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The Best Episodes of Yes Minister

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

Binge this in 10h 30m•Peaking at 9.0/10

Satirical sitcom set in the office of a UK Cabinet minister, Jim Hacker MP, who struggles with Civil Service bureaucracy and political machinations as he tries to get on with government business.

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BBC Two
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Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
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    Yes Minister Season 3 Episode 3 - The Skeleton in the Cupboard
    9.0/10(414 votes)

    #1 - The Skeleton in the Cupboard

    S3:E3

    Jim uses a costly mistake from Sir Humphrey’s past to escape chastising an efficient local council for being late with their paperwork.

    Director:Peter Whitmore
    Writers:Antony Jay, Jonathan Lynn

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  2. Yes Minister Season 1 Episode 4 - Big Brother
    8.8/10(502 votes)

    #2 - Big Brother

    S1:E4

    When the Government is planning to introduce a national database, Jim wants to bring in safe guards, but Sir Humphrey stalls until with some help from the opposition, Jim gets his way.

    Director:Sydney Lotterby
    Writers:Antony Jay, Jonathan Lynn

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  3. Yes Minister Season 3 Episode 4 - The Moral Dimension
    8.8/10(402 votes)

    #3 - The Moral Dimension

    S3:E4

    Jim is forced to back down about exposing bribery used to obtain a lucrative foreign contract when Bernard allows a valuable vase from a foreign government to be undervalued so that Mrs Hacker can keep it.

    Director:Peter Whitmore
    Writers:Antony Jay, Jonathan Lynn

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  4. Yes Minister Season 2 Episode 7 - A Question of Loyalty
    8.7/10(381 votes)

    #4 - A Question of Loyalty

    S2:E7

    Jim and Sir Humphrey pass the buck to protect each other when they appear before a select committee investigating charges of waste in Hacker’s ministry, until Jim’s higher loyalties are called upon.

    Director:Peter Whitmore
    Writers:Antony Jay, Jonathan Lynn

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  5. Yes Minister Season 3 Episode 1 - Equal Opportunities
    8.5/10(403 votes)

    #5 - Equal Opportunities

    S3:E1

    Jim decides to promote more women to high civil service positions despite Sir Humphrey’s opposition.

    Director:Peter Whitmore
    Writers:Antony Jay, Jonathan Lynn

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  6. Yes Minister Season 2 Episode 1 - The Compassionate Society
    8.4/10(431 votes)

    #6 - The Compassionate Society

    S2:E1

    When Jim learns that a brand new hospital still has no medical staff, but hundreds of civil servants working there, he proposes that half of the civil servants be sacked and use the money saved to open wards with medical staff.

    Director:Peter Whitmore
    Writers:Antony Jay, Jonathan Lynn

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    The 20 WORST Episodes of Yes Minister

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  7. Yes Minister Season 1 Episode 5 - The Writing on the Wall
    8.3/10(439 votes)

    #7 - The Writing on the Wall

    S1:E5

    A rumour starts that Jim’s department is about to be axed. So with help from Sir Humphrey, they try and defeat the Prime Minister’s plans.

    Director:Sydney Lotterby
    Writers:Antony Jay, Jonathan Lynn

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  8. Yes Minister Season 2 Episode 2 - Doing the Honours
    8.3/10(387 votes)

    #8 - Doing the Honours

    S2:E2

    When Jim learns that he can block civil servant’s honours, he blackmails them into cutting their budgets, but when he hears that he might be in line for an honorary degree, he has to back down.

    Director:Peter Whitmore
    Writers:Antony Jay, Jonathan Lynn

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  9. Yes Minister Season 3 Episode 5 - The Bed of Nails
    8.3/10(355 votes)

    #9 - The Bed of Nails

    S3:E5

    Jim accepts an unpopular position pushing a transportation bill desired by Number 10, but opposed by everyone else.

    Director:Peter Whitmore
    Writers:Antony Jay, Jonathan Lynn

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  10. Yes Minister Season 1 Episode 6 - The Right to Know
    8.2/10(424 votes)

    #10 - The Right to Know

    S1:E6

    Jim faces rebellion at home and in the office over the removal of protected status from a badger habitat, while he tries to circumvent Sir Humphrey’s efforts to keep him ignorant of things.

    Director:Sydney Lotterby
    Writers:Antony Jay, Jonathan Lynn

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  11. Yes Minister Season 2 Episode 4 - The Greasy Pole
    8.2/10(366 votes)

    #11 - The Greasy Pole

    S2:E4

    Jim has the chance of creating jobs, and saving a chemical company, when they are offered the chance to manufacture a highly dangerous chemical, but when the news gets out that it might be too dangerous, he has to back down.

