The Right to Know
Encyclopedia
"The Right to Know" is the sixth episode of the BBC
comedy series Yes Minister
and was first broadcast 31 March 1980. This was one of a few episodes during the first series which did not end with the trademark phrase "Yes Minister".
is in his office, where he is joined by Bernard
. Sir Humphrey wishes to know why several "underlings" have attended certain of Jim Hacker's
recent meetings. Bernard informs him that their purpose is to brief the Minister
on departmental procedure. Sir Humphrey demands that this ceases immediately, as there is a possibility that the Minister may learn something of which his senior officials are unaware and undermine their authority. The Permanent Secretary
is concerned that Hacker is starting to run the department — a recipe for chaos and innovation. He states that a minister has just three functions: to act as the department's PR man, to steer its legislation through Parliament
, and to fight for its budget. He instructs Bernard to "create activity" in Hacker's diary. Bernard protests that the Minister is at that moment seeing a deputation of environmentalists regarding an endangered colony of badger
s. While pleased at this, Sir Humphrey warns Bernard that Principal Private Secretaries
may join the badgers as a threatened species if they are unable to occupy their ministers.
Meanwhile, Hacker is doing his best to placate his visitors, who are concerned that new legislation
will allow certain areas of the countryside to lose their protected status, in particular the aforementioned badger colony at a place called Hayward's Spinney. After Bernard ushers them out, and Sir Humphrey joins them, Hacker is livid. His announcements to parliament and the press had proclaimed that the legislation would mean "no loss of amenity", and now he has discovered that this is not the case. Sir Humphrey indicates that the actual wording was "no significant loss of amenity", which apparently makes all the difference. He is able to persuade Hacker that Hayward's Spinney is not significant and therefore he should have nothing to worry about. However, Hacker presses the point that he should have been informed. He is surprised by Sir Humphrey's explanation, that "there are some things it is better for a minister not to know." His Permanent Secretary goes on to clarify that Hacker would not have made such a convincing case for the legislation had he been lobbied by the environmentalists beforehand. Nevertheless, the Minister is unimpressed and tells Sir Humphrey that he is about to announce a re-organisation to ensure that it doesn't happen again. Sir Humphrey is incensed and (eventually) tells Hacker that the incumbent minister is not there to run the department; he re-iterates a minister's responsibilities as defined to Bernard earlier. Hacker is not having any of it: he wants access to all departmental paperwork from now on.
The next morning, the Hackers are at breakfast, and the Minister is absorbed in his red boxes
, of which there are now more, owing to his recent demands. After an argument with his daughter, Lucy, over the nature of his job, his wife, Annie, points out that his insistence on seeing every document has played right into Sir Humphrey's hands. Hacker has been swamped with everything from minutes of past committees to stationery requisitions. Meanwhile, Lucy has noticed the newspaper report concerning Hayward's Spinney and lambasts her father for allowing the badger colony to be destroyed.
Sir Humphrey meets with his colleague Sir Frederick Stewart, who is equally aghast at Hacker's plan. Bernard arrives with more files with which to keep the Minister occupied, and Sir Humphrey vets them. Bernard confesses that he is worried about keeping the Minister in the dark, and the Permanent Secretaries explain why this is necessary. It is up to the civil service
to decide which proposals are put before the Minister, and then "guide" him to its favoured option, in much the same manner as a conjurer "forces" a card to be chosen. There are apparently several expressions that are key to getting a policy accepted or rejected, among which the most damning is to describe something as "courageous".
Later in Hacker's office, Bernard discovers a letter from Lucy Hacker to her father. She is threatening to join the protest at Hayward's Spinney — in the nude. When the Minister finds out, he is alarmed at the potential fallout in the press and instructs Sir Humphrey to kill the story. Lucy phones her father and tells him of her intentions, but it is Sir Humphrey who saves the day. He informs her that there are in fact no badgers in Hayward's Spinney: the story was fed to the press by a hopeful property developer. However, after she is convinced, Hacker asks to see the information. Sir Humphrey refuses, on the grounds that the Minister doesn't really need to know...
