title: A Very Courageous Decision by: McCann, Graham published: 2014-10-16 read: 2023-02 preview

I’ve seen the ancient BBC series ‘Yes Minister’ and ‘Yes Prime Minister’ tens of times. I’ve read the accompanying books (The Complete Yes Minister, Anthony Jay & Jonathan Lynn;
The Complete Yes Prime Minister, Anthony Jay & Jonathan Lynn) about once per decade.

In short, I love this work, since it so much reflects reality, is utterly funny, and totally instructive about politics how it always was and will always be.

Quick reminder: the books describe the tension between politics (Westminster, or Number 10) and the civil servants (Whitehall).  The latter being in charge, the former taking the blame.  The sitcom is old, from the 1980s, and indeed was Thatcher’s favourite series, she even played in a short sketch when she was PM.  To me it’s always been an eye opener on how politics works; but, again, it’s old.

Naturally I figured, when I read of book A very courageous decision, Graham McCann, that that’s a book for me. (A ‘brave’ decision, as Humphrey used to say, was one that would lose you votes, but a ‘courageous’ one was one that would lose you the election.)

McCann’s book was published recently and gives a lot of background information on the series.  Providing a lot of detail and carefully investigated, it describes from the initial concept to the collaboration between its creators, Antony Jay and Jonathan Lynn; the education and background of the authors, and their understanding of British politics. It also profiles the main actors – Paul Eddington as the well-meaning but often ineffectual Minister Jim Hacker, Nigel Hawthorne as the wily and manipulative Permanent Secretary Sir Humphrey Appleby, and Derek Fowlds as the loyal and pragmatic Principal Private Secretary Bernard Woolley. Through interviews and anecdotes, McCann well describes the dynamics on set and the dedication these actors brought to their roles, a key part of the series being so popular.

McCann also describes the writing process, as to how Jay and Lynn’s scripts combined political commentary with comedy, allowing them to satirise the absurdities of government bureaucracy.

Finally, the book describes how the show was received by the public and politicians, and how this influenced the perception of politics and the civil service.

And… it bored me. Sorry to say that. A very well-done book. But it just bored me. Maybe I’d expected more wit like the book’s subject portrays. Maybe more ingenuity.