The idea for the series was developed by writer Antony Jay and former Doctor in the House star Jonathan Lynn while both were on the payroll of the video production company set up by John Cleese in the mid- 1970s. The BBC bought the rights to the pilot episode, and work on a full series  finally  got  under way in 1979.

     The humor of each episode revolved around the maneuverings of the Right Honourable James Hacker, M.P., the idealistic and newly installed minister for administrative affairs (and ultimately prime minister), and his cynical and wily permanent undersecretary, Sir Humphrey Appleby, who was committed to seeing that his ministerial charge never meddled too much in the business of the department and that the real power remained securely in the hands of the civil service. Every time Hacker conceived some notion aimed at reform of the ministry, Sir Humphrey and Private Secretary Bernard Woolley were there to thwart him by various ingenious means. If Hacker inquired too closely into the reasons why he was not going to get his way about something, Sir Humphrey was more than able to throw up a smokescreen of obfuscation and technical jargon, which as often as not discour­aged further questioning and persuaded the civil servant that his charge was now nearly "house-trained." This was not to say that Sir Humphrey always got his way, however: sometimes a last-minute development would deliver him into the minister's hands, leaving the civil servant speechless with rage and indignation. 

     The script of Yes, Minister was both perceptive and hugely funny, and the casting of the main roles was perfect. Paul Eddington was completely convincing as the gullible and idealistic Hacker, while Nigel Hawthorne was masterly as the Machiavellian Sir Humphrey, assisted by Derek Fowlds as the genial Bernard Woolley. The show was an immediate success and was showered with numerous awards. Among its many devotees were such distinguished figures as Margaret Thatcher, who named it as her favorite program and saw to it that writer Antony Jay received a knighthood (Eddington and Hawthorne both were appointed Commander of the British Empire in the 1986 New Year's Honours list). Also connected with the program, providing invaluable insights into the operations of Whitehall behind the scenes, was Harold Wilson's one-time secretary, Lady Marcia Falkender.