The Death List
Encyclopedia
"The Death List" is the tenth episode of the BBC
comedy series Yes Minister
and was first broadcast 9 March 1981. In this episode, the final ' Yes Minister ' is uttered by Sir Humphrey Appleby.
is in his office when Bernard
enters with an urgent matter. He has a copy of Private Eye
and requests that the Minister
read one of its articles. Sir Humphrey Appleby
joins them and Hacker reads aloud. It is reported that while in opposition, he was subjected to covert surveillance
, including phone tapping
. Furthermore, as Minister for Administrative Affairs, Hacker is now in charge of supplying all the government's bugging equipment, thus making him its "chief bugger
". The Minister rounds on Sir Humphrey and asks if the story is true. His Permanent Secretary
is nonchalant and tells him not to take it too seriously. However, Hacker believes the report and presses Sir Humphrey. Eventually he is told that he was placed under surveillance before the last general election
because the eventual Prime Minister
was considering making Hacker the Defence Secretary. It was therefore up to MI5
to ensure that he wasn't a security risk. Hacker is still unhappy and asks Sir Humphrey if he has ever been under surveillance himself. Sir Humphrey replies that he is a civil servant
and explains that ministers, by contrast, can't be trusted — present company excepted. Nevertheless, Hacker announces that all future applications for surveillance must be vetted by a Select Committee. He instructs Sir Humphrey to set the wheels in motion and asks Bernard to set up a meeting with Walter Fowler, a journalist. He arranges to have the meeting in a bar, so he can follow the first law of political indiscretion: "Always have a drink before you leak."
Hacker meets Fowler in the bar at the House of Commons
and leaks him the story about his proposals on surveillance.
That night in bed, Hacker tells Annie, his wife, what he has learnt. She is unperturbed, as most of their conversations were on the trivial side in any case. She asks her husband about going away for a weekend break to Kingsbury Down, where they spent their honeymoon, and he agrees.
The next morning, Sir Humphrey has some alarming news for Bernard: the Minister's name has been placed on a death list by the International Freedom Army. The Minister arrives and reaffirms his commitment to his new policy, even going so far as to say "ministers are expendable" — before Sir Humphrey tells him of the death list. Hacker is shocked and asks why. There are apparently rumours of a Cabinet
reshuffle and Hacker's name has once again been linked with the Ministry of Defence
. Special Branch
has recommended certain protection measures and Commander Forest arrives to tell the Minister. From now on, Hacker will be guarded 24 hours a day and the Commander advises him on extra precautions. After he departs, Sir Humphrey tells Hacker of the need to use covert surveillance against any suspected assassins, and the Minister is now swiftly convinced of the need for it. Bernard arrives with a petition containing 2.25 million signatures, following Fowler's report, but Hacker tells him to destroy it: it must never be found. Bernard therefore decides that the best option is to file it.
The next day, the Hackers begin their break, with the addition of six bodyguards. They are followed closely wherever they go, and a trip to the cinema to see Moonraker
(the bodyguards' choice) is aborted when the subject matter becomes too close for Hacker's comfort. During the night, Annie is fed up with the situation and tells her husband that she is going home. When they arrive there, they find the place swarming with local police officers. Even in their own bedroom they are not free from the intrusion.
Back at work, Hacker again meets with Walter Fowler, who is following up on his original story. He wants to know if the Minister's name being on the death list has altered his views on electronic surveillance. Sir Humphrey arrives and asks for a private word with Hacker. He informs him that Special Branch is withdrawing his protection and no longer believes that there is a threat to his life. Sir Humphrey explains that the Minister is not deemed important enough. Hacker invites Fowler back in and instructs Bernard to show him the petition, which he now welcomes warmly.
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
comedy series Yes Minister
Yes Minister
Yes Minister is a satirical British sitcom written by Antony Jay and Jonathan Lynn that was first transmitted by BBC Television between 1980–1982 and 1984, split over three seven-episode series. The sequel, Yes, Prime Minister, ran from 1986 to 1988. In total there were 38 episodes—of which all but...
and was first broadcast 9 March 1981. In this episode, the final ' Yes Minister ' is uttered by Sir Humphrey Appleby.
