James Hacker is the inexperienced and gullible British Minister for Administrative Affairs. He tries to do something and cut government waste, but he is continually held back by his smart and wily Permanent Secretary, Sir Humphrey Appleby. Private secretary Bernard Woolley is caught in the middle, between his political master and his civil service boss.

1. Equal Opportunities

Sir Humphrey doesn't see eye to eye with the Minister's plan for sexual equality.

2. The Challenge

Fallout shelters upset Hacker's crusade to make local authorities responsible for their expenditure.

3. The Skeleton in the Cupboard

Details of a 1950s defence contract are about to be made public - and Sir Humphrey seems unaccountably nervous.

4. The Moral Dimension

After signing a huge export order in Qumran, Hacker is upset to discover it was obtained through bribery.

5. The Bed of Nails

Hacker is made Transport Supremo - and soon wonders if it is a title worth having.

6. The Whisky Priest

Hacker faces a moral dilemma when he learns that British bombs are ending up in the hands of Italian terrorists.

7. The Middle-Class Rip-Off

Sir Humphrey is incensed that Hacker plans to subsidise his local football club.

Party Games

The unexpected resignation of the PM prompts a race for the succession and, as Party Chairman, Hacker is in a key position - and the Civil Service, now headed by Sir Humphrey, has its own agenda.