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Yes Minister & Yes Prime Minister - The Complete Audio Collection
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Publisher's Summary
For the first time in one audio collection, all 16 Yes Minister radio episodes plus six further TV episodes, 14 Yes Prime Minister episodes and two bonus sketches.
Between 1980 and 1988 on BBC television and radio, the exploits of the Rt Hon Jim Hacker MP (Paul Eddington) - later Prime Minister - kept the British nation enthralled. Helped - and hampered - by his diligent Permanent Secretary Sir Humphrey Appleby (Nigel Hawthorne) and his Principle Private Secretary Bernard Woolley (Derek Fowlds), Hacker and his department became synonymous with government bureaucracy and administrative double dealing. Presented here, for the first time in one collection, are the complete radio series of Yes Minister and the complete BBC television soundtracks of Yes Prime Minister. Also included are six TV soundtracks of Yes Minister and two special bonus mini-episodes: "The PM’s Plan", recorded in 1984 with Margaret Thatcher as herself, and a special segment created for "The Funny Side of Christmas" in 1982.
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Average Customer Ratings
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Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Malcolm
- 17-09-2017
Entertaining and funny
A light hearted look into the machinations and relationships of government and the bureaucracy. Whilst not pulling too many punches this series provides some comical insights into how Ministers and The Public Service might manoeuvre themselves through their competing interests and the outcomes that result. A Classic for the ages!
2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- aastes
- 11-09-2017
wonderfull
Still relevant after all these years. Wonderfully scripted. i have dealt with many a Sir Humphrey Appleby in my time.
2 people found this helpful
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- Anonymous User
- 06-07-2019
Hilarious
Classic British humour that translates very well to audio. Lots of laughs throughout and a few bonus scenes for an extra surprise.
1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Amazon Customer
- 10-03-2019
brilliant observational comedy
made over 40 years ago but still so relevant to todays politics. one of the best comedies ever made
1 person found this helpful
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- Anonymous User
- 22-08-2017
loved it
It was a wonderful Audiobook.
i look forward to listening to many others in the future
1 person found this helpful
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- James Crompton
- 30-07-2016
Brilliant
English comedy at its best. Sometimes I wonder if it is a documentary on government!!
1 person found this helpful
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- Erantha Somawansa
- 02-10-2019
Great show
Absolute must have for any fan of the tv series, good quality audio as well.
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- Louisa
- 02-10-2019
Politics hasn't changed. Funny and clever.
Brilliant. Well worth downloading and having a good chuckle, especially with Brexit in mind. Loved it.
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- Amazon Customer
- 28-01-2019
Wonderful!
Wonderful classic British humour. I enjoy this brilliant collection over and over and over again.
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- Anonymous User
- 31-10-2018
as relevant now as it was in its day
great listen. too young for the original television series but this was still spot on for politics today. very funny.
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- Emily
- 15-08-2014
Does this work as an audiobook? Yes, Minister ...
This wonderfully witty, clever and beguilingly cynical look at British politics made perfect television when originally made, and it works just as well as an audiobook. Those familiar with the series will be very pleased by the chance to re-encounter Jim Hacker, Sir Humphrey Appleby and Bernard Woolley, and those unfamiliar are in store for a real treat.
Yes Minister and Yes Prime Minister will reward multiple listenings, and there are two bonuses among the episodes: The Yes Minister sketch involving Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, and a Christmas Greeting from Sir Humphrey Appleby to Jim.
Download it as soon as you can - you certainly won't regret it!
32 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- magrathean
- 15-02-2015
Classic
The best comedy series ever. Can't get enough of it after all these years. Masterpiece in all aspects :script , performance, screenplay.
10 people found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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- Koustav Dasgupta
- 31-01-2019
Great collection with one big caveat
This is a complete collection of the Yes Minister/Prime Minister series, so if you like the series, this is the collection to get. As a fan of the series, you really can't go wrong there. The one caveat here is the audience volume in the Yes, Prime Minister portion of this audiobook - it is so loud that it almost drowns out the actor's voices, or atleast makes it very annoying. This caveat does not apply to the Yes,Minister part of the audiobook. It's still a great buy, but I wish they had fixed (reduced) the audience volume issue before releasing it.
7 people found this helpful
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- beaver
- 07-01-2015
Laughted our loud!
This is a great series and one I will listen to again and again. It's farcical banter and beaurocratic nonsense has made me laugh out loud on my commute many any times. Such good fun!
7 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- D. Betteridge
- 14-06-2015
It's funny because it's true.
Regardless of the original production date, this series remains funny because it is still relevant. This is one that I can listen to repeatedly. The characters are interesting, funny, and knowable. The topics are real, the situations all too familiar, and you just know this is what really goes on in government, doubtless no matter the country. Yes Minister and the follow-up Yes Prime Minister are just funny- plain and simple.
5 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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- Diana
- 11-04-2017
Entertaining in a droll and eye-opening way
This wasn't a laugh-out-loud experience for me, but I enjoyed the way I was taught the machinations of politics in a humorous way. It is a good thing I am not a school teacher because I would try to get kids to learn more "how the world really works" beyond the accepted school curriculum - and this comedic audio has many good examples of how human ideals, egos, hunger for power, and sneaky machinations collide.
