"Now tell me, how did the idea for "Yes, Minister" arise?" "Tony Jay thought of it, who's my co-author." "He was" "He was reading a speech by Barbara Castle" "In about 1973," "And he realized that there was a difference" "Between ministry policy" " And the minister's policy." " Yes." "And that is the kind of crucial thought" "That's at the basis of it." "And then he talked to me about the idea" "And I was busy writing other things" "And we didn't do anything for a couple of years, I think." "And then we got talking about it" "And realized that" "There's-- it also works" "As a classic comedy formula," "Which is of the servant" " Who is more able than the master." " Yes." "Which is the same as Jeeves and Bertie Wooster or the admirable Crichton." "Do you divide up the writing in any particular way?" "No, we sit at the same desk and write it together." "And roar with laughter." "But you're not Jim Hacker and he's not Humphrey." "Oh, well yes, in that sense." "We both write both parts but I'm more like Jim" " And he's more like Humphrey." " I see." "I mean, if we'd gone into to government" "He would now be a deputy secretary" "And I would now be a not very good backbencher." "The diaries are marvelous." "This is "Yes, Minister:" "The diaries of the cabinet minister."" "I'm going to give them to my M.P. brother for christmas." "Was Richard Crossman's diary an inspiration for this?" "Yes." "Yes, that was the" "That was the basis of all our research." "Because he was the first cabinet minister" "That really revealed what it was like to be a cabinet minister." "And actually, that's why Jim Hacker" "Is a little less knowledgeable" "Than new cabinet ministers would be today." "Because when the labor government came to power in 1964," "They had been out of office for 13 years" "And Wilson was the only member of that cabinet" "Who'd ever been in a cabinet before." "That explains a great deal." "So as we use Crossman in a sense as the basis of it," "We" " Jim really didn't know too much about being in government." "Whereas somebody coming into the cabinet for the first time today," "Having been in opposition" "The parties have been going to and fro" "Between government and opposition over the last few years." "And so they would know a little more about it than Crossman knew" "Or than Jim Hacker knew." " Do you ever get any leaks?" " Yes." " Is that all you're prepared to say?" " Yes." "I suppose that's the nature of a leak." "The diaries suggest that Jim Hacker may make it" "By failing upwards, which is a phrase I am devoted to." "He may make it to Number 10." "Now, is he going to is the burning question." "Well, politics is a tricky business," "You know, but it's possible." "If he plays his cards right, I think there's always the possibility of it." "Would you like to be minister for the arts?" " Minister for the arts?" " Yes." "Well, it's a pretty useless non-job really, isn't it?" "Actually you'd probably be the only newly-appointed minister" "Who could fend off his permanent secretary with expertise." "Yes, I have had fantasies" "About actually handling the civil service," "But I think it's almost impossible to get the better of them." "I'm sure you'd do it with aplomb."