Men from the Ministry

Men from the Ministry (1962-1980, United Kingdom)

Fictional General Assistance Department was created to help other ministries with often trivial issues, like solving some obstacles or dealing with the paperwork. At least that was the theory behind it, in practice they always cause more problems than they solve. Nevertheless, they are willing to help. Well, willing is a huge overstatement, but they will do what they can. Which usually is not much. Deryck Lennox-Brown, the head of the department, and Richard Lamb, his right hand, will tackle every case Sir Gregory Pitkin will throw at them. It could be making sure the army will get the right supplies, preparing route for the new motorway or solving traffic problems in central London - you name it, they will make mess out of it. Lennox-Brown and Lamb can also count on the support from their secretary, Mildred Murfin, but she is not exactly much better than the pair of them - a letter without embarrassing typos would be a huge step forward for her. But what can you expect from low-paid civil servants?

Men from the Ministry was a project devised by Richard Murdoch and Edward Taylor to build a comedy around incompetent civil servants, which back then (decades before Yes, Minister) was much more original than it would be today. The setting inside a fictional department which is supposed to help other departments gave the idea a wide range topics that they could incorporate - each week Lamb and Lennox-Brown (or in early seasons Roland Hamilton-Jones played by Wilfrid Hyde-White) would tackle a completely different problem in a completely different part of the government. And this gave Men from the Ministry the flexibility that such show needs not to become stale.

And Men from the Ministry managed to stay fresh for over 2 decades, which was a remarkable achievement. The episodes from early seasons with Wilfrid Hyde-White were later remade, this time with Deryck Guyler, and still remained topical and entertaining. Of course, the formula in which the main characters are always incompetent and create more mess than they started with, is not very original and with time becomes repetitive and predictable, but the constant change of topics and settings kept the show fresh for a long time. One week they were dealing with a situation in a prison, next week with oil rigs on North Sea, next week they were stranded in Regent’s Park or taking care of the new strip for an airfield.

Men from the Ministry is one of the most unexpected masterpieces of radio comedy - a simple, repetitive formula, light-hearted humour and well-developed scripts made it a show to remember.

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Locations
the story takes place in LondonCity of London, EnglandUnited Kingdom

Episodes of Men from the Ministry

1st Series (1962)

1. The Great Footwear Scandal
The department mixes up the order for rubber boats for Navy and receives rubber boots.

2. The Big Rocket
A note left on Hamilton-Jones? desk starts the gossip that United Kingdom has launched the space rocket and his secretary Mildred was the first woman in the space.

3. Strictly for the Birds
The pair of pigeons that Hamilton-Jones and Lamb took care now have eggs and both of the civil servants have to find the way to protect them when the building renovation is about to begin.

4. French Cricket
On the way to international conference on mutual sport for all NATO forces men from General Assistance Department get mixed with international spies convinced that Hamilton-Jones carries a secret weapon.

5. The War with the Isle of Wight
Ministry of Defence wants General Assistance Department to buy the part of Isle of Wight from private owners. They?re suppose to keep it as quite as possible, but instead they manage to start a war against the island.

6. Moderately Important Person
General Assistance Department has to take care of moderately important prince from Middle East visiting England and show him some moderately important time. But the problem is prince?s hobby is chasing women and he keeps his eye on ministry secretary April.

7. The Rhubarb Pirates
Hamilton-Jones and Lamb are sent to remote rhubarb farm and take care of it?s owner that sells the rhubarb longer than other farmers, which is, of course, unthinkable.

8. A Matter of Form
Hamilton-Jones and Lamb are absolutely delighted when they are given the task of preparing new form for aplicants that about to work in British nuclear power plant. But the tricky questions they have prepared backfired with bringing a child into their office.

9. The Magic Carpet
Christmas special - Hamilton-Jones, Lamb and Mildred have to stay at office for the Christmas and they deal with Santa Claus in their own special way.

