A Diplomatic Incident
Encyclopedia
“A Diplomatic Incident” is the eleventh episode of the BBC
comedy series Yes, Prime Minister
and was first broadcast 17 December 1987.
is joined by Sir Humphrey Appleby
, to discuss the forthcoming public ceremony for the start of work on the Channel Tunnel
. It seems that there are certain stumbling blocks regarding border placement and jurisdiction. The Prime Minister
is all for handling the negotiations himself, until Sir Humphrey provides him with a raft of legal problems that will need sorting—and in all probability will involve the British side making some concessions. Hacker then decides that such things are better left the Foreign Secretary
. Then, talk turns to the final chapter of Hacker’s predecessor’s memoirs, which is to detail Hacker’s accession to Number 10
. The former PM would like to inspect the relevant government papers, but Hacker is not so sure as his predecessor has been less than complimentary about him. Hacker calls him “treacherous, malevolent, and vile.” Then Bernard
takes a phone call: the former PM has just died of a heart attack
. Hacker’s joyful reaction is swiftly transformed to solemnity, and a state funeral
must now be arranged.
Later in the Cabinet Room, Hacker is musing over the likely potential for his own popularity with the voters by hosting the funeral, to which senior politicians will be invited from all over the world. Then Bernard arrives with some disturbing news. The President of France will be bringing with him the gift of a Labrador
puppy in reciprocation for a similar offering made by The Queen during her last state visit to France
. However, the PM’s officials know that the French are well aware of British quarantine
laws and that they are seeking to create a diplomatic incident to gain an upper hand in the Channel Tunnel negotiations. Hacker mobilises both the Foreign
and Home
Offices while Sir Humphrey co-ordinates things from the Cabinet Office.
The French ambassador arrives for a chat with the PM. He is wondering if the two countries’ leaders can use the funeral as an opportunity to discuss their political differences, but Hacker refuses, as he will be greeting a great number of VIPs. He also asks if his embassy can be guarded by French police for the duration of the President’s visit. Again the PM declines to make an exception. They then address the subject of the puppy, and the ambassador points out that not only would the President be personally affronted if the Queen rejects it, but his wife—who has set her heart on the gift—would also be deeply upset. Hacker implores the ambassador to ask the President “not to bring that bitch with him.”
That evening in his flat, Hacker explains to Annie, his wife, that this will be a summit in all but name: “a working funeral.” It has the potential for some serious diplomacy, with none of the expectations that arise from a summit conference. To that end, the service will contain lots of music, in order that discussions can take place among the leaders present.
As arrangements gather pace, Bernard and his staff field a mass of phone calls from various departments. The PM calls him in to the Cabinet Room for an update on the puppy. However, Sir Humphrey rushes in with news of a bomb that has been discovered in the French embassy. Because of this, the President will now be travelling to the funeral by car in secret, allowing his plane to be used as a decoy. Sir Humphrey indicates that he will now be able to smuggle the puppy into the UK. Once inside the embassy, it will be on French soil.
At the Downing Street reception, Sir Humphrey reveals to the PM that the French are willing to drop the matter of the puppy and are willing to concede a 50–50 split of sovereignty within the Channel Tunnel, but only if all the signs and menus are in French before English. Then the Police Commissioner provides Hacker with news that the bomb at the embassy was planted by the French themselves in order to test British security. The PM confronts the French president over the matter, who protests that his government is always ignorant of its security agency’s activities. However, Hacker now has the advantage and gains the compromise he wanted over the Channel Tunnel. He instructs Sir Humphrey to draft a communiqué for release after the funeral, and the mandarin responds, “Mais oui, Prime Minister.”
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
comedy series Yes, Prime Minister
Yes Minister
Yes Minister is a satirical British sitcom written by Antony Jay and Jonathan Lynn that was first transmitted by BBC Television between 1980–1982 and 1984, split over three seven-episode series. The sequel, Yes, Prime Minister, ran from 1986 to 1988. In total there were 38 episodes—of which all but...
and was first broadcast 17 December 1987.