Listening to this audio book at the same time as watching a series called "Borgen" gives an immersive experience of humans and politics - at least as portrayed by the entertainment industry. And amazement as to why anyone would want to be in politics.
The audio issue here needs to be discussed. The voices are sometimes a bit hollow and distant, requiring the volume be turned up. However, the audience laughter (a laugh track?) is a solid sound, sometimes requiring the ear buds to be quickly pulled out of the ear if the iPod is in a pocket and too hard to reach fast. This uneven sound quality is not great for someone who uses earbuds, but if you listen to audio books on a speaker may not be an issue.
I think I laughed out loud only a few times, but the audio version was still an enjoyable experience - and I learned something about how our world works and people behave too.
3 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Ellen
- 20-05-2015
Memorable
Such great satire, it'll change the way you think about politics. I didn't realise it wasn't current, all the issues are so familiar.
3 people found this helpful
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- J. Lopez
- 27-02-2017
Absolutely wonderful
Hilarious and engaging!! I Loved every minute of it both times I listened to it.
2 people found this helpful
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- M. Mueller
- 21-01-2015
Just plain fun!
While from the 80's- it is still fun to listen! Witty, humorous, Never silly! Just great! Really? Yes,
absolutely dear listeners & readers!
5 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Clifford Dunn
- 19-01-2019
Yes Minister is wonderful
the only thing I didn't like was the as that the book had to end
1 person found this helpful
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- Steven Turner
- 01-12-2015
Hasn't dated a day.
What made the experience of listening to Yes Minister & Yes Prime Minister - The Complete Audio Collection the most enjoyable?
This is the most wonderful political comedy. As fresh now as it was when I first watched the TV series in the 1980's. Most enjoyable is the great writing and sparking performances.
What other book might you compare Yes Minister & Yes Prime Minister - The Complete Audio Collection to, and why?
This hard to compare. It's a brilliant British radio play and completely different to anything else that I've seen on Audible.
Have you listened to any of the narrators’s other performances? How does this one compare?
No, I haven't
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
I listened episode by episode overall few weeks.
Any additional comments?
Fantastic
12 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Amazon Customer
- 19-09-2016
Funny, witty and Smart
An excellent political satire still relevant today. The acting is wonderful and the plot lines clever. Well worth listening too. It will have you laughing out loud at times.
6 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Amazon Customer
- 14-02-2016
Comedy Gods!
Any additional comments?
What can I say about this phenomenal series that hasn't already been said a thousand times before? If (like me) you loved the television series then there's no reason why you won't like these audio versions, since they use the same amazing scripts (adapted for radio) and star the same original cast (indeed even many of the minor characters are played by the same actors). Not only that but they also manage to convey all of the fun and spontaneity that was present in the TV series which lifted it from merely "good" to "truly great". Buy it, you will not be disappointed.
5 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- John Russell
- 11-10-2016
An eye opener on the workings of government
I loved this from the start to the very end. Three fine main actors with supporting actors bring the complexities of being in government to life. The main opposition is not in the house of commons but the civil service. The twists and turns in each episode are a joy to listen to and at the end you find out who wins or if it is a draw. When I hear and see the goings in in government today I am reminded of all that is going on behind the scene.
4 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- JRUK
- 20-09-2016
Timeless relevance.
Loved everything second. As relevant now as it was then. Timeless. The Thick of It for a different generation (but better/cleaner).
4 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Nicola
- 18-01-2016
Funny and relevant
This is my favourite audible book and I have listened to it more times than I know. It still makes me laugh out loud, even though I know what is coming. It amazes me how relevant all the topics and catastrophes that happen still are. I would def recomend it to people of all ages but particularly if you have an interest in politics.
9 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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- Amazon Customer
- 01-12-2014
I wished it would never end
Where does Yes Minister & Yes Prime Minister - The Complete Audio Collection rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
This had me smiling the whole time I was listening to it and as the title says I just wish it hadn't ended. It brought back wonderful memories of the TV series and in fact I believe that it was just the recording of the original TV series rather than especially made for audio, but this didn't detract at all from the quality. The actors are a sheer delight and the script has lost none of it's wit all these years later and in fact the stories of government and the civil service could have been written just days previously and would still have been relevant today. Which considering some of the storylines, is a little scary, don't you think?
What did you like best about this story?
That is was a recording of the TV series. I think it helped that I had seen the orginal TV programme as I was able to picture the actors as they spoke and their expressions, but I think it would still be magic for anyone who hadn't seen the TV series
Which character – as performed by the narrators – was your favourite?
Sir Humphrey, as played by Nigel Hawthorne - such a shame he's no longer with us
If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?
Government and the Civil Service - How it really is
Any additional comments?
Loved it
9 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Mark Sugrue
- 17-09-2016
Clasic Comedy
This just does not date. As funny now as it was when first released. Strongly recommend to anyone whatever their comedy or political bent is.
3 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Mr. A. Tearse
- 14-09-2016
Still inciteful and relevant today
Not showing it's age. Could have ben written yesterday! Trident, banks needing bailed out, leadership struggles it's all in here.
2 people found this helpful
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- Richard T.
- 27-05-2015
A great listen.
Transfers to radio surprisingly well! Very enjoyable, highly recommended. Thank you very much indeed! RJT
2 people found this helpful