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The Best Episodes of Yes, Prime Minister

Every episode of Yes, Prime Minister ranked from best to worst. Let's dive into the Best Episodes of Yes, Prime Minister!

Binge this in 8h 0m•Peaking at 9.2/10

James Hacker MP the Government's bumbling minister for Administrative Affairs is propelled along the corridors of power to the very pinnacle of politics - No. 10. Could this have possibly have been managed

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Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
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    Yes, Prime Minister Season 1 Episode 4 - The Key
    9.2/10(503 votes)

    #1 - The Key

    S1:E4

    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 №10.

    Director:Sydney Lotterby
    Writers:Antony Jay, Jonathan Lynn

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  2. Yes, Prime Minister Season 2 Episode 8 - The Tangled Web
    8.8/10(338 votes)

    #2 - The Tangled Web

    S2:E8

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

    Director:Sydney Lotterby
    Writers:Antony Jay, Jonathan Lynn

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  3. Yes, Prime Minister Season 1 Episode 3 - The Smoke Screen
    8.6/10(383 votes)

    #3 - The Smoke Screen

    S1:E3

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

    Director:Sydney Lotterby
    Writers:Antony Jay, Jonathan Lynn

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  4. Yes, Prime Minister Season 1 Episode 8 - One of Us
    8.6/10(348 votes)

    #4 - One of Us

    S1:E8

    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.

    Director:Sydney Lotterby
    Writers:Antony Jay, Jonathan Lynn

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  5. Yes, Prime Minister Season 2 Episode 3 - A Diplomatic Incident
    8.5/10(368 votes)

    #5 - A Diplomatic Incident

    S2:E3

    Jim uses the occasion of his predecessor’s state funeral to negotiate with the French over the conditions of the Channel Tunnel.

    Director:Sydney Lotterby
    Writers:Antony Jay, Jonathan Lynn

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  6. Yes, Prime Minister Season 1 Episode 1 - The Grand Design
    8.4/10(410 votes)

    #6 - The Grand Design

    S1:E1

    With his finger now on the nuclear button, Hacker plans his first act as Prime Minister to be a radical new defence policy.

    Director:Sydney Lotterby
    Writers:Antony Jay, Jonathan Lynn

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    The 20 WORST Episodes of Yes, Prime Minister

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  7. Yes, Prime Minister Season 1 Episode 6 - A Victory for Democracy
    8.4/10(374 votes)

    #7 - A Victory for Democracy

    S1:E6

    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.

    Director:Sydney Lotterby
    Writers:Antony Jay, Jonathan Lynn

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  8. Yes, Prime Minister Season 1 Episode 2 - The Ministerial Broadcast
    8.3/10(391 votes)

    #8 - The Ministerial Broadcast

    S1:E2

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

    Director:Sydney Lotterby
    Writers:Antony Jay, Jonathan Lynn

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  9. Yes, Prime Minister Season 1 Episode 7 - The Bishop’s Gambit
    8.3/10(351 votes)

    #9 - The Bishop’s Gambit

    S1:E7

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

    Director:Unknown
    Writers:Antony Jay, Jonathan Lynn

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  10. Yes, Prime Minister Season 1 Episode 5 - A Real Partnership
    8.2/10(350 votes)

    #10 - A Real Partnership

    S1:E5

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

    Director:Sydney Lotterby
    Writers:Antony Jay, Jonathan Lynn

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  11. Yes, Prime Minister Season 2 Episode 1 - Man Overboard
    8.2/10(361 votes)

    #11 - Man Overboard

    S2:E1

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

    Director:Sydney Lotterby
    Writers:Antony Jay, Jonathan Lynn

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  12. Yes, Prime Minister Season 2 Episode 5 - Power to the People
    8.1/10(319 votes)

    #12 - Power to the People

    S2:E5

    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.

    Director:Sydney Lotterby
    Writers:Antony Jay, Jonathan Lynn

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  13. Yes, Prime Minister Season 2 Episode 7 - The National Education Service
    8.1/10(312 votes)

    #13 - The National Education Service

    S2:E7

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

    Director:Sydney Lotterby
    Writers:Antony Jay, Jonathan Lynn

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  14. Yes, Prime Minister Season 2 Episode 2 - Official Secrets
    8.0/10(325 votes)

    #14 - Official Secrets

    S2:E2

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

    Director:Sydney Lotterby
    Writers:Antony Jay, Jonathan Lynn

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  15. Yes, Prime Minister Season 2 Episode 6 - The Patron of the Arts
    8.0/10(313 votes)

    #15 - The Patron of the Arts

    S2:E6

    Jim Hacker faces embarrassment when Sir Humphrey tells a friend in the arts that the PM's government is planning to cut grants.

    Director:Sydney Lotterby
    Writers:Antony Jay, Jonathan Lynn

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  16. Yes, Prime Minister Season 2 Episode 4 - A Conflict of Interest
    7.9/10(335 votes)

    #16 - A Conflict of Interest

    S2:E4

    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.

    Director:Sydney Lotterby
    Writers:Antony Jay, Jonathan Lynn

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Best Episodes Summary

"The Key" is the best rated episode of "Yes, Prime Minister". It scored 9.2/10 based on 503 votes. Directed by Sydney Lotterby and written by Antony Jay, Jonathan Lynn, it aired on 1/30/1986. This episode scored 0.4 points higher than the second highest rated, "The Tangled Web".