Suppressing a smirk is more like it. Humphrey understood the inner workings of government intimately, but Hacker had great skill managing its outward appearances. When they worked together toward a common purpose they were unbeatable.
Yes, Hacker might have been a pushover at times, a weak man who would do the easiest thing underestimated by most of the people around him. But he surely had his moments. This is what makes him so relatable. This, the fact that he strives to do the right thing and the great acting of Paul Eddington.
@@spartand001 I don't condone left-wing media always gunning for Britain. They always seem to ignore all the good things and yet focus on all the negatives. They positively rub their hands together with glee when something has gone wrong. Why do left wingers hate their own country so much?
May the souls of Paul Eddington, Nigel Hawthorne and Derek Fowlds be forever in peace having provided such extraordinary, unforgettable humour to generations of fans.
I know your message is old, but I have to add, that this in fact happened in real life. Although not as exaggerated, it originates from a genuine source within the UK government. :-)
And a bit further in the distance, Sir Arnold wipes a tear from his eye, observing Sir Humphrey and Bernard as successful permanent secretaries and remarking, "The grow so fast, they really do!"
What total rot. I imagine you don't do much actual reading. Remaining one of the few quality papers in the internet age has been quite an achievement for the Guardian. They have a huge subscriber base, and operations in the US, Australia and elsewhere. One of the best news websites, media such as podcasts- further ensuring their future. They now are in profit - without the backing of any tawdry billionaires of questionable ethics. Run by an independent trust. Hardly a student paper. I could go on- but I'm sure I've already tasked your tiny brain too much.
@@alanmessenger9397 the Guardian' news section can sometimes be objective but their total subservience to woke doctrine in the opinion sections just makes the whole thing an activist handout and not a newspaper. Sadly, the Guardian is not the only paper suffering from this, see also the New York Times for example.
Still one of the best series that the BBC ever made. Not just a comedy, but as someone who was formerly a civil servant in two departments and having also been involved with politics at times, I know that this is as much a documentary as anything. And such wonderful performances from the three main actors.
It was filmed 40+ years ago now (1980-4): Eddington and Hawthorne were in their 50's and Fowlds in his mid-40's. Given the ages they would now be, their being no longer around is certainly sad but unsurprising.
_"We have deceived the Qumranis, I am racked with guilt. Tormented by the knowledge that we have violated their solemn and sacred Islamic law in their own country! Sooner or later we'll have to own up and ADMIT that it was all YOUR idea."_ Nigel Hawthrone's delivery of this line is simply perfect. The contrast between the seriousness of the words and the poised and completely unconcerned tone...I love it.
Yeah, I watched the entire series with my wife and we also watched house of cards. The difference between the husband-wife interaction of Jim and Annie vs Frank and Claire is night and day. To be fair, Annie probably didn't realize just how serious this kind of thing is, because in older times, this kind of gifts are very common place, it is only in the latter half of 20th century that people started to take those corruption charges seriously.
lol love Hacker's reaction complete with voice cracking under the strain 0:28. paul addington was such a good actor. He is just so subtle and natural. his reactions were all very be convincing 2:33 the serious case of eye twitch after the brown envelope slip lol. "Burglars girl burglars..."
This is one of my favourite clips of the show and exemplifies why I think Hacker is the most interesting character on the show. Can be meek, attacking, comedic and caring whenever the scene demands it.
For 5000 years that part of the world has run on corruption and bribery. But it has oil so it's too important to police properly. Same as how Saudi Arabia executes people for being gay and in the event of a rape, prosecutes the woman for not being married to her 'partner' The whole area is a ghastly place that the west allows to continue, as long as they provide the subsidy to defence contractors. Every country sells to them and the reason is always bribery but it's a game to catch the other side out over who can hide it effectively
Tell that to the politicians who lie all the time just to get your vote. I have never seen so many of them caught out in lies that are so obvious a moron can tell that it was a lie. Sadly there are too many voters who can't seem to see the lie since it makes them happy.