10. The Spy in the Black Pin-Stripe
Hamilton-Jones joins ballroom dance course and keeps it a secret from Lamb and Mildred, but this makes him suspect in spy-catching investigation.

11. Island in the Sun
Lamb and Hamilton-Jones visit the lonely island that is the forgotten part of United Kingdom.

12. Problem in the Park

13. The End of the Road
Since Mildred have provided Lamb and Lennox-Brown with outdated map they have sent the demolition company to clear terrain for a new bypass in the middle of residential area.

14. A Present For Norman
Christmas special episode.

2nd Series (1965)

1. Pirates of Lakeview Reservoir
Two of the London boroughs are in dispute over the fluoridation of drinking water reservoir. General Assistance Department step in to... make it worse.

2. Something About a Soldier
Hamilton-Jones and Lamb accidentally discover that one of the World War II isolated outpost of anti-aircraft forces haven?t been officialy released and probably the soldiers don?t even know that the war is over. They move at once to fix the mistake.

3. The Trouble with Cecil
The computer system is installed in the office of General Assistance Department, but it is being used for the purposes that are far from those planned by Sir Gregory.

4. Mahboni Lies Over the Ocean

5. The Man Who Made it Rain
Brilliant inventor leaves his new work, the machine that modifies weather, in hands of General Assistance Department.

6. Train of Events
Hamilton-Jones and Lamb are sent to Wales to inspect rumours about headless train driver that is haunting the abandoned stations.

7. A Degrading Business
Hamilton-Jones is downgraded to a "simple B" level and has to take exam to regain his previous position.

8. The Butcher of Glensporran
The scheme for decentralization of office space places Hamilton-Jones and Lamb on a mission to Scotland.

9. Counter Spies
Hamilton-Jones meets his old friend from Australia in the club. Overwhelmed by his stories of how full life he lives Hamilton-Jones tells him that he is working in the counter espionage himself, which turns out to be closer to the truth than he expected.

10. A Question of Dundancy

11. A Back-Dated Problem

12. The Hole
Lennox-Brown and Lamb are put in charge of speeding up the construction of building next to the ministry. It seems quite simple, but there is a matter of hole in the ground.

13. The Day the Martians Came
Finally Martians visited the Earth and who else could handle them better than Lennox-Brown and Lamb?

3rd Series (1966)

1. Rebel in Regents Park

2. A Terrifying Weapon

3. The Post Office Pantomime

4. All at Sea

5. Bowler Hats and Sub-Machine Guns
Lennox-Brown and Lamb are sent to United States with a vital mission, but after arrival they are mistaken for two English hired guns expected by the local gangsters.

6. On the Run

7. A Gift for Sir Gregory

8. The Whitehall Circus

9. Customs of the Country

10. Getting the Bird
The population of pelicans in one of the London parks have decreased, so General Assistance Department gets the job to find a new bird that could help with the breeding.

11. The Girl in the Case

12. The Thing on the Beach
While on vacation Lamb finds a last Home Guard post on the beach and it turns out it?s General Assistance Department job to take care of disbanding the unit.

13. A Slight Case of Demolition
General Assistance Department has to take care of demolition or replacement of antique public toilet. As usual not everything is going as smooth as they wanted and actually they do more work that was expected.

14. The Fastest Ship in the World
Two messages are mixed and in result the press is convinced that British have built the fastest warship in the world. Lennox-Brown and Lamb find the way out of this mess.

4th Series (1968)

1. The Battle of the River Thames
Due to misunderstanding the community of one of the British islands declares war on United Kingdom and their first targets are the buildings near Thames, including the Parliament.

2. The Tubby Submarine
Mildred is worried that her boyfriend thinks she gained some weight, so she asks Lamb to get her some excersises plan from her. Meanwhile Lennox-Brown is put in charge of tests for new submarine.

3. A Matter of Breeding
Lennox-Brown and Lamb are chosen to take care of important guest, but they don?t realize that the guest is actually a horse.