Plot
Jim HackerJames Hacker
James George Hacker, Baron Hacker of Islington, KG, PC, B. Sc. , Hon. D. C. L. was a fictional British politician. He was the Minister of the fictional Department of Administrative Affairs, and later the Prime Minister, in the 1980s British sitcom Yes Minister and its sequel, Yes, Prime Minister...
is joined by Sir Humphrey Appleby
Humphrey Appleby
Sir Humphrey Appleby, GCB, KBE, MVO, MA , is a fictional character from the British television series Yes, Minister and Yes, Prime Minister. He was played by Sir Nigel Hawthorne. In Yes Minister, he is the Permanent Secretary for the Department of Administrative Affairs...
, to discuss the forthcoming public ceremony for the start of work on the Channel Tunnel
Channel Tunnel
The Channel Tunnel is a undersea rail tunnel linking Folkestone, Kent in the United Kingdom with Coquelles, Pas-de-Calais near Calais in northern France beneath the English Channel at the Strait of Dover. At its lowest point, it is deep...
. It seems that there are certain stumbling blocks regarding border placement and jurisdiction. The Prime Minister
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
is all for handling the negotiations himself, until Sir Humphrey provides him with a raft of legal problems that will need sorting—and in all probability will involve the British side making some concessions. Hacker then decides that such things are better left the Foreign Secretary
Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, commonly referred to as the Foreign Secretary, is a senior member of Her Majesty's Government heading the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and regarded as one of the Great Offices of State...
. Then, talk turns to the final chapter of Hacker’s predecessor’s memoirs, which is to detail Hacker’s accession to Number 10
10 Downing Street
10 Downing Street, colloquially known in the United Kingdom as "Number 10", is the headquarters of Her Majesty's Government and the official residence and office of the First Lord of the Treasury, who is now always the Prime Minister....
. The former PM would like to inspect the relevant government papers, but Hacker is not so sure as his predecessor has been less than complimentary about him. Hacker calls him “treacherous, malevolent, and vile.” Then Bernard
Bernard Woolley
Sir Bernard Woolley GCB is one of the three main fictional characters of the 1980s British sitcom Yes Minister and its sequel, Yes, Prime Minister. He was portrayed by Derek Fowlds.-Character:...
takes a phone call: the former PM has just died of a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
. Hacker’s joyful reaction is swiftly transformed to solemnity, and a state funeral
State funeral
A state funeral is a public funeral ceremony, observing the strict rules of protocol, held to honor heads of state or other important people of national significance. State funerals usually include much pomp and ceremony as well as religious overtones and distinctive elements of military tradition...
must now be arranged.
Later in the Cabinet Room, Hacker is musing over the likely potential for his own popularity with the voters by hosting the funeral, to which senior politicians will be invited from all over the world. Then Bernard arrives with some disturbing news. The President of France will be bringing with him the gift of a Labrador
Labrador Retriever
The Labrador Retriever is one of several kinds of retriever, a type of gun dog. A breed characteristic is webbed paws for swimming, useful for the breed's original purpose of retrieving fishing nets. The Labrador is the most popular breed of dog by registered ownership in Canada, the United...
puppy in reciprocation for a similar offering made by The Queen during her last state visit to France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. However, the PM’s officials know that the French are well aware of British quarantine
Quarantine
Quarantine is compulsory isolation, typically to contain the spread of something considered dangerous, often but not always disease. The word comes from the Italian quarantena, meaning forty-day period....
laws and that they are seeking to create a diplomatic incident to gain an upper hand in the Channel Tunnel negotiations. Hacker mobilises both the Foreign
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office, commonly called the Foreign Office or the FCO is a British government department responsible for promoting the interests of the United Kingdom overseas, created in 1968 by merging the Foreign Office and the Commonwealth Office.The head of the FCO is the...
and Home
Home Office
The Home Office is the United Kingdom government department responsible for immigration control, security, and order. As such it is responsible for the police, UK Border Agency, and the Security Service . It is also in charge of government policy on security-related issues such as drugs,...
Offices while Sir Humphrey co-ordinates things from the Cabinet Office.