Plot
Jim HackerJames Hacker
James George Hacker, Baron Hacker of Islington, KG, PC, B. Sc. , Hon. D. C. L. was a fictional British politician. He was the Minister of the fictional Department of Administrative Affairs, and later the Prime Minister, in the 1980s British sitcom Yes Minister and its sequel, Yes, Prime Minister...
is in his office when Bernard
Bernard Woolley
Sir Bernard Woolley GCB is one of the three main fictional characters of the 1980s British sitcom Yes Minister and its sequel, Yes, Prime Minister. He was portrayed by Derek Fowlds.-Character:...
enters with an urgent matter. He has a copy of Private Eye
Private Eye
Private Eye is a fortnightly British satirical and current affairs magazine, edited by Ian Hislop.Since its first publication in 1961, Private Eye has been a prominent critic and lampooner of public figures and entities that it deemed guilty of any of the sins of incompetence, inefficiency,...
and requests that the Minister
Minister (government)
A minister is a politician who holds significant public office in a national or regional government. Senior ministers are members of the cabinet....
read one of its articles. Sir Humphrey Appleby
Humphrey Appleby
Sir Humphrey Appleby, GCB, KBE, MVO, MA , is a fictional character from the British television series Yes, Minister and Yes, Prime Minister. He was played by Sir Nigel Hawthorne. In Yes Minister, he is the Permanent Secretary for the Department of Administrative Affairs...
joins them and Hacker reads aloud. It is reported that while in opposition, he was subjected to covert surveillance
Surveillance
Surveillance is the monitoring of the behavior, activities, or other changing information, usually of people. It is sometimes done in a surreptitious manner...
, including phone tapping
Telephone tapping
Telephone tapping is the monitoring of telephone and Internet conversations by a third party, often by covert means. The wire tap received its name because, historically, the monitoring connection was an actual electrical tap on the telephone line...
. Furthermore, as Minister for Administrative Affairs, Hacker is now in charge of supplying all the government's bugging equipment, thus making him its "chief bugger
Bugger
Bugger is a slang word used in the vernacular British English, Australian English, Canadian English, New Zealand English, South African English, Caribbean English, Sri Lankan English and occasionally also in Malaysian English and Singaporean English, and rarely American English...
". The Minister rounds on Sir Humphrey and asks if the story is true. His Permanent Secretary
Permanent Secretary
The Permanent secretary, in most departments officially titled the permanent under-secretary of state , is the most senior civil servant of a British Government ministry, charged with running the department on a day-to-day basis...
is nonchalant and tells him not to take it too seriously. However, Hacker believes the report and presses Sir Humphrey. Eventually he is told that he was placed under surveillance before the last general election
General election
In a parliamentary political system, a general election is an election in which all or most members of a given political body are chosen. The term is usually used to refer to elections held for a nation's primary legislative body, as distinguished from by-elections and local elections.The term...
because the eventual Prime Minister
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
was considering making Hacker the Defence Secretary. It was therefore up to MI5
MI5
The Security Service, commonly known as MI5 , is the United Kingdom's internal counter-intelligence and security agency and is part of its core intelligence machinery alongside the Secret Intelligence Service focused on foreign threats, Government Communications Headquarters and the Defence...
to ensure that he wasn't a security risk. Hacker is still unhappy and asks Sir Humphrey if he has ever been under surveillance himself. Sir Humphrey replies that he is a civil servant
British Civil Service
Her Majesty's Home Civil Service, also known as the Home Civil Service, is the permanent bureaucracy of Crown employees that supports Her Majesty's Government - the government of the United Kingdom, composed of a Cabinet of ministers chosen by the prime minister, as well as the devolved...
and explains that ministers, by contrast, can't be trusted — present company excepted. Nevertheless, Hacker announces that all future applications for surveillance must be vetted by a Select Committee. He instructs Sir Humphrey to set the wheels in motion and asks Bernard to set up a meeting with Walter Fowler, a journalist. He arranges to have the meeting in a bar, so he can follow the first law of political indiscretion: "Always have a drink before you leak."
Hacker meets Fowler in the bar at the House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
and leaks him the story about his proposals on surveillance.
That night in bed, Hacker tells Annie, his wife, what he has learnt. She is unperturbed, as most of their conversations were on the trivial side in any case. She asks her husband about going away for a weekend break to Kingsbury Down, where they spent their honeymoon, and he agrees.