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
comedy series Yes Minister
Yes Minister
Yes Minister is a satirical British sitcom written by Antony Jay and Jonathan Lynn that was first transmitted by BBC Television between 1980–1982 and 1984, split over three seven-episode series. The sequel, Yes, Prime Minister, ran from 1986 to 1988. In total there were 38 episodes—of which all but...
and was first broadcast 31 March 1980. This was one of a few episodes during the first series which did not end with the trademark phrase "Yes Minister".
Plot
Sir Humphrey ApplebyHumphrey Appleby
Sir Humphrey Appleby, GCB, KBE, MVO, MA , is a fictional character from the British television series Yes, Minister and Yes, Prime Minister. He was played by Sir Nigel Hawthorne. In Yes Minister, he is the Permanent Secretary for the Department of Administrative Affairs...
is in his office, where he is joined by Bernard
Bernard Woolley
Sir Bernard Woolley GCB is one of the three main fictional characters of the 1980s British sitcom Yes Minister and its sequel, Yes, Prime Minister. He was portrayed by Derek Fowlds.-Character:...
. Sir Humphrey wishes to know why several "underlings" have attended certain of Jim Hacker's
James Hacker
James George Hacker, Baron Hacker of Islington, KG, PC, B. Sc. , Hon. D. C. L. was a fictional British politician. He was the Minister of the fictional Department of Administrative Affairs, and later the Prime Minister, in the 1980s British sitcom Yes Minister and its sequel, Yes, Prime Minister...
recent meetings. Bernard informs him that their purpose is to brief the Minister
Minister (government)
A minister is a politician who holds significant public office in a national or regional government. Senior ministers are members of the cabinet....
on departmental procedure. Sir Humphrey demands that this ceases immediately, as there is a possibility that the Minister may learn something of which his senior officials are unaware and undermine their authority. The Permanent Secretary
Permanent Secretary
The Permanent secretary, in most departments officially titled the permanent under-secretary of state , is the most senior civil servant of a British Government ministry, charged with running the department on a day-to-day basis...
is concerned that Hacker is starting to run the department — a recipe for chaos and innovation. He states that a minister has just three functions: to act as the department's PR man, to steer its legislation through Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
, and to fight for its budget. He instructs Bernard to "create activity" in Hacker's diary. Bernard protests that the Minister is at that moment seeing a deputation of environmentalists regarding an endangered colony of badger
Badger
Badgers are short-legged omnivores in the weasel family, Mustelidae. There are nine species of badger, in three subfamilies : Melinae , Mellivorinae , and Taxideinae...
s. While pleased at this, Sir Humphrey warns Bernard that Principal Private Secretaries
Principal Private Secretary
In the British Civil Service and Australian Public Service the Principal Private Secretary is the civil servant who runs a cabinet minister's private office...
may join the badgers as a threatened species if they are unable to occupy their ministers.
Meanwhile, Hacker is doing his best to placate his visitors, who are concerned that new legislation
Legislation
Legislation is law which has been promulgated by a legislature or other governing body, or the process of making it...
will allow certain areas of the countryside to lose their protected status, in particular the aforementioned badger colony at a place called Hayward's Spinney. After Bernard ushers them out, and Sir Humphrey joins them, Hacker is livid. His announcements to parliament and the press had proclaimed that the legislation would mean "no loss of amenity", and now he has discovered that this is not the case. Sir Humphrey indicates that the actual wording was "no significant loss of amenity", which apparently makes all the difference. He is able to persuade Hacker that Hayward's Spinney is not significant and therefore he should have nothing to worry about. However, Hacker presses the point that he should have been informed. He is surprised by Sir Humphrey's explanation, that "there are some things it is better for a minister not to know." His Permanent Secretary goes on to clarify that Hacker would not have made such a convincing case for the legislation had he been lobbied by the environmentalists beforehand. Nevertheless, the Minister is unimpressed and tells Sir Humphrey that he is about to announce a re-organisation to ensure that it doesn't happen again. Sir Humphrey is incensed and (eventually) tells Hacker that the incumbent minister is not there to run the department; he re-iterates a minister's responsibilities as defined to Bernard earlier. Hacker is not having any of it: he wants access to all departmental paperwork from now on.
