The
Rt. Hon. James (Jim) Hacker MP
played by Paul
Eddington |
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The Minister for Administrative Affairs, later Prime Minister.
Kind-hearted, well-meaning, and just a bit dim. Generally,
his "servants" in the Civil Service bureaucracy
run rings around him, but occasionally he can win a battle
or two, generally by claiming someone else's brilliant idea
as his own.
The late Paul Eddington having just played Jerry in "The
Good Life" puts in more great performances in this
sitcom.
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Sir
Humphrey Appleby
played by Nigel
Hawthorne |
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The Permanent Secretary (top civil servant) at the Department
of Administrative Affairs. Later replaces Sir Arnold Robinson
as the Secretary to the Cabinet (the top civil servant of
them all) and is instrumental in engineering Hacker's elevation
to the Premiership. He has no principles beyond the necessity
to keep the politicians from governing Britain.
Accomplished actor Nigel Hawthorne played Sir Humphrey excellently.
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Bernard
Woolley
played by Derek
Fowlds |
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Hacker's Principal Private Secretary, first at
the DAA, then at Number Ten. Has a reputation as a "high
flyer," to maintain which he must constantly steer a course
between loyalty to his Minister and loyalty to the Civil Service.
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| THE OTHER
REGULARS |
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Annie Hacker
played by Diana
Hoddinott
Jim Hacker's loyal, loving, and long-suffering wife. Much
smarter than her husband. Never lets Hacker get too big for
his britches.
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Sir Arnold Robinson
played by John
Nettleton
Secretary to the Cabinet during Hacker's tenure as Minister
for Administrative Affairs. Retires just before Hacker's accession
to the Premiership, but remains available to aid his successor
Sir Humphrey in his quest to keep the politicians from running
the country.
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Frank Weisel
(yes minister, series 1)
played by Neil
Fitzwiliam
Jim Hacker's political advisor early in his tenure at the
DAA. Name is pronounced "WYE-zel," though not by
Sir Humphrey. Later shuttled off to an important-sounding
but meaningless job to get him out of the way.
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| RECURRING
CHARACTERS |
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Sir Frank Gordon
played by Peter Cellier
Permanent Secretary of the Treasury. After Sir Humphrey becomes
Cabinet Secretary, he must battle Sir Frank to determine who
will be Head of the Home Civil Service.
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Sir Desmond Glazebrook
played by Richard Vernon
Chairman of Bartlett's Bank, and a close friend of Sir Humphrey's.
Occasionally able to help Hacker out of one of his frequent
disasters--but always for a price.
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Sir Mark Spencer (yes minister)
played by Nigel Stock
The Prime Minister's chief political advisor. Serves as a
liaison between the PM and his Ministers in sensitive matters,
and also a conduit for Prime Ministerial leaks to the press.
After all, the ship of state is the only ship which leaks
from the top.
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Vic Gould (yes minister)
played by Edward Jewesbury
The Chief Whip; the man whose job it is to ensure that MPs
do what they're told.
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Sir Frederick Stewart (yes
minister)
played by John Savident
The Permanent Secretary of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
Known to his friends as "Jumbo."
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Dr. Richard Cartwright (yes
minister)
played by Ian Lavender
A professional economist and minor civil servant with no
promotion prospects--in his own words, "Alas! I'm an
expert." What he is an expert on is local government,
and his ideas are innovative and intelligent. Naturally, Sir
Humphrey tries to keep him from infecting Hacker with this
dangerous nonsense.
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Sir Richard Wharton (yes prime
minister)
played by Donald Pickering
The Permanent Secretary of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
Dedicated to ensuring that the Cabinet and the Foreign Office
do not have two competing foreign policies.
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Dorothy Wainwright (yes prime
minister)
played by Deborah Norton
Hacker's chief political advisor during his Premiership,
generally addressed by Sir Humphrey as "dear lady,"
and referred to behind her back as "the Wainwright female."
Most of Hacker's good ideas were hers first.
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General Sir Geoffrey Howard
(yes prime minister)
played by Frederick Treves
Army Chief of Staff, later Chief of Defence Staff. Supports
Hacker's plan to get rid of the Trident missile, but is appalled
by Hacker's plan to reintroduce the draft, which will dilute
the world's finest army with "a quarter of a million
football hooligans."
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