From Rowan Atkinson’s pre-Mr Bean ‘Blackadder’ exploits to ‘The IT Crowd’s geeky escapades, British sitcoms have been delivering steady laughs and remarkable characters since the historical pilot of ‘Pinwright’s Progress’ was aired by the BBC in 1946. One of the genre’s most significant entries is ’80s institution ‘Yes Minister’ and its successor, ‘Yes, Prime Minister’, which subsequently paved the way for contemporary political satire like Armando Iannucci’s ‘The Thick of It’.
Following the runaway success of the series, ‘Yes, Prime Minister’ was adapted into a stage production in 2010. Boasting an all-British cast, Antony Jay and Jonathan Lynn’s brainchild revolves around Jim Hacker, the Prime Minister, and his various struggles against bureaucracy in the British Civil Service. But unlike the TV show, a new character – Claire Sutton, the PM’s special policy advisor – has been added to the fore.