The next morning, the Hackers are at breakfast, and the Minister is absorbed in his red boxes
Red box (government)
The term "Red box" informally refers to a ministerial box used by ministers in the British government to carry their documents. Similar in appearance to a briefcase, they are primarily used to hold and transport official departmental papers from place to place.-Ministerial box:The design of...
, of which there are now more, owing to his recent demands. After an argument with his daughter, Lucy, over the nature of his job, his wife, Annie, points out that his insistence on seeing every document has played right into Sir Humphrey's hands. Hacker has been swamped with everything from minutes of past committees to stationery requisitions. Meanwhile, Lucy has noticed the newspaper report concerning Hayward's Spinney and lambasts her father for allowing the badger colony to be destroyed.
Sir Humphrey meets with his colleague Sir Frederick Stewart, who is equally aghast at Hacker's plan. Bernard arrives with more files with which to keep the Minister occupied, and Sir Humphrey vets them. Bernard confesses that he is worried about keeping the Minister in the dark, and the Permanent Secretaries explain why this is necessary. It is up to the civil service
British Civil Service
Her Majesty's Home Civil Service, also known as the Home Civil Service, is the permanent bureaucracy of Crown employees that supports Her Majesty's Government - the government of the United Kingdom, composed of a Cabinet of ministers chosen by the prime minister, as well as the devolved...
to decide which proposals are put before the Minister, and then "guide" him to its favoured option, in much the same manner as a conjurer "forces" a card to be chosen. There are apparently several expressions that are key to getting a policy accepted or rejected, among which the most damning is to describe something as "courageous".
Later in Hacker's office, Bernard discovers a letter from Lucy Hacker to her father. She is threatening to join the protest at Hayward's Spinney — in the nude. When the Minister finds out, he is alarmed at the potential fallout in the press and instructs Sir Humphrey to kill the story. Lucy phones her father and tells him of her intentions, but it is Sir Humphrey who saves the day. He informs her that there are in fact no badgers in Hayward's Spinney: the story was fed to the press by a hopeful property developer. However, after she is convinced, Hacker asks to see the information. Sir Humphrey refuses, on the grounds that the Minister doesn't really need to know...
Episode cast
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Paul Eddington Paul Eddington Paul Eddington CBE was an English actor best known for his appearances in popular television sitcoms of the 1970s and 80s: The Good Life, Yes Minister and Yes, Prime Minister.-Early life:... |
Jim Hacker |
| Nigel Hawthorne Nigel Hawthorne Sir Nigel Barnard Hawthorne, CBE was an English actor, perhaps best remembered for his role as Sir Humphrey Appleby, the Permanent Secretary in the 1980s sitcom Yes Minister and the Cabinet Secretary in its sequel, Yes, Prime Minister. For this role he won four BAFTA Awards during the 1980s in the... |
Sir Humphrey Appleby |
| Derek Fowlds Derek Fowlds Derek Fowlds is an English actor, known for playing Bernard Woolley in popular British television comedies Yes, Minister and Yes, Prime Minister and Oscar Blaketon in the long-running ITV police drama Heartbeat.... |
Bernard Woolley |
| John Savident John Savident John Savident is a British actor, best known for playing the part of Fred Elliott in the soap opera Coronation Street from 1994 to 2006. And also was a frequent guest on Soccer AM alongside fellow actor Jack 'The Rigger' Spooner.... |
Sir Frederick Stewart |
| Diana Hoddinott Diana Hoddinott Diana Hoddinott is an English actress. She was born to Winifred Doris, née Dibble and Alan Hoddinott , who married in 1934 in Langport.... |
Annie Hacker |
| Gerry Cowper Gerry Cowper Geraldine Cowper is an English actress who is best known for playing Rosie Miller in EastEnders. In the mid 1980s she took the part of Clare France in After Henry on BBC radio and also appeared on television as Jim Hacker's daughter in Yes Minister.-Career:Cowper was Clare France, the youngest of... |
Lucy Hacker |
| Harriet Reynolds | Environmentalist |
| Roger Elliott | Environmentalist |
Cast notes
- This is the only episode in which Hacker's daughter, Lucy (played by Gerry Cowper), appears on screen.