Episodes cast for
"Yes, Prime Minister" (1986) More at IMDbPro »

Season: 1 | 2
Year: 1986 | 1987 | 1988

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Season 1

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Season 1, Episode 1: The Grand Design

9 January 1986
The new Prime Minister is preoccupied with defense issues as he begins to learn some of the details, such as the Russians having six times as many nuclear weapons as the UK or that the armed forces could withstand a conventional attack for 72 hours at best. As only Jim Hacker can do, his "Grand Design" is less than practical and it is left to Sir Humphrey, now Cabinet Secretary, to inject a dose of realism. The PM also wants a cook for 10 Downing St., but wants the government rather than himself to pay.

	Paul Eddington	...	James Hacker
	Nigel Hawthorne	...	Sir Humphrey Appleby
	Derek Fowlds	...	Bernard Woolley
	Frederick Treves	...	Chief of the Defence Staff
	Oscar Quitak	...	Chief Scientific Advisor
	Diana Hoddinott	...	Annie Hacker
	Barry Stanton	...	Malcolm Warren - Press Office
	Jonathan Stephens	...	Security
	Miranda Forbes	...	Secretary

Season 1, Episode 2: The Ministerial Broadcast

16 January 1986
Jim Hacker plans to introduce his "Grand Design" to the British public during his first broadcast as the new P.M. However, Humphrey continues to try to convince Hacker to hold off, planning to let it die.

	Paul Eddington	...	James Hacker
	Nigel Hawthorne	...	Sir Humphrey Appleby
	Derek Fowlds	...	Bernard Woolley
	John Wells	...	Godfrey - TV Producer
	Barry Stanton	...	Malcolm Warren - Press Office
	Brian Gwaspari	...	David - Employment Secretary
	Carolyn Lyster	...	Makeup Artist

Season 1, Episode 3: The Smoke Screen

23 January 1986
Sir Humphrey opposes P.M. Hacker's plan to cut taxes, so Hacker steers the Minister for Health into campaigning against smoking as a diversion.

	Paul Eddington	...	James Hacker
	Nigel Hawthorne	...	Sir Humphrey Appleby
	Derek Fowlds	...	Bernard Woolley
	John Barron	...	Sir Ian Whitworth - DHSS Secretary
	Clive Merrison	...	Dr. Peter Thorn - Minister of State at the DHSS
	Peter Cellier	...	Sir Frank Gordon, Permanent Secretary of the Treasury
	Bill Wallis	...	Leslie Potts - Minister for Sport
	Brian Hawksley	...	Gerald - Chairman British Tobacco Group

Season 1, Episode 4: The Key

30 January 1986
Sir Humphrey has to scramble when the Prime Minister's Political Advisor, Mrs. Wainwright's, convinces the PM that she should get her old office back. Sir Humphrey and his predecessors have been trying to get her moved for years but he may have met his match when she also suggests to the PM that he re-assign Sir Humphrey's responsibilities for promotions and appointments. When the PM orders Bernard to take away Sir Humphrey key to the door connecting the Cabinet Office to 10n Downing St., the Cabinet Secretary sees the light.

	Paul Eddington	...	James Hacker
	Nigel Hawthorne	...	Sir Humphrey Appleby
	Derek Fowlds	...	Bernard Woolley
	Peter Cellier	...	Sir Frank Gordon, Permanent Secretary of the Treasury
	Deborah Norton	...	Dorothy Wainwright, Political Advisor
	Victor Winding	...	Policeman

Season 1, Episode 5: A Real Partnership

6 February 1986
The Prime Minister must deal with a worsening financial crisis that requires all government Departments to cut their budgets. The belt-tightening coincides with a hoped-for civil service pay increase and Sir Humphrey and Sir Frank Gordon, the Treasury Secretary, decide they need to ensure the pay rise is announced as soon as possible. The PM thinks he has Sir Humphrey this time when his political adviser provides challenging questions about the pay rise. Sir Humphrey seeks advice from his predecessor, Sir Arnold Robinson, and develops a plan to win over the PM.

