Name: Paul Eddington interview (optional English subtitles)
Uploaded: 2019-12-13T12:08:50.000Z
Duration: 9 min 12 s
Description: Thousands of YouTube videos with English-Chinese subtitles! Now you can learn to understand native speakers, expand your vocabulary, and improve your pronunciation...

My first guest is a great friend of mine and a colleague,

And we have enjoyed "The Good Life" together.

But now I suppose I ought to introduce him as the prime minister.

Ladies and gentlemen, the right honorable

I have, but it was a very quick operation.

- No, no, this is my own. - Is it really?

It's a bit causal for the prime minister. I'd be a bit more formal.

If Nigel-- now you're not to worry about this question

But I want the truth. If somebody came to you

And said, "Please, Paul, just for one year,

I mean, it'd be very tempting. A tempting offer.

I find it awfully difficult to resist a challenge

- No, I'd hate all that. - Would you really?

I mean, do you find-- I mean, what I'd like to know--

All that bowing and scraping, I couldn't bear it.

Do you base it on this minister or that minister?

What would happen if he suddenly found himself in that position?

I'm interested in politics but know nothing about administration.

I'd have to rely on my civil servants and that sort of thing.

With the politics that you believe in and the character?

I mean, do ever get to the point when you say

"Look, I don't really think we can say this?"

On one occasion I felt the author's impartiality

When they made a bit of a mock of nuclear-free zones and things like that.

Well, I'm a pacifist. I make no secret of the fact that I'm a supporter of C.N.D.

And I said to them, "Look, this is going a bit far, isn't it?

I don't mind saying this, but it doesn't sound

And they did tone it down a tiny little bit,

The program usually isn't about politics.

- It's about administration. - Yes it is.

Have you ever been tempted to exploit the situations

That James Hacker finds himself in at all?

In what way do you mean? You mean, people ask me to behave

Well no, not really. The funny thing is...

Whom you'd expect to think of me as a politician--

Do they come up to you and say-- and talk to you

No they don't. I rather expected and I quite hoped

That they might do so and rush up to me and say,

"Look, would you do something about the such and such bill?"

Didn't you have to go to a rally or something in Australia?

- That's right, yes. - And talk as if you were actually a politician?

It's rather nice, I get all the fun without any of the responsibility.

When I go to a foreign country, they roll out the red carpet

And lead me straight to the head of state, you see?

I met a whole lot of ministers coming out

Of their first cabinet meeting in Canberra.

Who said, "You know the minister, don't you?"

And one of them said, "What is your portfolio?"

Under the impression, I suppose, that I was not just a minister

Now, our real prime minister actually likes your show.

So she says, and who am I to disbelieve her?

Or haven't you appeared with her or something?

Yes, the whole thing's got a bit mixed up in most people's memories.

They think she actually played a part in one of the episodes.

The whole show once was given an award by mrs. Whitehouse.

I can't remember why now. I suppose for being the cleanest show on the air.

The night before we were going to be given this award,

Subtitles ListPlay Video

Paul Eddington interview (optional English subtitles)

episode

accent

character

audience