The empty hospital - Yes Minister - BBC comedy

[KevinByrne2]

I remember watching the episode "Big Brother", where they discussed "creative inertia" (delaying tactics of the civil service). I was stunned to realize that my local town government used EXACTLY the same tactics. Civil servants around the planet must study the same book.

[powergirl07]

Actually, this was based on a real story so there really was a hospital like this.

[najhoant]

@powergirl07 Not exactly. It was imagined by the writers of the show, but afterwards there actually turned out to be half a dozen real hospitals just like the one in the episode. In one of them, the only patient really was someone who tripped on some scaffolding and broke her leg

[AliceTRoyal]

Haha, this exact problem happened in my city....a brand-new hospital was built and then due to cutbacks they couldn't staff it. The local paper posted this on their website when the story broke....hehehe

[9omi]

wats with the dislikes are these the same people disliking all the good videos on the youtbe.

[Pandramika]

remind me of Queensland health System!

[darklightraven]

please does any body know this funny hospital sitcom where there is a nurse guy or an intern who does evrything wrong all the time, if you know what i mean even though it is like aqsking hey do you know david that lives in usa :D but well

[sphoney]

@darklightraven Crikey, that is a pretty vague question :) Off the top of my head from roughly this era there was Only When I Laugh, or Surgical Spirit (I think? My mum used to watch that). More recently there was Greenwing, and that definitely had inept doctors; there was the mock-horror Garth Marenghi's Dark Place, which was great but mainly of cult appeal I think.

Hope one of those takes you in the right direction. :)

[stoprainingonme]

@darklightraven British sitcom? The only one I know of is Only When I Laugh. And Dave? From the USA? Yeah I know him, were you at school with him or something?

[Ondrus21]

Thank's Paul, Nigel and Derek.

[supercreamysperm]

It's strange listening to Paul Eddington talking about hospitals. About 16 or 17 years after this episode was aired, Eddington died of skin cancer in 1999.

[sford605]

The sad thing is that much of what you see in "Yes, Minister" and "Yes, Prime Minister" actually happened. Something like this, for instance, actually did happen. That's one of the reasons I adore this show. So much of it is based in reality but it has absolutely brilliant humor.

[cpaslapeine]

This actually happened in Peru, a brand new hospital was inaugurated,by the President himself, a year ago with much fanfare. It turned out the patients and medical staff were just for propaganda purposes, and it had no actual patients nor medical staff to speak of. Being still a backwater country with a messy political system, this did no surprise most peruvians.

[sonoki82]

This show aired about 25 years ago. In 2010, we have the hugely expensive John Murtha airport in PA that serves a only handful passengers a day. And who can forget the nearly-approved $200 million "bridge to nowhere" in Alaska? This show is as relevant today as it was in the early 80s.

[JongeMatador]

I'm not sure how many of you know this, but after this episode was broadcast, the writers received an anonymous tip-off from Whitehall that the 'empty hospital' scenario was very close to the bone! Apparently at least one inner-city hospital was fully staffed but without any patients for several months!

[JongeMatador]

I'm not sure how many of you know this, but after this episode was broadcast, the writers received an anonymous tip-off from Whitehall that the 'empty hospital' scenario was very close to the bone! Apparently at least one inner-city hospital was fully staffed but without any patients for several months!

[uptightkid]

How annoying? In the original episode Sir Humphry makes the case that the 'empty hospital' is the most efficient hospital in the UK. A great example of government double think. Really wish this clip would inlcude Humpy's response.

[vikramvaranasi]

Too bad i can't understand their fast english :-(

I wish someone added subtitles

[WagonManBand]

@vikramvaranasi

It's rapidfire comedy at its best ;)

[skristoferu]

I worked for a County government in the USA for ten years. It ran 100% like this show.

That is why I watch this show & its sister show, Yes Prime Minister over & over. It is so factual.

[svrljig]

@skristoferu

If I may be so indiscreet to ask what exactely did you do? It sounds odd that this thing can be considered normal - well, perhaps not.

[tomenicus]

@svrljig NO, it definitely can't be considered normal, nevertheless it happens still and people from the goverment don't do anything with it. After all hospitals are public domain, aren't they?

[Nemanichvili]

You know it turned out that there were realy hospitals in the UK with the same problem during the 70s.

[britishleylandcrap]

As they say, all comedy is based on reality :)

[19nimrod93]

I think one of the reasons this show was so popular is that people suspected that much of it was actually true. And, indeed, a lot of it did turn out to be.

[Darknessattack]

lovely vids

[invictus0454]

I always watching these videos.Please put more

Thank you

[nanosaur4ever]

it's actually thursday

lol

[ChooksRock]

lol!

[Mullahgrrl]

Isn't he the ex-editor of the newspaper reform?

[DaniMajor]

Yes he is

[Mullahgrrl]

I guess it shows.

[kyutomusu]

classic :)

[firebreathone]

FUnny stuff

[bubunsrac]

Thank you, brown owl:-)

[kgab2268]

prophetic of New Labour!

[zeki31]

chez la chose la plus drole que jai jamais vue de ma vie ha ha ha je suis tellement cranper (sans blague c'est la chose la plus ..dison incroponable que jai jamais entendue ) franchement si daniel radcliffe regarde sa il est bizarre

[slornie]

one of which is dont listen to your Permanent Secretary, another is the 6 different excuses for delaying a piece of legislation

[thajr]

If you are the least bit interested in learning about government...or learning how to do it right...you must learn the lessons taught by Yes, Minister and Yes, Prime Minister

[stokepogue]

or learning about good tv

[DaniMajor]

totally agree!!!

[acr08807]

@thajr I agree. Sir Humphrey is an excellent model for how to get ahead in government service.