Yes, Prime Minister

Before He Was Sorry, Jim Hacker Has One Weekend to Save His Premiership

Jonathan Lynn and Antony Jay's Yes Minister and Yes, Prime Minister ran on BBC Two through the 1980s and left such a mark on the national psyche that a 2004 documentary compared its influence on public trust in government to Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four. The Barn's own production is a prequel to its 2023 hit I'm Sorry, Prime Minister, which went on to a West End run and a national tour.

Newly installed at Chequers, Jim Hacker is facing a collapsing economy, a hostile press and a party ready to turn on him, with Sir Humphrey Appleby working every angle at his shoulder. Jay Villiers plays Hacker opposite Clive Hayward as Sir Humphrey, who previously appeared in the play's earlier West End run at Trafalgar Studios. Charlotte Westenra directs an all-female design team, with a BSL performance built into the run on 30 September and an audio-described performance on 19 September.

This production opens the run before the national press descend on 1 September, so the Barn's own audience gets first look at Hacker and Humphrey back in Whitehall.

Friday 28 August 2026 · Barn Theatre, 5 Beeches Road, Cirencester, Gloucestershire GL7 1BN · Starts 7:30pm