Editing Yes Minister (section)

==Reception==
The series gained high audience figures, and 90+ on the audience [[Appreciation Index]].<ref name="gcbtv"/> Critics, such as Andrew Davies in the ''[[Times Educational Supplement]]'' and Armando Iannucci, have noted that the show had high expectations of its audience.<ref name="gcbtv"/> Lynn posits that the public are more intelligent than most situation comedies, often patronisingly, give them credit for. Jay believes that the viewers were just as intelligent as the writers, but that there were some things that they needed to know but didn't.<ref name="bbs"/>

''Yes Minister'' won the [[British Academy of Film and Television Arts|BAFTA]] award for [[British Academy Television Award for Best Comedy (Programme or Series)|Best Comedy Series]] for 1980, 1981 and 1982, and the "Party Games" special was nominated in the Best Light Entertainment Programme category for 1984. ''Yes, Prime Minister'' was short-listed for Best Comedy Series for both 1986 and 1987. Nigel Hawthorne's portrayal of Sir Humphrey Appleby won the BAFTA Award for Best Light Entertainment Performance four times (in 1981, 1982, 1986 and 1987). Eddington was also nominated on all four occasions. [[Nigel Hawthorne]] was awarded Best Actor in Light Entertainment Programme at the 1981 [[Broadcasting Press Guild]] Awards.

''Yes Minister'' came sixth in a 2004 [[BBC]] poll to find '[[Britain's Best Sitcom]]'.<ref>{{cite web|publisher=BBC |title=Britain's Best Sitcom: The Final Top 10 Sitcoms |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sitcom/winner.shtml |access-date=23 January 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130430222338/http://www.bbc.co.uk/sitcom/winner.shtml |archive-date=30 April 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref> In a list of the [[100 Greatest British Television Programmes]] drawn up by the [[British Film Institute]] in 2000, voted by industry professionals, ''Yes Minister'' and ''Yes, Prime Minister'' were both placed ninth. They were also placed 14th in [[Channel 4]]'s ''The Ultimate Sitcom'', a poll conducted by people who work in sitcoms.<ref>{{cite web|title=''Frasier'' is The Ultimate Sitcom |work=paramountcomedy.com |url=http://www.paramountcomedy.com/comedy/news/article.aspx?id=320 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927051144/http://www.paramountcomedy.com/comedy/news/article.aspx?id=320 |archive-date=27 September 2007 |date=3 January 2006 |access-date=27 February 2007}}</ref>

Some [[political science|political scientists]] cite the series for its accurate and sophisticated portrayal of the relationships between civil servants and politicians,<ref>{{cite web|work=The Political Studies Association of the United Kingdom |title=Fiftieth Anniversary Award Winners |url=http://www.psa.ac.uk/about/brochure/PSA+Brochure_18-25.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060925034220/http://www.psa.ac.uk/about/brochure/PSA%20Brochure_18-25.pdf |archive-date=25 September 2006| access-date=30 August 2006}}</ref> and are quoted in some textbooks on British politics.<ref name="lynnweb"/> Some political scientists considered it a reflection of the [[public choice]] model, which encouraged a "conservative agenda of balanced budgets and reduced government spending".<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Borins|first=Sandford F.|date=1988|title=Public choice: "Yes Minister" made it popular, but does winning the Nobel Prize make it true?|journal=Canadian Public Administration|language=en|volume=31|issue=1|pages=12–26|doi=10.1111/j.1754-7121.1988.tb02139.x|issn=1754-7121}}</ref> ''[[The Washington Post]]'' considered its "ideas were at the center of the Thatcher and Ronald Reagan administrations in Britain and the United States, which favored cutting government and shifting its functions to the private sector".<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2017/07/20/president-trump-do-you-remember-that-time-margaret-thatcher-fired-all-the-economists/|title=Analysis {{!}} President Trump, do you remember that time Margaret Thatcher fired all the economists?|last=Dyson|first=Stephen Benedict|newspaper=The Washington Post|language=en|access-date=5 March 2020}}</ref>