4. The Great Showbiz Fiasco
While dealing with grants for the art Lennox-Brown and Lamb make a tiny mistakes which forces them to put on their own show with only two actors in it.

5. Up the Poll
Lennox-Brown and Lamb are sent to small town to take care of the by-election.

6. Waterway to Go
Ministry receives information that barge on one of the canals is avoiding new rules, so Lennox-Brown and Lamb are on the way to take care of it.

7. Dam Nuisance

8. The Fastest Brolly in the West
While taking the inventory in Civil Service Museum Lennox-Brown and Lamb find the notes about their predecessors in 19th century that were sent to the Wild West.

9. Lamb Takes a Gambol

10. Four Men in a Wellington
While checking the information about World War II airfield still being used Lennox-Brown and Lamb find the truth behind it - not only the airfield is active, but not released airmen started their own business here.

11. Out of this World

12. Muddlers-in-Law

13. What has Four Wheels and Flies?

5th Series (1969)

1. A Rotten System

2. A Brush With an Old Master
Lennox-Brown?s lifelong dream of becoming the famous painter are about to be realized. Well, almost...

3. All Pay and No Work

4. A Sticky Business

5. The Home-Brewed Non-Vintage Bomb

6. The Ship that Wagged its Tail

6th Series (1970)

1. Bye-Bye Mildred
General Assistance Department secretary Mildred decides to leave public service and move to a private company. To her surprise the first big client is her old ministry.

2. Bare Necessities
Lennox-Brown and Lamb has to decide which building should be demolished in order to proceed with building motorway.

3. Storm in a Tea Urn
Ministry tries to cut down the costs generated by numerous tea-breaks taken by the staff, so all the kettles are confiscated and tea-trolleys are being used instead delivering the food and drinks only on designated time.

4. The Moving Target
Sir Gregory receives death-threat, so he tries to use Lennox-Brown or Lamb as a scapegoat.

5. Oil Well that Ends Well

6. The Bigger the Better

7. Trouble in the Air

8. Miss Chatterly?s Lover

9. The Pudding From Outer Space

10. A Little of What you Fancy

11. A Bird in the Hand

12. Bringing the House Down

13. Fair Exchange

14. Bill Stickers is Innocent
While helping with problem of traffic in London General Assistance Department makes tiny mistake while putting the posters up promoting job of traffic wardens.

7th Series (1971)

1. Rolling In It
Sir Gregory if furious that in General Assistance Department?s petty cash there is some money left, so he orders them to got rid of them. Not everything is going according to his will.

2. Up, Up and Away

3. Thoroughly Modern Ministry

4. We All Make Mistakes

5. The Foolproof Fool
Richard Lamb finally received the appreciation of his unique talents - he is offered a significant raise if he could act as guinea pig for the department that makes new products foolproof. He is to take the part of the fool, but can he manage it?

6. Rotten to the Corps

7. Transatlantic Trouble

8. The Finger of Suspicion

9. Just the Ticket
Lamb and Lennox-Brown are given the job of promoting the national lottery, so the national budget would receive extra money from selling tickets.

10. Going To Pot

8th Series (1972)

1. The Conference Trick
Lennox-Brown and Lamb gets the job of representing Great Britain on conference which will divide the surface of planet Venus between the countries. They were chosen especially to fail, since Great Britain doesn?t have funds for the colonization of Venus. Yet, they have failed to fail...

2. The Night We Crept into the Crypt

3. How Now, Brown Cow?
Lennox-Brown and Lamb are designated to transport a VIP to the important event. What they don?t realize is that their guest is actually a cow...

4. Sorry, Wrong Number
Lennox-Brown and Lamb are given the job of fixing the phone system that keeps mixing the connections.

5. The Desk Job

6. Fowl Play
While dealing with a farmer?s problem Lennox-Brown and Lamb are given a chicken as a gift which causes more problems that could be expected.

