1 9 6 8 – 1 9 6 9 (UK)
5 x 30 minute episodes
Television’s first attempt to poke fun at the world of politics from within the Houses of Parliament in a situation comedy came from the pens of Vince Powell and Harry Driver.
The series revolved around two MPs – one Labour, one Conservative.
Tim Barrett played young Labour newcomer, Geoffrey Broom MP for Burnstone, Yorkshire, and Robert Coote the wily old Tory, William Sylvester Gordon representing the safe seat of Ryefield in Surrey.
Because of accommodation problems the two are forced to share an office.
The series was beset with problems: Following the transmission of the first episode (in Thames Television’s second week of broadcasting) an ITV technicians dispute kept it off the screen until almost a year later when the next four of the seven episodes written were shown.
The last two episodes were never seen. Television returned to the subject matter far more successfully in the 1980s with Yes, Minister.
Willie Gordon MP
Robert Coote
Geoffrey Broom MP
Tim Barrett
Wilkins
Deryck Guyler
