YES, THE MINISTER IS GOING DUTCH

Because of the eventual turn of events within 'Yes, Minister' - to the point where the show was re-titled as 'Yes, Prime Minister' - I've always thought that perhaps the series should be located within the same alternate TV dimension as our own 'Spin City', perhaps even sharing the same world as our 'Hail To The Chief' and 'Mr. President'.

The format of the show has been sold to Turkey, India, and now to The Netherlands, where the main character - the power behind the throne, so to speak - has been refashioned to be a woman. And there will be a Moroccan assistant private secretary as a character as well.

"The themes that form the basis of the series are still very much relevant: Bureaucratic red tape, political deal-making and the closed ranks in the civil service." said Pita de Leeuw, head of drama production at Dutch broadcaster VPRO.

The idea that the theme of the original series is being repeated around the world is nothing new in greater Toobworld. There are several versions of 'The Office' being produced globally, and the same is true for the 'Ugly Betty' format. We can go back to 'All In The Family' taking 'Til Death Us Do Part' as its inspiration, probably even further.

There's no way I could keep track of the dramatic series produced in Holland, India, or Turkey, so I don't know whether the leaders of their respective countries are referenced in any of their other programs. (This is usually the standard I use as to whether or not an American series can remain in Earth Prime-Time.) So I'm just going to assume that these other versions of 'Yes, Minister' will exist in the same alt. Toobworld as the original.

BCnU!
Toby O'B