The original cast of Yes, Prime Minister, as they wandered around BBC Television Centre in London, probably never dreamed that a small theatre in the South Cotswolds Parliamentary Constituency would be responsible for keeping their legacy alive four decades later.
But that’s exactly what’s happened. In 2023 the Barn Theatre in Cirencester staged I’m Sorry, Prime Minister, the follow up to the TV series penned by original writer Jonathan Lynn. It would later transfer to the West End and head out on national tour, but not before it was announced that the team would return to Cirencester with Yes, Prime Minister , a new prequel.
That’s a prequel to the play, not the TV series. In this new stage version, we meet Jim Hacker, Sir Humphrey Appleby and Bernard Wolesley in the earliest days of Hacker’s premiership. In the wood-panelled sitting room of Chequers, the trio face the challenges that come with a Prime Minister taking over mid-term.
As ever, it’s the economy that’s the real thorny issue, but there’s hope in the form of a loan from an oil-rich developing nation. The deal, however, needs the support of the Americans, and the American Secretary of State has his own particular requirements that need to be fulfilled.
This incarnation feels much closer to the original TV series than the last stage adaptation, with the cut and thrust of politics back at the fore. The timeline has shifted though, and because we’re somewhere around the 2008 financial crash, we’re still part of Europe and business is conducted on BlackBerrys.
Fans of the original will notice some recycled jokes from the TV series; a report on joining the Euro is buried in the bottom ministerial box in a folder marked ‘DVLA Swansea’. Even the oil-rich country is a play on another fictional nation that appeared in the TV series. The verbal sparring is as strong as ever and Sir Humphrey’s (fantastically played by Clive Hayward) wonderfully elaborate monologues remain a delight.
Under Charlotte Westenra’s direction, the production balances affectionate nostalgia with enough contemporary relevance to stop the material feeling like a museum piece. There’s a pleasing confidence to the pacing, allowing the comedy to breathe while never losing sight of the political stakes. That approach is mirrored by an all-female creative team, with Anna Kelsey’s set and costume design, Jodie Underwood’s lighting and Elizabeth Purnell’s sound helping to root this familiar world in a distinctively fresh production.
Somewhere in the middle, though, the script strays from the series’ usual values. The American Secretary of State, via his Ambassador (Maurey Stratton), has requested three sex workers be delivered to his room. The character, though never seen, is painted as an Epstein-like figure, and much of the second act is devoted to Hacker, Humphrey, Bernard and Claire Sutton debating the ethics of fulfilling his request. It is, as ever, a satirical look at political decision-making, but the subject matter occasionally sits uneasily against the otherwise light-footed tone, particularly given the real-world context it evokes.
Jay Villiers does a marvellous job of recreating the role of Jim Hacker. More than once a particular turn of phrase or physical movement feels eerily, but beautifully, close to Paul Eddington’s portrayal. There’s a moment where Hacker has a bit of a meltdown and Villiers plays it perfectly, though it is here that the character feels least like Hacker.
William Owen brings his own take to Bernard Wooley, who remains the moral compass throughout. Ruth Gibson plays Claire Sutton with gusto, but this character feels the least realistic. As the only woman in the room, Sutton seems far too quick to entertain the Secretary of State’s request.
The shift to the early 2000s and the inclusion of more recent political touchstones gives Yes, Prime Minister a little more bite than previous stage outings. Purists may occasionally question how far it strays from the television original, but when Hayward, Villiers and Owen are firing on all cylinders, it serves as a timely reminder that in British politics the faces may change, but the farce remains reassuringly familiar.
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