The next morning, Sir Humphrey has some alarming news for Bernard: the Minister's name has been placed on a death list by the International Freedom Army. The Minister arrives and reaffirms his commitment to his new policy, even going so far as to say "ministers are expendable" — before Sir Humphrey tells him of the death list. Hacker is shocked and asks why. There are apparently rumours of a Cabinet
Cabinet of the United Kingdom
The Cabinet of the United Kingdom is the collective decision-making body of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom, composed of the Prime Minister and some 22 Cabinet Ministers, the most senior of the government ministers....
reshuffle and Hacker's name has once again been linked with the Ministry of Defence
Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)
The Ministry of Defence is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces....
. Special Branch
Special Branch
Special Branch is a label customarily used to identify units responsible for matters of national security in British and Commonwealth police forces, as well as in the Royal Thai Police...
has recommended certain protection measures and Commander Forest arrives to tell the Minister. From now on, Hacker will be guarded 24 hours a day and the Commander advises him on extra precautions. After he departs, Sir Humphrey tells Hacker of the need to use covert surveillance against any suspected assassins, and the Minister is now swiftly convinced of the need for it. Bernard arrives with a petition containing 2.25 million signatures, following Fowler's report, but Hacker tells him to destroy it: it must never be found. Bernard therefore decides that the best option is to file it.
The next day, the Hackers begin their break, with the addition of six bodyguards. They are followed closely wherever they go, and a trip to the cinema to see Moonraker
Moonraker (film)
Moonraker is the eleventh spy film in the James Bond series, and the fourth to star Roger Moore as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. The third and final film in the series to be directed by Lewis Gilbert, it co-stars Lois Chiles, Michael Lonsdale, Corinne Clery, and Richard Kiel...
(the bodyguards' choice) is aborted when the subject matter becomes too close for Hacker's comfort. During the night, Annie is fed up with the situation and tells her husband that she is going home. When they arrive there, they find the place swarming with local police officers. Even in their own bedroom they are not free from the intrusion.
Back at work, Hacker again meets with Walter Fowler, who is following up on his original story. He wants to know if the Minister's name being on the death list has altered his views on electronic surveillance. Sir Humphrey arrives and asks for a private word with Hacker. He informs him that Special Branch is withdrawing his protection and no longer believes that there is a threat to his life. Sir Humphrey explains that the Minister is not deemed important enough. Hacker invites Fowler back in and instructs Bernard to show him the petition, which he now welcomes warmly.
Episode cast
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Paul Eddington Paul Eddington Paul Eddington CBE was an English actor best known for his appearances in popular television sitcoms of the 1970s and 80s: The Good Life, Yes Minister and Yes, Prime Minister.-Early life:... |
Jim Hacker |
| Nigel Hawthorne Nigel Hawthorne Sir Nigel Barnard Hawthorne, CBE was an English actor, perhaps best remembered for his role as Sir Humphrey Appleby, the Permanent Secretary in the 1980s sitcom Yes Minister and the Cabinet Secretary in its sequel, Yes, Prime Minister. For this role he won four BAFTA Awards during the 1980s in the... |
Sir Humphrey Appleby |
| Derek Fowlds Derek Fowlds Derek Fowlds is an English actor, known for playing Bernard Woolley in popular British television comedies Yes, Minister and Yes, Prime Minister and Oscar Blaketon in the long-running ITV police drama Heartbeat.... |
Bernard Woolley |
| Graeme Garden Graeme Garden David Graeme Garden OBE is a Scottish author, actor, comedian, artist and television presenter, who first became known as a member of The Goodies.-Early life and beginnings in comedy:... |
Commander Forest |
| Diana Hoddinott Diana Hoddinott Diana Hoddinott is an English actress. She was born to Winifred Doris, née Dibble and Alan Hoddinott , who married in 1934 in Langport.... |
Annie Hacker |
| Ivor Roberts Ivor Roberts (actor) Ivor Roberts was an English television continuity announcer and television actor who often appeared in comedic roles.... |
Walter Fowler |
| Colin McCormack Colin McCormack Colin McCormack was a professional Welsh actor who enjoyed considerable success in classical stage performances and television shows over a career approaching fifty years from his debut as a child actor in a BBC TV's Dixon of Dock Green episode, a show he returned to twenty years later when he... |
Bodyguard |
| Michael Keating | Constable Ross |
| Jay Neill Jay Neill (actor) Jay Neill was an English variety performer and television actor who often appeared in comedic roles.Born in London, Neill started work as a stage hand at the Chiswick Empire theatre before auditioning for a role within the Dior Dancers adagio act... |
Bodyguard |
Production
- As the BBC couldn't afford the rights to show a clip from Moonraker, part of another film was shown instead.