@@drwatsonca6945 And they would not get away with it if the media did not frame it so that it favors them. Media and journalism in the current times are a travesty - the prime force behind everything rotten in society. They promote the most decadent ways and stories and their thirst for blood and low-level scandals is on the all time high. For instance, just yesterday I saw in majority of media in my country a story about a 15yo boy who killed himself... but instead of it simply being reported, journalists made sure that they are on the spot when the body was dragged from the river to make the best shots of it, as well as fainting mother and crying father, with detailed transcripts of what they said through the whole thing. Journalists today look for shock stories, sex, violence, blood. 99% of the stories in media are not there to inform you of something that is of any consequence for you or that you'd form an informed opinion on something as a voter. They are there to attract clicks, likes, views and thus focus on the lowest of the low when it comes to human emotions and drives. That is why you don't see actually important topics that dictate your day to day life covered. And if something important happens to slip through, it is reported in the worst way possible, again to make you shocked rather than informed. I've worked with journalists for 2 years and I can say to you - there are no more decadent people on this planet. They look nice in their suits, they talk nicely, but they are the rotting core of our modern society and most of them are not even aware of what they are doing. There is no morality, not standards, no ethics of any kind. And those that claim that they have all those things can barely scrap enough of it to be called humans in the first place. Politicians lie - as they have been since the dawn of time. That is a constant. But media and journalism are at an all time low when it comes to standards. And they are the reason why things get done or don't get done, they are the primary reasons of everything in modern society. From spinning stories that make countries go to war, through coverage of some important topic that makes or don't the critical mass for a change, down to the lowest level of feeding the most basic urges. Journalists, as we have them today, are the cancer of every modern society. They are the variable that changed, not the politicians, not the crime rates (that are universally in decline yet people feel like they are increasing due to the media that like fear factor) or what ever else. Most things in our societies are more or less the same, but the media and their framing of things is what makes things turn worse. And that is why the "Fake News" mantra was successful. People KNOW that media is full of shit and that journalists are scum of the earth - and it was just a question of time when some idiot was going to use it for his own gain. And we all saw what happens then - you get two realities created. The easiest way for creating a better tomorrow is getting media and journalism standards back to where they were some 70-80 years ago.
@@drwatsonca6945 pity the media cover for them. Covid virus natural occurring/escape narrative is the most perfect example. The public could see the holes in the story but the media called anyone that questioned it conspiracy theorists…..until the moment it might actually be true and they back flipped while maintaining a straight face aka 1984 style ‘we always thought this as well’ mantra.
@@Wustenfuchs109 as someone recently said. The media is not there to report the news - that’s only a small sideline. It’s there to bring in viewers and enable them to make money with advertising. Therefore ‘Covid hasn’t infected 6.8 billion of the globes 7.1 billion after 22 months so your chances are excellent’ doesn’t attract viewers but ‘You’re going to die no matter your age or health if you get it’ does. Therefore it benefits them to perpetuate the fear (as one example) or another - notice how after a big disaster the next time it rain/snow/high winds come your way they angle it as if it’s going to happen again.
@@tla2119 we do laugh, but a part of us inside also cries because it is true. You must remember that satire is after all based on reality and many of the scenarios depicted are very real indeed.
Good for Humphrey for the way he went to bat for Bernard here (Humphrey bringing up the Qumran booze room as the scene opened was in direct response to Jim being about to publicly blame Bernard for the bribery scandal).
@@dogwalker666 Unfortunately Boris and his gang have made repeated attacks against the civil service in the last couple of years, often as a way to distract from other political problems. One example is where a government minister has effectively acknowledged bullying their civil servants but it is the civil servants that have had to go. I think a lot of bridges need to be mended before Boris can count on more than cold professionalism from the civil service.
What I like about this clip is the way Sir Humprey turns the tables on Jim to ensure Bernard is shielded. His loyalty and desire to protect his fellow civil servant colleagues shines through.
Humphrey is a fox when it comes to the bureaucratic machinery, but Hacker is a fox in politics and associated relations with the public. This scene shows them in their best field.
Exactly this, he knows exactly what questions will be coming, and how to get around non-answers, which makes it all the easier to come up with stronger non-answers.
well yes the Uk needed dollars to pay for imports, because their counterparties would not take pounds like in the old days. britain had several currency crises after ww2, and was constantly in need of dollar reserves
I thought straight away of today's "Partygate." with the Tories going into attack on "More pressing thing to be thinking about than to rock the boat with such trivia" argument!
