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The Complete Yes Prime Minister: The Diaries of the Right Hon.James Hacker

Binding: Paperback
Publisher: BBC Books
ISBN: 0563207736
ISBN-13: 9780563207733
Released: 01 Jun 1989
RRP: £10.99
Average Rating:

Customer Reviews

Perceptive and very funny - By: M. V. Clarke, 26 May 2004
This is a marvellously funny book, well worth reading. Unlike most collections of scripts from TV comedies, this has been carefully & skilfully edited to make it into a highly plausible diary.

We learn of Jim Hacker's rise to the office of Prime Minister & observe his relationships with leading Civil Service figures, such as Sir Humphrey Appleby & Bernard Woolley. The tension between party politics & goverment & the scheming of the civil service officials is brilliantly worked out throughout the diary. Wry comments on British political, religious & military history subtly abound.

A highly entertaining book that presents a tongue-in-cheek view of the goings on at No 10, it's easy to get reallly involved with the story. The portrayal of various characters is superb, the odious & somewhat ineffectual PM Jim Hacker, the highly intelligent, scheming Sir Humphrey & the pragmatic & pedantic Bernard Woolley shine through.

Great fun - read it.

Intelligent, clever humour. - By: , 17 Feb 2004
The relationship between Jim Hacker, Sir Humphrey & Bernard Wooley are brilliantly detailed in this collection of the episodes. Instead of the normal transcribe of scripts that one expects in humour series books, the episodes are carefully presented in diary form. We learn alll the information through a variety of diaries, official documents & letters from different sources. The clever humour of the television series is not lost in the translation & in fact possibly increases. It is possible that the book form is even better than the television series (excepting the brilliant acting).
This is clever humour that does not dumb down for anyone & gives a corrageously accurate depiction of the British civil service.
Superb - By: , 06 Oct 2003
At last television series scripts that aren't.

I am ususallly disappointed when I am given 'scripts' to various sitcoms, as they are dry & boring to read, but with Yes Prome Minister, not so! Lynn & Jay have expertly transferred the screenplay into continous prose, with excellent returns. Super just to 'dip into', the light-hearted antics of Whitehalll & No. 10 will amuse almost anyone! A real pleasure to read - again & again!

The Real Thing - By: , 05 Apr 2003
This is the definitive text book on how British politics works.

It is essential reading for students of politics to save wasting time on alll those theoretical constitutional tomes, & for anyone who ever comes into contact with government - it will reassure you that your experiences are not unique but are part of an overalll pattern of creative inertia. Sir Humphrey should be the role model for alll civil servants who want to get on in their careers & want to prevent their political masters getting on in theirs. There is no evidence that Sir Humphrey is a reincarnation of Machiavelli but it is highly likely. How did earlier generations cope without this masterpiece?

Can never be read too often.

A superb and insightful read- typical of Yes PM - By: huwginge@talk21.com, 12 Jun 2000
A brilliant read, superbly crafted, the diary entries of James Harker, Humphrey & Bernard. The book goes through each Yes PM episode in am way of diary entries, as expected the PM's entries makes himself look clever, Humphrey's makes his irrational ideas look normal & Bernard fight with his conscience. More books like these should be available. In a word................Superb