The series was praised by critics and politicians, and allegedly the shows were popular in government circles. ''The Guinness Television Encyclopedia'' suggests that "real politicians&nbsp;... enjoyed the show's cynical dismissal of [[Whitehall]] intrigue and its insights into the machinations of government."<ref>{{Cite book|last=Evans |first=Jeff |title=The Guinness Television Encyclopedia |year=1995 |publisher=Guinness |location=Middlesex |isbn= 0-85112-744-4|page=586}}</ref> [[Lord Donoughue]], an admirer of the series who was head of [[James Callaghan]]'s policy unit at 10 Downing Street from 1976 to 1979, noticed that, when the Labour Party returned to power in 1997 after 18 years in opposition, a number of junior Ministers took so seriously the relationships with civil servants as depicted by Jay and Lynn that they were unduly wary of senior officials and allowed this suspicion to influence their behaviour.<ref>Bernard Donoughue, article in programme for ''Yes Prime Minister'' (Gielgud Theatre, September 2010). Donoughue was himself a Minister from 1997 to 2000.</ref>

''Yes Minister'' and ''Yes, Prime Minister'' were the favourite programme of then Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher. She told ''[[The Daily Telegraph]]'' that "its clearly-observed portrayal of what goes on in the corridors of power has given me hours of pure joy."<ref name="gcbtv"/> [[Gerald Kaufman]] described it as "The Rt Hon. [[Faust]] MP, constantly beset by the wiles of Sir [[Mephistopheles]]."<ref name="gcbtv"/> As a supporter of Thatcher, Jay embraced her appreciation, although the more leftist Lynn was concerned.<ref name="bbs"/>

Thatcher performed a short sketch with Eddington and Hawthorne on 20 January 1984 at a ceremony where the writers were presented with an award from [[Mary Whitehouse]]'s [[NVLA]],<ref>{{Cite news |first=William |last=Cook |title=Comedy Rules, By Jonathan Lynn |url = https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/reviews/comedy-rules-by-jonathan-lynn-2343706.html |work=The Independent |location=UK |date=26 August 2011 |access-date=30 August 2006}}</ref> an event commemorated on the cover of the satirical magazine ''[[Private Eye]]''.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.private-eye.co.uk/covers.php?showme=577 | title=Maggie Stars in Whitehall Farce | date=27 January 1984 | access-date=26 September 2007 }}</ref> Authorship of the sketch is unclear. In ''Britain's Best Sitcom'', [[Bernard Ingham]] says that he wrote it; other sources give Thatcher sole credit, while [[Michael Cockerell]] says that she wrote it with Ingham's help.<ref name="cockerell"/> Another source gives renegade credit to [[Charles Powell, Baron Powell of Bayswater|Charles Powell]].<ref name="gcbtv"/> The actors, who were starring in separate West End plays at the time, were not enthusiastic at the idea and asked Lynn to "get them out" of it. The writer, however, was not in a position to help. Hawthorne says he and Eddington resented Thatcher's attempts to "make capital" from their popularity.<ref name="lith"/> Ingham says that it "went down a bomb", while Lynn brands it a "dreadful sketch" that was only funny because Thatcher was doing it.<ref name="bbs"/> Accepting the award from the NVLA, Lynn thanked Thatcher "for taking her rightful place in the field of situation comedy." Everyone, except the Prime Minister, laughed.<ref name="lith"/>

When Paul Eddington visited Australia during the 1980s, he was treated as a visiting [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|British PM]] by the then Australian leader, [[Bob Hawke]], who was a fan of the show. At a rally, Hawke said "You don't want to be listening to me; you want to be listening to the real Prime Minister", forcing Eddington to improvise.<ref>{{cite web|work=yes-minister.com |title= Hacker in Australia: footage of Paul Eddington visiting Australia |url= http://www.yes-minister.com/video/hackerinaustralia.ram| access-date=2 September 2006}}</ref> In an interview to promote the first series of ''Yes, Prime Minister'', Derek Fowlds said that "both political sides believe that it satirises their opponents, and civil servants love it because it depicts them as being more powerful than either. And of course, they love it because it's all so authentic."<ref name="radio4-10"/> The series was well received in the United States, running on the [[A&E Network]] and repeatedly on [[Public Broadcasting|public television]].<ref>{{cite news|title=BBC sitcom proves politics has its laughs |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B0DE7DC1E39F937A25755C0A961948260&scp=7&sq=Yes+Minister&st=nyt|newspaper=The New York Times  |date =14 June 1987|access-date=2 February 2009 | first=John J. | last=O'Connor}}</ref>

