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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Mel O&#039;Drama" data-source="post: 171467" data-attributes="member: 23">Like Yes Minister before it, I've been pretty hopeless at commenting on the sequel series, which I finished last night. Which is by no means a reflection on my enjoyment of it.If anything, Yes, Prime Minister has proved even more enjoyable than its predecessor. It feels, in some ways, a little more mainstream, which hasn't done it any harm in terms of accessibility. Unless that feeling comes from me adjusting to the tone of both series.It's struck me that the ensemble is very engaging. There's been no irritant to make viewing a little more challenging. Everyone plays their part perfectly, and special credit must go to the key three.Paul Eddington has held the series well and seems to have become a little broader with each passing episode (one of the key contributors, I think, to the series feeling more mainstream). His facial expressions are perfect. It sounds like an odd thing to say, but he seems to know just how far to take a contortion here or a grimace there without going too far. It's always just enough to get the biggest laugh. His dry wit and upper middle class sniffiness puts me in mind of his old screen partner, Penelope Keith. Which is never a bad thing.Derek Fowlds has the smallest role of the three, but he's essential to the mix as the face of the harassed peacekeeping naïf. The character's junior subservient seemed to depend on him being young and in latter series the actor's age seemed more evident (he was in his early fifties by series' end). But Fowlds transmitted this youthful, green energy. Seeing him looking older - junior by the standards of those around him, but still stuck in the same role added a kind of desperation to it that worked for the character. There were a couple of scenes in later series that had Woolley losing it a little and making funny sounds or gurning, which all rang true with the desperation of boredom. He also had some very verbose dialogue - often at a rate of knots - that complemented that given by Nigel Hawthorne, and I remain impressed at any actor that can pull this off.Nigel Hawthorne has been just wonderful. What a huge presence he has as an actor. There's a lot going on there with Sir Humphrey's machinations and deception, which often required him to switch tones at the drop of a hat. His dialogue seemed to go on for days and he was word perfect. The character's adopted air of superiority (which along with his piercingly dark eyes frequently reminded me of Lee Bergere in Dynasty) was used to wonderful effect during moments when it looked like Sir Bernard was going to get his comeuppance. And Hawthorne was wonderful at that, also. A great example happened in the final episode, in which Sir Bernard was unknowingly recorded speaking some very unpleasant truths. The look on his face as he realised was just wonderful, and the audience, along with the other characters, was able to engage in schadenfreude guilt-free, knowing that the issue had already been resolved. Perfectly written and played to perfection.Deborah Norton as Dorothy Wainwright was a nice addition to the latter series, stirring things up a little and also providing some much needed (and often unwelcome) common sense.</blockquote>

Verification: What month follows July?