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The popular 1980’s comedy, Yes Minister and Yes Prime Minister is making history in the Ukraine after ´óÏó´«Ã½ Worldwide licensed the format to the territory.

This is the first time the Eastern European country will make its own version of a ´óÏó´«Ã½ Worldwide scripted format.

Inter TV, the country’s premier terrestrial channel, will make 38 episodes of the political comedy for a primetime slot next year – when the popular comedy celebrates its 30th birthday.

"I am looking forward to seeing how Sir Humphrey and the Minister deal with the different political parties when they move from the halls of Westminster to the quarters of the Verkhovna Rada!" said Claudia Danser, VP Format Licensing, EMEA at ´óÏó´«Ã½ Worldwide.

She added: "Even though political systems and cultural references differ around the world, they all have bureaucracy at their heart and this is why Yes Minister adapts so well and appeals to audiences everywhere.

The original series has attracted audiences from all over the world having been seen in over 80 countries and we have already seen successful versions of the show in Asia and Europe."

The Ukraine is the fourth country to licence the Yes Minister format after the Netherlands, India and Turkey.

India’s own local version, called Ji Mantriji, won two prestigious television awards in India at the Hero Honda Indian TV Academy Awards.

"What a lovely way to celebrate Yes, Minister's thirtieth anniversary.  There seems to be something about Jim and Humphrey that transcends chronology and geography," said writers Anthony Jay and Jonathan Lynn.

They added: "We never thought when we wrote it that it would be such a hit in places like India, Zambia and Libya. 

If you'd told us when it first went out that they'd be watching it in the Ukraine in thirty years time we wouldn't have believed you.

There seems to be something about government deception and political hypocrisy that strikes a chord in every kind of culture and political system."

Serhiy Sozanovskyi, Chairman of the Board of Directors, InterTV said:

"The Ukraine has a unique political system and history with a lot of scope for humour and drama.

In fact, the series will premier around the time of the Presidential elections here in the Ukraine which will undoubtedly give the show even more relevance.

I am sure that the common themes of political deal making and red tape will resonate with audiences in the Ukraine."

´óÏó´«Ã½ Worldwide’s formats are continuing to find new foreign homes.

Albania recently joined the ever increasing number of countries that have licensed the world’s most successful reality TV format, Dancing with the Stars while Georgia was the first country to license the new format The Speaker.
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Cristina Dunn