	Paul Eddington	...	James Hacker
	Nigel Hawthorne	...	Sir Humphrey Appleby
	Derek Fowlds	...	Bernard Woolley
	John Nettleton	...	Sir Arnold Robinson
	Peter Cellier	...	Sir Frank Gordon
	Deborah Norton	...	Dorothy Wainwright
	Diana Hoddinott	...	Annie Hacker

Season 1, Episode 6: A Victory for Democracy

13 February 1986
The Foreign Office is having problems with the PM who is starting to question their advice in favour of a more pro-US line. In question is the political situation in St. Georges' island where Marxist guerrillas are posing a threat and am impending vote at the UN to condemn Israel. Sir Humphrey and his Foreign Office counterpart connive, of course, to ensure that the PM sees things their way. The PM, however, sets about to outwit them.

	Paul Eddington	...	James Hacker
	Nigel Hawthorne	...	Sir Humphrey Appleby
	Derek Fowlds	...	Bernard Woolley
	Clive Francis	...	Luke
	Ronald Hines	...	Foreign Secretary
	Donald Pickering	...	Sir Richard Wharton
	David de Keyser	...	Israeli Ambassador (as David De Keyser)

Season 1, Episode 7: The Bishops Gambit

20 February 1986
P.M. Hacker is to appoint a new bishop, and Sir Humphrey may secure a cushy appointment on retirement if he can convince Hacker to appoint the current Dean to the bishopric.

	Paul Eddington	...	James Hacker
	Nigel Hawthorne	...	Sir Humphrey Appleby
	Derek Fowlds	...	Bernard Woolley
	Frank Middlemass	...	The Master of Ballie College
	William Fox	...	The Bursar of Balliol College
	Ronnie Stevens	...	Peter Harding
	Donald Pickering	...	Sir Richard Wharton
	Diana Hoddinott	...	Annie Hacker
	Sue Lawley	...	Herself (voice) (uncredited)

Season 1, Episode 8: One of Us

27 February 1986
It is revealed that a deceased Cabinet member was a spy, although an inquiry chaired by Sir Humphrey in the 1970's cleared him of suspicion. Humphrey arranges for P.M. Hacker to authorize rescuing a child's dog from a missile range to raise his popularity.

	Paul Eddington	...	James Hacker
	Nigel Hawthorne	...	Sir Humphrey Appleby
	Derek Fowlds	...	Bernard Woolley
	Michael Aldridge	...	Geoffrey - Director General MI5
	John Nettleton	...	Sir Arnold Robinson
	John Normington	...	Sir Norman Block
	Diana Hoddinott	...	Annie Hacker
	Martin Muncaster	...	Newscaster
	Miranda Forbes	...	Secretary

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Season 2

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Season 2, Episode 1: Man Overboard

26 November 1987
The Employment Secretary wants to move army regiments to north England to save money, so Sir Humphrey leads P.M. Hacker to believe the Employment Secretary is after the P.M.'s job.

	Paul Eddington	...	James Hacker
	Nigel Hawthorne	...	Sir Humphrey Appleby
	Derek Fowlds	...	Bernard Woolley
	John Nettleton	...	Sir Arnold Robinson
	Michael Byrne	...	Employment Secretary
	Frederick Treves	...	Chief of Defence Staff
	Peter Cartwright	...	Chief Whip
	David Glover
	David Conville
	Philip Anthony
	Philip Blaine
	Geoffrey Cousins
	Hilary Field

Season 2, Episode 2: Official Secrets

10 December 1987
P.M. Hacker wants to prevent publication of the unflattering memoirs of the previous P.M. as an official secret, and a furor erupts in the press when his actions are leaked by the press.

	Paul Eddington	...	James Hacker
	Nigel Hawthorne	...	Sir Humphrey Appleby
	Derek Fowlds	...	Bernard Woolley
	Antony Carrick	...	Bill Pritchard
	Jeffrey Wickham	...	Solicitor General (as Jeffry Wickham)
	Denis Lill	...	Derek Burnham
	Tom Bowles
	Sadie Hamilton
	Jamie Newell		(as James Newall)
	Michael Shallard

Season 2, Episode 3: A Diplomatic Incident

17 December 1987
When the French hold out for primacy over a sub-Channel tunnel, P.M. Hacker uses the info that they planted a bomb in their own embassy to obtain more favorable terms.

