The WORST episodes of Yes, Prime Minister

Every episode of Yes, Prime Minister ever, ranked from worst to best by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The worst episodes of Yes, Prime Minister!

Yes, Prime Minister is the sequel to the popular British series Yes Minister. It aired from 1986 to 1988 and is the story of the continuing battles between Jim Hacker, who is now Prime Minister, and Sir Humphrey, who has been promoted to Cabinet Secretary.

Last Updated: 11/1/2024Network: BBC TwoStatus: Ended
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The Smoke Screen
star
7.21
203 votes

#1 - The Smoke Screen

Season 1 - Episode 3 - Aired 1/23/1986

Jim favors abolishing smoking through heavy taxation but runs into strong opposition from the tobacco lobby and the Treasury department.

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The Bishop's Gambit
star
8.01
135 votes

#2 - The Bishop's Gambit

Season 1 - Episode 7 - Aired 2/20/1986

Jim has to choose a new bishop but doesn't like either the Church or Sir Humphrey's choices.

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A Conflict of Interest
star
8.02
100 votes

#3 - A Conflict of Interest

Season 2 - Episode 4 - Aired 12/24/1987

Hacker and Sir Humphrey clash over the appointment of the governor of the Bank of England and the cover up of a banking scandal in the City.

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One of Us
star
8.07
136 votes

#4 - One of Us

Season 1 - Episode 8 - Aired 2/27/1986

Hacker threatens to place Sir Humphrey on leave while a security inquiry looks into why he cleared a confessed Soviet spy many years earlier, so Sir Humphrey retaliates with a dog in distress on Salisbury plain.

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The Patron of the Arts
star
8.08
92 votes

#5 - The Patron of the Arts

Season 2 - Episode 6 - Aired 1/1/1988

Sir Humphrey works against Hacker over the issues of funding the National Theatre when the PM asks for help containing criticism from the Theatre's director.

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The National Education Service
star
8.09
91 votes

#6 - The National Education Service

Season 2 - Episode 7 - Aired 1/8/1988

Sir Humphrey faces a conflict of interest when Hacker devises a plan to improve educational standards by abolishing the Department of Education and Science.

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A Real Partnership
star
8.14
148 votes

#7 - A Real Partnership

Season 1 - Episode 5 - Aired 2/6/1986

Sir Humphrey tries to get his scheduled pay raise even though increases for MPs have been put on hold for budgetary reasons.

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The Grand Design
star
8.36
252 votes

#8 - The Grand Design

Season 1 - Episode 1 - Aired 1/9/1986

Jim Hacker considers cancelling the Trident programme after discovering some interesting facts about the UK's defence system.

Directors: Sydney Lotterby
Writer: Antony Jay, Jonathan Lynn
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A Victory for Democracy
star
8.39
193 votes

#9 - A Victory for Democracy

Season 1 - Episode 6 - Aired 2/13/1986

Jim must take action to avert a Marxist takeover of a Commonwealth island nation despite the efforts of the Foreign Office to keep him ignorant.

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The Tangled Web
star
8.46
93 votes

#10 - The Tangled Web

Season 2 - Episode 8 - Aired 1/28/1988

Sir Humphrey has to decide if he will support the PM or inform Parliament when Hacker denies knowledge of a wiretap authorized by his office without his knowledge.

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Power to the People
star
8.49
123 votes

#11 - Power to the People

Season 2 - Episode 5 - Aired 12/31/1987

Sir Humphrey makes a very strange ally out of the formidable Agnes Moorhouse, a radical political reformer from a London council, in his efforts to stop Hacker's plans to make local government more democratic.

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Official Secrets
star
8.55
153 votes

#12 - Official Secrets

Season 2 - Episode 2 - Aired 12/10/1987

Jim considers approving the publication of his predecessor's memoirs, but it becomes a plumber's nightmare as a series of leaks spring up.

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Man Overboard
star
8.62
185 votes

#13 - Man Overboard

Season 2 - Episode 1 - Aired 12/3/1987

Sir Humphrey makes Jim suspicious of the Minister of Employment when he needs the PM's support in opposing a plan to shift military personnel from the south to the north of England.

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The Ministerial Broadcast
star
8.63
157 votes

#14 - The Ministerial Broadcast

Season 1 - Episode 2 - Aired 1/16/1986

Jim is coached in the world of show business as he prepares to address the nation on his defence policy.

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The Key
star
8.75
187 votes

#15 - The Key

Season 1 - Episode 4 - Aired 1/30/1986

Office politics take precedence over national issues when Sir Humphrey and Bernard fall out with each other after Jim tries to restrict Sir Humphrey's access to No 10.

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A Diplomatic Incident
star
8.88
162 votes

#16 - A Diplomatic Incident

Season 2 - Episode 3 - Aired 12/17/1987

Jim uses the occasion of his predecessor's state funeral to negotiate with the French over the conditions of the channel tunnel.

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