Yes Minister

Episode Guide

Series 1

1. Open Government
   The new Minister's idealistic commitment to open the windows of his department faces its first hurdle.
2. The Official Visit
   Hacker welcomes the visit of an African President, until he turns out to be an old university chum.
3. The Economy Drive
   Jim plans to slim down the Civil Service. His own economy drive will set a personal example - won't it?
4. Big Brother
   A new National Integrated Database will give everyone access to their own files. Sounds simple enough? Not to Sir Humphrey.
5. The Writing on the Wall
   With his own department under threat, Hacker looks to the introduction of European Identity Cards to save them.
6. The Right to Know
   For Sir Humphrey, the roar over a threatened badger colony, proves there are some things it is better for a Minister not to know.
7. Jobs for the Boys
   When Jim turns to a banker to rescue a doomed building project, he soon discovers it takes two to QUANGO.

Series 2

1. The Compassionate Society
   A brand new hospital with full staff runs as an efficient operation. So why is the Minister obsessed that it has no patients?
2. Doing the Honours
   Jim's plan to withhold honours unless budget cuts are made seems irresistible. But he has not counted on Humphrey's old boy network.
3. The Death List
   An old petition against electronic surveillance comes back to bug Jim, just when he discovers a terrorist group has him as an assassination target.
4. The Greasy Pole
   Plans for a new chemical factory hinge on the outcome of an independent report. But Jim discovers that even science can be manipulated.
5. The Devil You Know
   A Cabinet reshuffle coincides with an appointment in Brussels. Surely Hacker's job is safe, after all, he's done all right - hasn't he?
6. The Quality of Life
   A city farm Hacker has vowed to keep open is being turned into a car park. How come Sir Humphrey is so smug about the whole affair?
7. A Question of Loyalty
   In a major speech Hacker has declared the war on government waste. Then a select committee tests the Minister's loyalty to his department.

Series 3

1. Equal Opportunities
   Sir Humphrey doesn't see eye to eye with the Minister's plan for sexual equality.
2. The Challenge
   Hacker has a crusade to make local authorities responsible for their expenditure. If it wasn't for fallout shelters and Ludovic Kennedy...
3. The Skeleton in the Cupboard
   The 30-year-rule is about to reveal the name of the young Civil Servant who made a complete mess of a defence contract. For some reason Sir Humphrey seems nervous...
4. The Moral Dimension
   After signing a huge export order in Qumran, Jim discovers it was obtained through bribery. Does he know the moral dimension of this?
5. The Bed of Nails
   Jim is asked to formulate an Integrated Transport Policy. But the title of Transport Supremo turns out not to be worth having.
6. The Whisky Priest
   Jim learns of the fact that British bombs are in the hands of Italian terrorists. But how to bring this grave news to the PM?
7. The Middle-Class Rip-Off
   Subsidizing a local football club will bring Hacker enormous popularity. Sir Humphrey however seems to think subsidy is only for art...

Special

1. Party Games
   The unexpected resignation of the PM has prompted an unseemly race for Number 10 among his former colleagues. The newly appointed Cabinet Secretary, Sir Humphrey, knows just what kind of man they need. But first that man has to overcome his problems with the Eurosausage.

Series 4

1. The Grand Design
   As Prime Minister, Jim's finger is on the nuclear button. Confused over some tough questions, he comes up with a surprising Grand Design for defence...
2. The Ministerial Broadcast
   As Jim is coached and groomed for a television speech of his new defence policy, Sir Humphrey is more concerned with what he says than how he says it.
3. The Smoke Screen
   When Jim decides to champion his Health Minister's plan to abolish smoking by excessive taxation, a horrified Sir Humphrey calls in the tobacco lobby to prevent it.
4. The Key
   A territorial battle between Sir Humphrey and Dorothy Wainwright, the PM's political advisor, reminds Jim that his Cabinet Secretary may have too much power. But Sir Humphrey is not about to have his wings clipped...
5. A Real Partnership
   A governmental financial crisis collides with plans for a Civil Service pay rise. Sir Humphrey has to summon all his skills to get past a well informed PM.
6. A Victory for Democracy
   Is the Foreign Office carrying out government policy or is the government there to carry out Foreign Office policy? Hacker is about to find out...
7. The Bishop's Gambit
   When a British nurse is given ten years and forty lashes in Qumran, the PM has to decide whether to be heartless or mindless. He also has to appoint a bishop, a non-to-easy choice.
8. One of Us
   While a sheepdog, trapped on an artillery range, is stealing the PM's headlines, MI5 is dropping a bombshell. The recently deceased Head of MI5 turns out to be a Russian spy - worse still, Sir Humphrey headed the Committee of Enquiry...

Series 5

1. Man Overboard
   The Ministry of Defence is in turmoil over the Employment Secretary's plan to create civilian jobs by moving servicemen north. The PM is in favour, until Sir Humphrey hints that the Employment Secretary is plotting against him...
2. Official Secrets
   The former PM's memoirs have to be scrutinized for security reasons. When Jim receives a chapter that makes him look bad, it's leaked to the press that he tried to suppress its publication.
3. A Diplomatic Incident
   The sudden death of the former PM, and his memoirs, gives Hacker an opportunity to host a state occasion ... and to make sure his predecessor is dead.
4. A Conflict of Interest
   With the Party Conference coming up, rumours of a scandal in the City do nothing to improve the PM's press. Sir Humphrey knows that the only way to avoid disaster depends on the new Governor of the Bank of England. Can he persuade the PM to appoint the right man?
5. Power to the People
   Hacker is having problems with local government. Especially with Agnes Moorhouse of the Houndsworth Council, who wants to abolish parliament, the courts and the monarchy. She must be stopped! This calls for Hacker's Reform Bill.
6. The Patron of the Arts
   The PM is planned to speech at the British Theatre Awards Dinner, televised to 12 million viewers. Unfortunately, the Arts Council grant has turned out to be less than generous ... and the Director of the National Theatre is introducing Hacker's speech.
7. The National Education Service
   The education system is a disaster. It's time for Jim to get a grip on it. He could always axe the Department of Education. But what would Humphrey say?
8. The Tangled Web
   Hacker has committed the ultimate political sin - lying to the House. Humphrey feels he has a moral responsibility to tell the truth ... unless Hacker can employ some gentle persuasion.