The first series, "Yes Minister," follows the adventures of Jim Hacker, a newly appointed Minister of Administrative Affairs, played by Paul Eddington. Hacker is a well-meaning but somewhat naive politician who finds himself at the mercy of the machinations of his Permanent Secretary, Sir Humphrey Appleby, played by Nigel Hawthorne. Sir Humphrey is a master of bureaucratic obfuscation and manipulation, and he uses his vast experience and knowledge of the system to thwart Hacker's attempts to implement his policies.

Caught between them is Bernard Woolley , the Principal Private Secretary, who must balance his professional loyalty to Hacker with his career-dependent loyalty to Sir Humphrey. Key Themes and Satirical Targets