open government - Quote, Trivia

A demand made by several groups in the 1970s and 1980s, particularly in the UK, for less secrecy in policy making. Such groups pressed for reform of the ‘catch-all’ Section 2 of the Official Secrets Act, and the introduction of a Freedom of Information Act. The UK government introduced reform proposals in the late 1980s, but critics argued that these were likely to prove even more restrictive. The 1997 Labour government produced a white paper on Freedom of Information, and the resulting Act was passed by parliament in 2000. It was introduced in stages, with full implementation in January 2005. The Act gives right to access information held by all public authorities, including central government, local authorities, the National Health Service, schools, and the police.

Yes Minister episode
“Open Government”
Episode title card
Episode no.	Series 1 Episode 1
Guest star(s)	John Nettleton Diana Hoddinott Neil Fitzwiliam
Writer(s)	Antony Jay Jonathan Lynn
Producer	Stuart Allen
Original broadcast	25 February 1980
Episode chronology
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–	“The Official Visit”
List of Yes Minister and Yes, Prime Minister episodes

"Open Government" is the first episode of the BBC comedy series Yes Minister, first broadcast 25 February 1980.

Episode Cast

Actor	Role
Paul Eddington	Jim Hacker
Nigel Hawthorne	Sir Humphrey Appleby
Derek Fowlds	Bernard Woolley
John Nettleton	Sir Arnold Robinson
Diana Hoddinott	Annie Hacker
Neil Fitzwiliam	Frank Weisel
Edward Jewesbury	Vic Gould
Norman Mitchell	The Mayor
David Moran	Nigel Lloyd-Pritchard
Fraser Kerr	Radio Reporter

Quote

Hacker: Who else is in this department? Sir Humphrey: Well briefly, sir, I am the Permanent Under Secretary of State, known as the Permanent Secretary. Directly responsible to the Principal Private Secretaries are plain Private Secretaries, and the Prime Minister will be appointing two Parliamentary Under Secretaries and you will be appointing your own Parliamentary Private Secretary. Hacker: Can they all type? Sir Humphrey: None of us can type, Minister.

Trivia

As this was the pilot episode of Yes Minister, the title sequence and music are substantially different to those used for all other instalments.