A Very Courageous Decision: The Inside Story of Yes Minister Epub

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• A Very Courageous Decision: The Inside Story of Yes Minister
• Graham McCann
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• 21 March 2018
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Graham McCann ☆ 4 Free download

A Very Courageous Decision: The Inside Story of Yes Minister review ↠ 4 The behind the scenes storyof one of the most successful and admired sitcoms of the 1980sIn 1977 the BBC commissioneda new satiricalsitcom set in WhitehallProduction ofits firstseries was stalled however by thedeath throesofJim Callaghans Labour government andthe Winter of Discontent;Auntiebeing unwilling to broadcast such an overtly politicalcomedy until after the general electionof 1979 That Yes Minister should have been delayed by theveryevents that helped bring Margaret Thatcher to power is perhaps fitting Overthree series from 1980 and twoas Yes Prime Minister until 1988 theshowmercilesslylampoonedthevanity self interest and incompetenceof our so called public servants makingitshapless minister Jim Hacker andhis scheming Permanent Secretary Sir Humphrey two of the most memorablecharacters British comedy has ever produced The new prime minister professed it her favouritetelevision programme a textbook on the Statein inaction and millions of British viewers agreedIn the years since Yes Ministerhasbecome anational treasure SirHumphreysslippery circumlocutionshaveenteredthe lexiconregularly uoted by political commentators andthe seriescynical vision ofgovernment seems as credible now as it did thirty years agoMuch of this success can be credited to its writers Antony Jayand Jonathan Lynn whodrew on their contacts in Westminster toreworkgenuine political folly as situation comedy Storylinesthatseemed absurdto thepublic were often rooted inactual events so much so that theyoccasionally attracted thescrutiny of Whitehall mandarinsIn A Very Courageous Decision acclaimed entertainment historian Graham McCanngoes in searchofthereal political fiascosthat inspired Yes MinisterDrawing on fresh interviews with cast crew politiciansandadmirers hereveals howa subversive satire captured themood of its time to become one of themost cherished sitcomsof Thatchers Britain This book could easily be 100 pages shorter Whilst the information is great the overuse of fancy adjectives actually makes it tough to read

A Very Courageous Decision: The Inside Story of Yes Minister review ↠ 4 The behind the scenes storyof one of the most successful and admired sitcoms of the 1980sIn 1977 the BBC commissioneda new satiricalsitcom set in WhitehallProduction ofits firstseries was stalled however by thedeath throesofJim Callaghans Labour government andthe Winter of Discontent;Auntiebeing unwilling to broadcast such an overtly politicalcomedy until after the general electionof 1979 That Yes Minister should have been delayed by theveryevents that helped bring Margaret Thatcher to power is perhaps fitting Overthree series from 1980 and twoas Yes Prime Minister until 1988 theshowmercilesslylampoonedthevanity self interest and incompetenceof our so called public servants makingitshapless minister Jim Hacker andhis scheming Permanent Secretary Sir Humphrey two of the most memorablecharacters British comedy has ever produced The new prime minister professed it her favouritetelevision programme a textbook on the Statein inaction and millions of British viewers agreedIn the years since Yes Ministerhasbecome anational treasure SirHumphreysslippery circumlocutionshaveenteredthe lexiconregularly uoted by political commentators andthe seriescynical vision ofgovernment seems as credible now as it did thirty years agoMuch of this success can be credited to its writers Antony Jayand Jonathan Lynn whodrew on their contacts in Westminster toreworkgenuine political folly as situation comedy Storylinesthatseemed absurdto thepublic were often rooted inactual events so much so that theyoccasionally attracted thescrutiny of Whitehall mandarinsIn A Very Courageous Decision acclaimed entertainment historian Graham McCanngoes in searchofthereal political fiascosthat inspired Yes MinisterDrawing on fresh interviews with cast crew politiciansandadmirers hereveals howa subversive satire captured themood of its time to become one of themost cherished sitcomsof Thatchers Britain This is an essential handbook for dedicated fans of the Yes Minister Yes Prime Minister series It details the background to the creation of the show from behind the scenes shenanigans revealed to Jay and Lynn by informed sources in Westminster and Whitehall amazingly many of the plots were based on reality to the progression of the programme from a good idea to finally appearing on screenThe development is traced from the original pilot episode through the commissioning of a whole series to the subseuent development of two series and then when they thought they had exhausted the possibilities the bright idea of making Jim Hacker Prime Minister which lent itself to two series We follow the commissioning the casting the writing and the reaction from the public the politicians and the Civil Service There is also analysis of many of the scripts with large sections of dialogue reproduced to illustrate a point The book ends with a look at the re emergence of the programme twenty five years after the original finished While McCann admits that in many ways it was clever it never really caught on because Paul Eddington and Nigel Hawthorne although both were long dead had become so ingrained in the public imagination as Jim Hacker and Sir Humphrey that it was almost impossible for audiences to accept new actors playing the parts Perhaps it might have worked had the writers created new characters instead of reincarnating the originals but they didn tThe book is also a source of fascinating snippets of background information For example Paul Eddington originally wanted to play Sir Humphrey but was persuaded that Jim Hacker was the star and conseuently he was paid than Nigel Hawthorne both men hated having to record the programme in front of a studio audience Sir Nigel became increasingly embarrassed at winning four BAFTAs for his performance when Eddington was also nominated and never won any and both actors being left of centre politically were appalled at having to do the command performance with Mrs ThatcherHighly recommended for all fans of the programme

review A Very Courageous Decision: The Inside Story of Yes Minister

A Very Courageous Decision: The Inside Story of Yes Minister review ↠ 4 The behind the scenes storyof one of the most successful and admired sitcoms of the 1980sIn 1977 the BBC commissioneda new satiricalsitcom set in WhitehallProduction ofits firstseries was stalled however by thedeath throesofJim Callaghans Labour government andthe Winter of Discontent;Auntiebeing unwilling to broadcast such an overtly politicalcomedy until after the general electionof 1979 That Yes Minister should have been delayed by theveryevents that helped bring Margaret Thatcher to power is perhaps fitting Overthree series from 1980 and twoas Yes Prime Minister until 1988 theshowmercilesslylampoonedthevanity self interest and incompetenceof our so called public servants makingitshapless minister Jim Hacker andhis scheming Permanent Secretary Sir Humphrey two of the most memorablecharacters British comedy has ever produced The new prime minister professed it her favouritetelevision programme a textbook on the Statein inaction and millions of British viewers agreedIn the years since Yes Ministerhasbecome anational treasure SirHumphreysslippery circumlocutionshaveenteredthe lexiconregularly uoted by political commentators andthe seriescynical vision ofgovernment seems as credible now as it did thirty years agoMuch of this success can be credited to its writers Antony Jayand Jonathan Lynn whodrew on their contacts in Westminster toreworkgenuine political folly as situation comedy Storylinesthatseemed absurdto thepublic were often rooted inactual events so much so that theyoccasionally attracted thescrutiny of Whitehall mandarinsIn A Very Courageous Decision acclaimed entertainment historian Graham McCanngoes in searchofthereal political fiascosthat inspired Yes MinisterDrawing on fresh interviews with cast crew politiciansandadmirers hereveals howa subversive satire captured themood of its time to become one of themost cherished sitcomsof Thatchers Britain A good account of the programmes