	Paul Eddington	...	James Hacker
	Nigel Hawthorne	...	Sir Humphrey Appleby
	Derek Fowlds	...	Bernard Woolley
	Diana Hoddinott	...	Annie Hacker
	Christopher Benjamin	...	French Ambassador
	Nicholas Courtney	...	Police Commissioner
	Robert East	...	Peter Gascoigne
	Mansel David
	Alan Downer	...	French President
	Bill Bailey	...	US Vice-President
	Raymond Brody
	David King
	William Lawford

Season 2, Episode 4: A Conflict of Interest

31 December 1987
P.M. Hacker, pressured by rumors of wrongdoing in the City, is tricked by Sir Humphrey into appointing a less-than-honest man as the new Governor of the Bank of England.

	Paul Eddington	...	James Hacker
	Nigel Hawthorne	...	Sir Humphrey Appleby
	Derek Fowlds	...	Bernard Woolley
	Richard Vernon	...	Sir Desmond Glazebrook
	Deborah Norton	...	Dorothy Wainwright
	Peter Cellier	...	Sir Frank Gordon, Permanent Secretary of the Treasury
	Louis Mahoney	...	Burandan High Commissioner
	Miranda Forbes	...	Secretary

Season 2, Episode 5: Power to the People

7 January 1988
A local councilwoman is throwing her weight around, but P.M. Hacker's plan to make local government truly responsive to its constituency motivates her to cooperate with Sir Humphrey's opposition.

	Paul Eddington	...	James Hacker
	Nigel Hawthorne	...	Sir Humphrey Appleby
	Derek Fowlds	...	Bernard Woolley
	Gwen Taylor	...	Agnes Moorhouse
	Deborah Norton	...	Dorothy Wainwright
	John Nettleton	...	Sir Arnold Robinson
	Diana Hoddinott	...	Annie Hacker
	Jonathan Adams	...	Professor Merritt
	Miranda Forbes	...	Secretary

Season 2, Episode 6: The Patron of the Arts

14 January 1988
P.M. Hacker is scheduled to speak at a broadcast awards ceremony -- right after the announcement that the arts budget will be much smaller than hoped.

	Paul Eddington	...	James Hacker
	Nigel Hawthorne	...	Sir Humphrey Appleby
	Derek Fowlds	...	Bernard Woolley
	John Bird	...	Simon Monk
	Deborah Norton	...	Dorothy Wainwright
	Antony Carrick	...	Bill Pritchard
	Diana Hoddinott	...	Annie Hacker
	Geoffrey Beevers
	Martin Milman
	Myfanwy Talog	...	Actress
	David Rose

Season 2, Episode 7: The National Education Service

21 January 1988
On the advice of his political adviser, P.M. Hacker plans to eliminate the National Education Service and let parents choose the schools their children will attend. Horrified, Humphrey must prevent the precedent being set of eliminating unnecessary bureaucracy.

	Paul Eddington	...	James Hacker
	Nigel Hawthorne	...	Sir Humphrey Appleby
	Derek Fowlds	...	Bernard Woolley
	Deborah Norton	...	Dorothy Wainwright
	John Nettleton	...	Sir Arnold Robinson
	Diana Hoddinott	...	Annie Hacker
	Peter Cartwright	...	Chief Whip
	Jerome Willis	...	Neil, The Party Chairman

Season 2, Episode 8: The Tangled Web

28 January 1988
The Prime Minister finds himself in a bit of a pickle when he flatly denies in the House that the government has bugged MP's telephones. It turns out the government was and Sir Humphrey was aware of it. The PM wants Sir Humphrey to back him, but he refuses to participate in a cover-up. The shoe is on the other foot however when Sir Humphrey makes unwise comments to a radio interviewer thinking that the tape recorder has been turned off. The PM agrees to help him, for a price.

	Paul Eddington	...	James Hacker
	Nigel Hawthorne	...	Sir Humphrey Appleby
	Derek Fowlds	...	Bernard Woolley
	Ludovic Kennedy	...	Himself
	Geoffrey Drew	...	Radio 3 Producer