Producers have today unveiled the complete casting for the major UK tour of I’m Sorry, Prime Minister, the concluding instalment of the much-loved comedy series.
The production opens at Cambridge Arts Theatre on 19 May 2026 and tours through to 1 August 2026, with performances at 
Milton Keynes Theatre from Tue 30 Jun – Sat 4 Jul.
Clive Francis returns to the role of Sir Humphrey Appleby, a part he previously played at the Barn Theatre and is currently performing in the West End. He stars opposite Simon Rouse as former Prime Minister Jim Hacker. Princess Donnough reprises her West End performance as Sophie. Additional casting for the tour will be announced in due course.
From Jonathan Lynn, the BAFTA Award-winning co-creator of Yes, Minister and Yes, Prime Minister, comes the eagerly awaited final chapter of Britain’s iconic political satire — as sharp, and as hilariously disastrous, as ever.
Jim Hacker returns — older, though not necessarily wiser, and still hopelessly out of step with reality. Anticipating a peaceful retirement from public life as Master of Hacker College, Oxford, Jim instead finds himself confronting a very modern predicament: being cancelled by the college committee. Enter Sir Humphrey Appleby (played by the acclaimed Clive Francis), whose fondness for red tape, Latin quotations, and strategic obstruction remains entirely intact.
Can Humphrey and Jim outwit rebellious students, sceptical Fellows, and the shifting sands of contemporary life? Or has the moment arrived to declare, "I’m Sorry, Prime Minister..."? Packed with biting satire, affectionate nostalgia, and enough double-speak to rival a press conference, this latest instalment proves that political comedy remains both timeless and strikingly relevant.
Yes, Minister is a British television comedy created by Antony Jay and Jonathan Lynn. Spanning three seven-episode series, it first aired on BBC2 between 1980 and 1984. Its sequel, Yes, Prime Minister, ran for 16 episodes from 1986 to 1988. A stage adaptation titled Yes, Prime Minister premiered at Chichester Festival Theatre in May 2010 before transferring to the West End, where it played at three venues, and subsequently touring the UK twice to widespread acclaim.
Primarily set in the private office of a cabinet minister within the fictional Department of Administrative Affairs in Whitehall, Yes, Minister chronicles the political career of Jim Hacker, portrayed by Paul Eddington. His attempts to shape policy and reform his department are frequently thwarted by the Civil Service — particularly by his Permanent Secretary, Sir Humphrey Appleby, played by Nigel Hawthorne. The series won multiple BAFTAs and, in 2004, was voted sixth in the Britain’s Best Sitcom poll. It attracted devoted viewers across the political spectrum, including then UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.