The French ambassador arrives for a chat with the PM. He is wondering if the two countries’ leaders can use the funeral as an opportunity to discuss their political differences, but Hacker refuses, as he will be greeting a great number of VIPs. He also asks if his embassy can be guarded by French police for the duration of the President’s visit. Again the PM declines to make an exception. They then address the subject of the puppy, and the ambassador points out that not only would the President be personally affronted if the Queen rejects it, but his wife—who has set her heart on the gift—would also be deeply upset. Hacker implores the ambassador to ask the President “not to bring that bitch with him.”
That evening in his flat, Hacker explains to Annie, his wife, that this will be a summit in all but name: “a working funeral.” It has the potential for some serious diplomacy, with none of the expectations that arise from a summit conference. To that end, the service will contain lots of music, in order that discussions can take place among the leaders present.
As arrangements gather pace, Bernard and his staff field a mass of phone calls from various departments. The PM calls him in to the Cabinet Room for an update on the puppy. However, Sir Humphrey rushes in with news of a bomb that has been discovered in the French embassy. Because of this, the President will now be travelling to the funeral by car in secret, allowing his plane to be used as a decoy. Sir Humphrey indicates that he will now be able to smuggle the puppy into the UK. Once inside the embassy, it will be on French soil.
At the Downing Street reception, Sir Humphrey reveals to the PM that the French are willing to drop the matter of the puppy and are willing to concede a 50–50 split of sovereignty within the Channel Tunnel, but only if all the signs and menus are in French before English. Then the Police Commissioner provides Hacker with news that the bomb at the embassy was planted by the French themselves in order to test British security. The PM confronts the French president over the matter, who protests that his government is always ignorant of its security agency’s activities. However, Hacker now has the advantage and gains the compromise he wanted over the Channel Tunnel. He instructs Sir Humphrey to draft a communiqué for release after the funeral, and the mandarin responds, “Mais oui, Prime Minister.”
Episode cast
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Paul Eddington Paul Eddington Paul Eddington CBE was an English actor best known for his appearances in popular television sitcoms of the 1970s and 80s: The Good Life, Yes Minister and Yes, Prime Minister.-Early life:... |
Jim Hacker |
| Nigel Hawthorne Nigel Hawthorne Sir Nigel Barnard Hawthorne, CBE was an English actor, perhaps best remembered for his role as Sir Humphrey Appleby, the Permanent Secretary in the 1980s sitcom Yes Minister and the Cabinet Secretary in its sequel, Yes, Prime Minister. For this role he won four BAFTA Awards during the 1980s in the... |
Sir Humphrey Appleby |
| Derek Fowlds Derek Fowlds Derek Fowlds is an English actor, known for playing Bernard Woolley in popular British television comedies Yes, Minister and Yes, Prime Minister and Oscar Blaketon in the long-running ITV police drama Heartbeat.... |
Bernard Woolley |
| Diana Hoddinott Diana Hoddinott Diana Hoddinott is an English actress. She was born to Winifred Doris, née Dibble and Alan Hoddinott , who married in 1934 in Langport.... |
Annie Hacker |
| Christopher Benjamin | French Ambassador |
| Nicholas Courtney Nicholas Courtney William Nicholas Stone Courtney was an English television actor, most famous for playing Brigadier Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who.-Early life:... |
Police Commissioner |
| Robert East Robert East (actor) Robert Gwyn East East is an accomplished theatre and tv actor. He also wrote Incident at Tulse Hill, first produced at the Hampstead Theatre in December 1981 under the direction of Harold Pinter.... |
Peter Gascoigne |
| Bill Bailey Bill Bailey (American actor) Bill Bailey is an American actor, primarily providing supporting roles in film and television throughout the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. He appeared in Superman , Superman II , and Haunted Honeymoon , as well as a number of BBC programs including Yes, Prime Minister , Jeeves and Wooster , and Agatha... |
US Vice President |
| Mansel David | |
| Alan Downer | French President |
| Raymond Brody | |
| David King | |
| William Lawford | |