===International remakes===
In a 2024 interview, Lynn said he and Jay were approached several times about creating an American version of the show, but that they felt that the systems of government were too different.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mounk |first=Yascha |date=2024-03-24 |title=Jonathan Lynn on How Government Works (and "Yes, Minister") |url=https://www.persuasion.community/p/lynn |access-date=2025-03-18 |website=www.persuasion.community |language=en}}</ref> In a 2003 interview, he also said that the American sensibility tended to be more family-oriented or inspirational like [[The West Wing|''The West Wing'']], but did point to [[Spin City|''Spin City'']] as having a more satirical approach.<ref>{{Cite web |last=P |first=Ken |date=2003-08-25 |title=An Interview with Jonathan Lynn |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2003/08/25/an-interview-with-jonathan-lynn |access-date=2025-03-18 |website=IGN |language=en}}</ref>

The show has been remade several times internationally, albeit sometimes unofficially.

The series was remade in Portugal in 1996 as ''Sim, Sr. Ministro'' by Portuguese channel [[Televisão Independente|TVI]]. The names of characters, locations and institutions were changed to reflect Portuguese reality, but the plot of the episodes follow the originals. A total of 26 episodes were produced and screened between 1996 and 1997.

''[[Not My Department]]'' took joint inspiration from ''Yes Minister'' and [[Charles Gordon (journalist)|Charles Gordon]]'s [[The Governor General's Bunny Hop]], a contemporary satire of Canadian politics. Unlike ''Yes Minister'', ''Not My Department'' was set almost entirely among public servants, with the Minister for Regional Incentive Targets only making occasional appearances by video tape—often because he was hoping to evade the latest scandal by taking protracted tours of the regions. ''Not My Department'' aired on the [[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation]] in 1987.

''[[Ji Mantriji]]'' (literally "Yes Minister" in Hindi) is an Indian adaptation of ''Yes Minister''. It was telecast on [[Star India|STAR TV]]'s channel [[StarPlus|STAR Plus]] with permission from the BBC.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/1287388.stm|title=Hindi makeover for Yes Minister|date=20 April 2001|via=news.bbc.co.uk}}</ref> ''Ji Mantriji'' features [[Farooq Sheikh]] as Surya Prakash Singh, the Minister of Administrative Affairs and [[Jayant Kripalani]] as the department's secretary. The plot lines were the same as those of the original, with suitable changes in the Indian context.

''[[:tr:Sayın Bakanım|Sayın Bakanım]]'' ("Dear Minister" in Turkish) is a Turkish adaptation of ''Yes Minister'' that ran in 2004. The show featured acclaimed actors [[Haluk Bilginer]], [[Kenan Isik]] and [[Ali Sunal]]. ''Sayin Bakanim'' was cancelled after 14 episodes. Although there were rumours that the show was scrapped because of a warning from the government, the producer of the show denied this. Instead, he explained that the reason was low ratings.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.tgrthaber.com.tr//haber/243000.html|title=atv; Haluk Bilginer, Kenan Işık ve Ali Sunal'ın rol aldığı|website=tgrthaber.com.tr|date=14 June 2018 }}</ref>

The Australian series ''[[The Hollowmen]]'' and ''[[Utopia (Australian TV series)|Utopia]]'' were also inspired by ''Yes Minister''.

The Ukrainian series ''[[Servant of the People (2015 TV series)|Servant of the People]]'' also known as ''Sluha Narodu'' takes some inspiration from the show in its plots and themes.

The Israeli sitcom ''Polishook'', also modelled on ''Yes Minister'', aired for two series on Channel 2's Keshet Broadcasting.

A Dutch remake had been made by S&V Fiction for [[VPRO]], lasting 11 episodes, called ''Ja, Bewindsman'' (''Sorry Minister''). In the Dutch version, Sir Humphrey is a woman and Bernard is a Moroccan called Mohammed.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chortle.co.uk/news/2009/03/23/8584/ja%2C_bewindsman|title=Ja, Bewindsman |publisher=Chortle.co.uk|date=23 March 2009|access-date=23 March 2009}}</ref>