Commentary
Satirical comedy is at its best when it can straddle the fine line between believability and comical exaggeration. A British sitcom in the 1980s called “Yes Minister” struck the balance perfectly as it followed the follies of a fictional cabinet minister named Jim Hacker. The show is carefully crafted to never identify the party of the minister, who was the head of the fictional Department of Administrative Affairs. The result is a timeless comedy that can be applied and compared to any government of a Commonwealth nation.
Minister Hacker is an idealistic but sometimes bungling man who wants to make substantive change. His top staffer holding the title of Permanent Secretary discretely thwarts the minister’s attempts to challenge the status quo. Information is often withheld from the minister while staff members pursue their own agendas. When a crisis erupts, a lesser character in the ministry tends to fall on his or her sword to protect the minister. It is an entertaining comedy yet a dark one as its plot lands so close to home….