This book was Sam Harrison’s courageous decision. He believed in it, and in me, enough to wait a remarkably long time until I was available to write it, and I am so grateful to him for his faith, his patience and his support.
I must thank Sir Antony Jay and Jonathan Lynn, of course, for their cooperation and insights. It was a pleasure to spend so much time reflecting on their extraordinary achievement.
I am also pleased to thank Kathryn Ferguson for ensuring that all of our various communications reached the right destinations. Her courteousness was as impressive as her competence.
Derek Fowlds could not have been more helpful, or more encouraging. It is always a delight to find that someone is as decent and kind as he is talented.
Sydney Lotterby was similarly enlightening. Probably the greatest producer/director of British sitcoms, his modesty is as notable as his talent.
Lord Donoughue was an invaluable, and very entertaining, interviewee. He is proof of the fact that the writers were as shrewd in their choice of ally as they were in their choice of opponent.
I am also grateful to all of the other people who provided assistance, advice and insights from within Westminster, including David Blunkett, Laurence Mann and Chris McCarthy, along with those who preferred to remain anonymous. The fact that several of my former students are now working within Whitehall was also rather welcome.
I must thank Lord Kinnock for the use of his and Patricia Hewitt’s Yes Minister sketch, and Sir Bernard Ingham for Margaret Thatcher’s Yes Minister routine. No complementary Liberal, SDP or Lib-Dem sitcom skit, alas, was available for inclusion.
Valerie Warrender proved a fascinating source of information regarding the remarkable work that went into transforming bare studio sets into uncannily accurate replicas of the rooms inside Number Ten. She epitomises the brilliance of the team behind the scenes.
A number of friends, now sadly departed, deserve to be acknowledged here for the many insights they gave me about television, sitcoms and the BBC: John Ammonds, Eddie Braben, Richard Briers, Jonathan Cecil, Sir Bill Cotton, David Croft, John Howard Davies and Eric Sykes. They were genuinely kind and generous people, as well as expert in their arts, and I remain indebted to all of them.
I must also record my thanks to the staff of the following institutions: the Office of Black Rod; the BBC Written Archives Centre (especially Jessica Hogg); the National Archives; the British Library, Newspaper Library and Sound Archive; the British Film Institute Library; the Albert Sloman Library, the University of Essex; the Churchill College Cambridge Archive; and the University of Cambridge Library.
My agent, Mic Cheetham, was as helpful as ever. She made the whole process so much easier than it might have been.
My mother, as always, was a constant source of encouragement. There is no adequate way to express it, but my gratitude is immense.
Finally, my heartfelt thanks go to Silvana Dean, whose friendship is such a privilege. This book is for her.
Graham McCann
Cambridge 2014