    Director:Peter Whitmore
    Writers:Antony Jay, Jonathan Lynn

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  12. Yes Minister Season 2 Episode 5 - The Devil You Know
    8.2/10(367 votes)

    #12 - The Devil You Know

    S2:E5

    When Jim is betrayed by a Cabinet colleague over his plans to bring in jobs for British workers, he thinks about leaving Westminster and becoming a European Commissioner, But when Sir Humphrey learns who his replacement will be, he tries to change Jim’s mind.

    Director:Peter Whitmore
    Writers:Antony Jay, Jonathan Lynn

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  13. Yes Minister Season 3 Episode 2 - The Challenge
    8.2/10(355 votes)

    #13 - The Challenge

    S3:E2

    When Jim tackles local council administration and civil defence, he runs afoul of a B.B.C. interviewer.

    Director:Peter Whitmore
    Writers:Antony Jay, Jonathan Lynn

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  14. Yes Minister Season 3 Episode 6 - The Whisky Priest
    8.2/10(359 votes)

    #14 - The Whisky Priest

    S3:E6

    Jim faces opposition from all sides when he learns that British munitions have been sold to terrorist groups and he decides to start an inquiry into how it happened.

    Director:Peter Whitmore
    Writers:Antony Jay, Jonathan Lynn

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  15. Yes Minister Season 1 Episode 2 - The Official Visit
    8.1/10(503 votes)

    #15 - The Official Visit

    S1:E2

    When the leader of an African country is killed in a coup, his successor, who is an old friend of Jim’s, comes in his place. They negotiate a £50 million deal to help buy oil exploration equipment.

    Director:Sydney Lotterby
    Writers:Antony Jay, Jonathan Lynn

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  16. Yes Minister Season 2 Episode 3 - The Death List
    8.1/10(379 votes)

    #16 - The Death List

    S2:E3

    When Jim learns that when in opposition he was bugged by the secret service, he decides to bring in legislation to kerb the bugging, only to find out that he is on the death list of a group of terrorist’s, and the best way to find them, is by bugging phone lines

    Director:Peter Whitmore
    Writers:Antony Jay, Jonathan Lynn

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  17. Yes Minister Season 3 Episode 7 - The Middle-Class Rip-Off
    8.1/10(339 votes)

    #17 - The Middle-Class Rip-Off

    S3:E7

    Jim and Sir Humphrey collide when Jim acts as an M.P. to sell an art gallery and museum in his district to support a popular local soccer club.

    Director:Peter Whitmore
    Writers:Antony Jay, Jonathan Lynn

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  18. Yes Minister Season 1 Episode 1 - Open Government
    8.0/10(540 votes)

    #18 - Open Government

    S1:E1

    Jim Hacker retains his seat in the election and is given a cabinet post in the new government He meets the permanent secretary for his department Sir Humphrey Appleby but Jim decides to change the way things are done in the civil service so Sir Humphrey sets out to stop him

    Director:Stuart Allen
    Writers:Antony Jay, Jonathan Lynn

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  19. Yes Minister Season 1 Episode 3 - The Economy Drive
    8.0/10(466 votes)

    #19 - The Economy Drive

    S1:E3

    Jim Hacker is determined to reduce the Civil Service, but he is frustrated by Sir Humphrey, and the only numbers he can alter are the numbers of tea ladies.

    Director:Sydney Lotterby
    Writers:Antony Jay, Jonathan Lynn

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  20. Yes Minister Season 2 Episode 6 - The Quality of Life
    8.0/10(368 votes)

    #20 - The Quality of Life

    S2:E6

    Sir Humphrey uses Jim’s promise to keep a popular city farm project open to get special permission for an additional nine floors on a proposed skyscraper.

    Director:Peter Whitmore
    Writers:Antony Jay, Jonathan Lynn

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  21. Yes Minister Season 1 Episode 7 - Jobs for the Boys
    7.9/10(412 votes)

    #21 - Jobs for the Boys

    S1:E7

    Jim goes on radio to support the Solihull project a Government, union and private enterprise building scheme, that he has inherited from the last administration, but unknown to him the project is close to bankruptcy, Sir Humphrey hopes to save the deal by offering a quango to the director of the bank involved

    Director:Sydney Lotterby
    Writers:Antony Jay, Jonathan Lynn

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Best Episodes Summary

"The Skeleton in the Cupboard" is the best rated episode of "Yes Minister". It scored 9/10 based on 414 votes. Directed by Peter Whitmore and written by Antony Jay, Jonathan Lynn, it aired on 11/25/1982. This episode scored 0.2 points higher than the second highest rated, "Big Brother".