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.

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.

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.

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.

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 .

"On the blink" is a common idiom that means intermitantly faulty, think of an electic or neon light that keeps flickering on and off

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.

KBE - Knight Commander of the British Empire - one of all sorts of awards and medals handed out to Important People like Humphrey.

It's "bern-erd". There is an episode where Bernard explains the meanings of the honors.

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.

The cartoons at the start were done by Gerald Scarfe, who also worked with Pink Floyd on The Wall

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!

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.

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.

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 Minister/Prime Minister - part comedy part documentary.

Greatest sitcom ever imo. Even now i still laugh my arse off watching it

This programme was dubbed into Russian and shown through the USSR. It became a firm favourite there. So Russian politicians are the same!

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 🤧

Ah, that classic caricature intro! Only began with the second episode but glad it remained!

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.

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.

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.

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!

Derek Fowlds (Bernard) tried to buy an original of one of the Scarfe caricatures and found he couldn't afford it.

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.

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”

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.

Monsieur wiv dees long episodes you are shpoiling uzzz.

With respect to your comment about the Civil servants telling the minister that he can’t do something he was elected to do. In one of the episodes to come Bernard asks a similar question to Humphrey. Humphrey explains that if the Civil Service shifted and embraced the leanings of the government of the day they would bounce back and forth to the Left and the politically Right depending on the Government Party. To take an issue from the USA, the day before the election the Civil Service might be totally in favour of Gun Control and then totally against Gun Control after the election for no other reason than the other party won. So their job in the Civil Service is not to tell the new government what they can or can’t do but to predict the likely outcome of a particular decision. The negotiation in this episode is a prime example. Humphrey never said the minister cannot agree to this loan request, he pointed out that an interest free loan is like lending them twice the money they are asking for and only half will be paid back. The Civil Service does not determine which way the “Ship of Government” turns but it does try to steer it away from the rocks that will sink it.

Hilarious train scene - paying homage to the Marx Brothers ( "A Night at the Opera" ) 😂

over 40 years on...and Nothing Has Changed! This is how the world works.

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!

The pink bits on the map are British territories, commonwealth countries and colonies

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!"

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.

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.

KBE = Knight of the Order of the British Empire. A "by election" is to fill a vacancy. In America they are called "special elections".

Medals, honours.

Hello from The Netherlands, thank you for the vid young sir.

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...

A by-Election is aclocal election to elect the local representative for a constituency when the existing representative steps down, dies or resigns.

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.

Loveeee this series. Each series gets better and better

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

Buranda is a fictional country. Sounds like a cross between Burundi and Uganda

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.

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".

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)

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.

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.

We all love Burnett now!

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

By-election is what in the US is called a special election. Marginal is equivalent to US "swing", as in a swing state.

Connor....here, BERnard, in the US, BerNARD. Same thing with Cyril, I think.

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.

Byelection is when an election occurs outside of normal election time.

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 👍🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Yes yes yes! Thank you thank you thank you!

Nigel Hawthorne was in a movie callled the madness of king George

Love your intro you dig a hole then jump out.

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!

Note they forgot to put a roof and the train car they are all piled into.

It took me decades to get the Enigma joke.

Did remind me of the fact that the U.S. Govt. gives Israel, despite that country having a GDP similar to that of Spain, a substantial amount of foreign aid which, in turn, they use to purchase American arms, thereby actually subsidising the U.S . arms industry with American tax payers' money. Who in America has interests in the companies that produce weaponry of all types one can only speculate!

No, you're right about "Bernard" - we don't pronounce it the way Americans do. This side of the Atlantic the emphasis is on the "Bern" part whereas you put the stress on the "nard" bit. So the British style sounds sort of "BERN-ud" whereas the American style is almost French - "Ber-NARD".

Politicians are not born, they are excreted.

The mime was medals and honours, where they are normally worn on the chest and around the neck. A by election is an election for a single seat in the House of Commons outside of the normal general election. They are normally an excuse to vote against the government and embarrass them.

26:53, be warned, the "minispeeches" will get more convoluted in future episodes. Subtitles *will* help.

Jim Hacker was the best Prime Minister that Britain never had.

16:40 - "...charted from Freddie Laker..." Laker was the owner of early budget airline.

Anyone who listens to Sir Humprey for long enough will eventually add 20 points to his IQ.🤣🤣 Politicians are the shop window of democracy. They entice you inside. Civil servants are the shop assistants. Once you're inside they'll tell you that everything in the window is out of stock.

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 . 👍🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

By-election is an election for a parliamentary seat outside a general election caused by maybe the death of the present incumbent, or some other reason why they can't perform their duty as a member of parliament

you are correct this show is timeless

One of my favorite britcoms.

The best character in the whole series works on the street with chaps

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.

Gongs - OBE, MBE CBE Order of the British Empire etc. The K is for a Knighthood.

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.

Please continue!

Medals he has lots of medals and honours.

Jim’s concern for his Political Party ( American equivalent, Democrats and Republicans) is in conflict with his role in the Government. Humphrey is rarely interested in Party politics, it doesn’t matter which colour is in government. Jim see’s the visit of the African leader in Scotland rather than England as a plus for his Party because there are marginal seats there ( regions where MP’s seats are vigorously contested as only a few votes separate the fighting parties)

When you finish doing Yes Minister, check out 'The New Statesman' with the late great Rik Mayll.

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). 👍👍👍

At 21:29 Abide with me is a song sung at funerals.

A "by-election" happens when a seat in the House of Commons becomes vacant between general elections, usually if an MP dies or resigns

If the elected politicians know little about their jobs when they become ministers, then perhaps it is just as well that there are experienced and knowledgable civil servants in their offices to explain and actually run things. Which is what this sitcom is about, I guess.

A by-election for parliament is when an Mp dies. A new election is held for the parliamentary seat. Ever since Magna Carta 1215, no taxation without representation. Where do you think it came from?

Substitute the USA for the UK and Buranda with Sudan and what is happing there now. This episode is an uncanny prediction!

A by-election is when a single MP is elected for a constituency, due to the incumbents death, elevation to the House of Lords etc. it would be equivalent to a single seat in the House of Representatives being decided on its own.

So clever!

Politicians join a system that was set up many hundreds of years ago and that system was designed to maintain the elite in their elite position and the people really are just a cog in that system .The neck reference was an indication of rewards such as K.G.B. or a Knighthood that further enhance the elite ,which are also handed to ordinary people in order that the rewards can continue and does not appear exclusive to the elite and makes the corrupt system workable in a democracy. This applies to all world leaders be they capitalist or communist.

I get your gist about politicians getting elected. Their (our) desire to make change, are so diluted by state.

Bernard

That’s nothing to be sneezed at🤓

Nice sneeze.

If an MP pops his socks between general elections, or otherwise becomes indisposed, there has to be a by election in his constituency, to elect his replacement.