Yes, Prime Minister to return to British screens Filming is expected to start over the summer but executives have yet to finalise details of who will be cast in the roles of Hacker, his famously obtuse permanent secretary Sir Humphrey Appleby and Bernard Wooley, his principle private secretary. Jane Rogerson, Director of Commissioning at UKTV, said: "The political landscape in Britain today is the perfect setting for Yes, Prime Minister to return. Just look at Pastygate. That could have been in the original Yes, Minister. We've only received the first script so far so I can't give solid details of the plot other than to say the reference points about the crises, the challenges, the personalities; they are all utterly contemporary of the present day. Yes, Minister, set principally in Jim Hacker's private office within the fictional Department for Administrative Affairs, was first broadcast in 1980 and ran for four years. Its sequel, Yes, Prime Minister began in 1986 and followed the beleaguered Hacker as he continued to clash with his civil servants on becoming Prime Minister. Sir Humphrey Appleby was played by the late Nigel Hawthorne, who died in 2001, and Derek Fowlds starred as Bernard. The series received huge critical acclaim and was even enjoyed by the then incumbent Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher. Today, writers Jonathan Lynn and Antony Jay, who co-wrote the original series and were involved in its later stage production, were confirmed as being the authors of the new programmes. The six-part series is expected to be screened either at the end of this year or at the beginning of next, and will be filmed in front of a live audience in London. Ms Rogerson added: "Yes, Minister and Yes, Prime Minister are crown jewels of British comedy we all grew up with and I think the time is right for a modern take on government. I'm thrilled that Gold has enticed Jonathan Lynn and Antony Jay to pen a brand new series, and can't wait to see this constitutional treasure back on screens across the country. The quality of their writing is wonderful. You can only get that tight use of English and humour from the calibre of Antony and Jonathan. Their scripts are more prediction than fiction.