
Buranda looks like a cross between Burundi and Uganda.
It is not bern-ǝt it is bern-ǝd The final letter is "d" not "t" just as it is in the spelling of the name "Bernard". The Americans and the French stress the second syllable, the English speaking world stresses the first.
The best character in the whole series works on the street with chaps
There's a line later on in the series which sums it up: the foreign office isn't there to do things it's to explain why things can't be done!
I give you Sudan last week
Love your intro you dig a hole then jump out.
We all love Burnett now!
You need to watch more, they explain how the system is designed to stop the government from Carrying out its policies in season 3.
Conor , a by-election is an election for an MP that is out with normal time term of office . Usually these occur when a sitting incumbent dies or resigns during his term , usually due to a scandal OR in some cases when a sitting MP suddenly decided he wants to swap parties and feels he needs to legitimise that change by resigning and forcing another vote .
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Note they forgot to put a roof and the train car they are all piled into.
Honours are stuff like getting knighted .. theres a whole bunch of em
Monsieur wiv dees long episodes you are shpoiling uzzz.
Another whole one ! 😮
A by-election is where a 'sitting' MP dies, resigns or is removed (usually due to criminal activity). There is then a vacancy in the constituency and a mini election is called to replace the departed MP. It is quite common for the governing party to loose these as a protest vote.
the removal is normally by way of Recall ?
Civil servants at Humphrey’s level were often awarded “honours “ by her majesty. They are letters after your name. One of the most often used is OBE. Order of the British empire. You can google them all. You will have noticed that Humphrey is a Knight. Sir Humphrey! Similarly another honour.
You really must distinguish between civil servants and Ministers who are elected politicians elevated by the Prime Minister into running Departments of State which is what Jim does. Until the programme becomes yes PM when his colleagues elect him to the top job. He then elects to promote Humphrey an£ Bernard to his officials in his new job.