7. Something of Value
For security reasons the Crown Jewels are put for 2 days in the most minor and insignificant place that the ministry officials could think of - General Assistance Department?s office. All Lennox-Brown and Lamb have to do is keep them there, which is a task beyond their capabilities.

8. Taking Leave of their Census

9th Series (1973)

1. That’s My Pigeon

2. Don’t Let them Needle You
All the staff in General Assistance Department are listed to be vaccinated, but they are not very keen to carry out this order.

3. Find the Lady
General Assistance Department has to hire a cleaning lady, so they put up an advertisement, but of course nothing goes like they planned.

4. Bridge Under Troubled Waters
Lennox-Brown and Lamb are given the job of putting a connection between two parts of the city divided by a river. But the owner of ferry that runs across that river is not gonna make it easy for them.

5. A Private Affair
Remake of Somethign About a Soldier. Lennox-Brown and Lamb accidentally discover that one of the World War II isolated outpost of anti-aircraft forces haven?t been officialy released and probably the soldiers don?t even know that the war is over. They move at once to fix the mistake.

6. Food For Thought

7. Getting it Taped

8. Safe and Unsound

9. The Export Caper

10. Flushed with Success

11. Under the Weather

12. Monkey Business

13. Cheesed Off
Lamb makes tiny mistake and 6 tons of cheese are delivered to the ministry, but that?s just the beginning of plagues that will haunt the Whitehall.

10th Series (1974)

1. Plane Madness

2. Vipers in the Bosom
Lennox-Brown and Lamb set out to take part in conference for civil servants, but of course they end up in wrong place, which makes Sir Pitkin believe they could be Soviet spies.

3. Great Guns

4. I Want My Mummy
Lennox-Brown and Lamb have to face new reality when, due to Sir Gregory plotting, Mildred is promoted and her place takes new secretary, who, by complete coincidence, is Sir Gregory’s lover.

5. One Man’s Meat

6. Ballet Nuisance

7. Sky High
After upsetting the builders the three employees of General Assistance Department find themselves trapped at the top of unfinished building.

8. A Break for Sir Gregory

9. Health and Deficiency

10. Big Deal

11. They Fry by Night

12. In the Picture
While the General Assistance Department is helping with the tourist brochure Lamb starts a art class which interferes with their job.

13. She’ll Have to go

11th Series (1975)

1. Nothing but the Vest
Sir Gregory orderded Lennox-Brown and Lamb to collect all the unwanted papers in ministry and get rid of them. But this simple task took a nasty turn when they have ordered woolen vests instead of wooden chests.

2. That?s My Baby
While taking care of security passes for Hous of Commons Lennox-Brown and Lamb end up with fake marriage and baby on their hands.

3. All that Glitters

4. Torn to Shreds

5. Wool Over their Eyes

6. This, VAT and the Other

7. The Great Trouser Troubles

8. The Cabinet Crisis

9. Chain Reaction
Sir Gregory drops a gift for Mrs Bendwater and a gift for his wife in Lennox-Brown office and of course, there is a mixup.

10. All Change
The unthinkable happens - Lennox-Brown and Lamb are leaving the Civil Service to join private company, where they do everything they?ve been doing to the ministry. I mean for the ministry.

11. A Merry Dance

12. A Sense of Power

13. Postal Disorder

12th Series (1976)

1. All Cisterns Go
Due to small misunderstanding General Assistance Department has to convince the NATO representatives that British have build an underwater plastic tank.

2. A Problem Shared
Lennox-Brown becomes a secret columnist in a internal magazine and tries to help employees with his advices. What he doesn?t know is that he is actually advice his deputy.

3. The Whitehall Castaways
General Assistance Department takes care of the London parks and all three of the employees end up marooned on the island in Regent?s Park.

4. Off the Rails
While searching for cutbacks in British Rail Lennox-Brown and Lamb finds that abandonded railway station is beign used by a family that actually makes money on train transport.

