When the writers of Yes Minister sat down to write their satire of political battles in a dysfunctional Whitehall they hoped it might lead to an improvement in the way the country was run. Four decades later Jonathan Lynn, one of the show’s co-creators, has admitted they may have made things worse and given rise to the cult of political special advisers and the creation of Dominic Cummings. SponsoredThe series, which began in 1980, starred Paul Eddington as the well-meaning minister Jim Hacker battling with the civil service machine controlled by Sir Humphrey Appleby, played by Nigel Hawthorne. This year marks 35 years since Hacker’s surprise elevation to prime minister in Yes, Prime Minister. Lynn had to be talked into working on the

Source: The Times March 30, 2021 05:04 UTC