5. Penny Wise
Civil Service has to cut down the employment costs and Sir Gregory is convinced that the best way to achieve it is to let Lennox-Brown go and replace him with computer. While Lamb is doing his best to make computer look bad by causing errors Lennox-Brown has to find the employment in private sector.

6. A Turn for the Nurse
Dealing with simple orders for St. Hernia?s hospital turned out to be too much for Lennox-Brown and Lamb.

7. Seal of Office
While taking care of secret NATO delivery Lennox-Brown and Lamb gets a live seal in their hands.

8. Birmingham is Revolting
Due to a small error the city of Birmingham becomes a foreign territory.

9. Christmas Spirit
Christmas special episode, remake of The Magic Carpet. Lennox-Brown, Lamb and Mildred have to stay at office for the Christmas and they deal with Santa Claus in their own special way.

13th Series (1977)

1. Mission Inedible
Sir Gregory is forced to take Lennox-Brown and Lamb on a trip to United States. They were suppose to promote British products and they have sort of succeded beyond their dreams.

2. Horse Play
Sir Gregory Pitkin is about to put his newly bought horse in the race, but makes mistake by visiting the office of Lennox-Brown and ordering Lamb to deliver the uniform for jockey on the day of the race.

3. The Big Big ?Big Ben? Bungle
While taking care of simple maintenance on Big Ben clock Lennox-Brown and Lamb accidentally cause Sir Gregory to end up naked on the stage.

4. A Motley Crew
It is time for the General Assistance Department to inspect off-shore oil rigs while Sir Gregory is relaxing on his yacht nearby.

5. Not on Your Telly
BBC is about to interview sir Gregory about the Civil Service hospitality expenses, but without his knowledge (and as usual with a little help of Lennox-Brown and Lamb) the topic is accidentaly changed to sex in the Civil Service.

6. One Way Only
While helping with traffic in London Lamb joins ballroom dance class and thinks about quiting the Civil Service.

7. Take Your Pick
During a very cold winter Lennox-Brown and Lamb are sent to Wales to help resolving problem of coal deficiency.

8. Claws
While handling Anglo-Chinese trade relations Lennox-Brown and Lamb get mixed male panda into their secretary personal problems.

14th Series (1980)

1. Boots
Remake of The Great Footwear Scandal: the department mixes up the order for rubber boats for Navy and receives rubber boots instead.

2. Pardon My French
Remake of French Cricket: on the way to international conference men from General Assistance Department gets mixed with spies.

3. Traffic Diversions

4. Watch This Space
Remake of The Big Rocket: a note left on Lennox-Brown?s desk starts the gossip that United Kingdom has launched the space rocket.

5. Birds Of A Feather
Remake of Strictly for the Birds: the pair of pigeons that Lennox-Brown and Lamb took care now have eggs and both of the civil servants have to find the way to protect them when the building renovation is about to begin.

6. Where There?s A Will
Remake of Problem in the Park

7. The Country Caper
Remake of The Rhubarb Pirates: Lennox-Brown and Lamb are sent to remote rhubarb farm and take care of it?s owner that sells the rhubarb longer than other farmers, which is, of course, unthinkable.

8. Ban The Wotsit

9. A Testing Time
Remake of A Degrading Business: Lennox-Brown is downgraded to a "simple B" level and has to take exam to regain his previous position.

10. Pushing The Vote Out

11. Gone To Earth

12. A Great Convenience
Remake of A Slight Case of Demolition: General Assistance Department has to take care of demolition or replacement of antique public toilet. As usual not everything is going as smooth as they wanted and actually they do more work that was expected.

Listen Men from the Ministry

Creators of Men from the Ministry

Edward Taylor

screenplay

Cast of Men from the Ministry

Deryck Guyler

as Deryck Lennox-Brown

Wilfrid Hyde-White

as Roland Hamilton-Jones

Ronald Baddiley

as Sir Gregory Pitkin

Richard Murdoch

as Richard Lamb

Norma Ronald

as Mildred Murfin

Trivia about Men from the Ministry

Men from the Ministry quotes