Alkuperäinen sarja pyöri BBC:llä vuosina 1962–77, ja
suomalaista versiota on tehty vuodesta 1979.Sarjan keskeinen teema
on byrokratian ja valtiokoneiston tehottomuuden kustannuksella
pilailu ja väärinymmärrykset viestinnässä. Erikoisosaston väki on
laiskaa ja epäpätevää joukkoa, joka tekee vain ne työt, joita ei
onnistu millään konstilla välttelemään, ja tekee nekin
säännönmukaisesti päin honkia. Ongelmia aiheuttavat sekä
Hamilton-Jonesin ja Lammin hölmöys että heidän itsepintainen
takertumisensa byrokraattisiin koukeroihin.
Lopputuloksena kaikki on tavallisesti kaaoksen vallassa, ja sir
Henry uhkaa lähettää koko Erikoisosaston "arkistotehtäviin
Ulko-Hebrideille". Usein asiat kuitenkin kääntyvät jakson lopussa
parhain päin, joko onnekkaan sattuman tai virkamiesten oveluuden
avulla – Erikoisosaston väki kun on itse aiheutettujen
ongelmien ratkomisessa huomattavasti kekseliäämpi kuin
varsinaisessa työnteossa.
Yleisradio lopetti sarjan uusinnat tammikuussa 2011. Kuunnelmia
on taltioitu CD:lle, joita voi lainata kirjastoista.
The Men from the Ministry was a British radio comedy series
broadcast by the BBC between 1962 and 1977. Written and produced by
Edward Taylor with contributions from John Graham.
The Men from the Ministry has become a major success in Finland
by the name of Knalli ja sateenvarjo ('A bowler hat and an
umbrella'). It has been in the repertoire of Yleisradio (YLE) since
1979 and has been repeated twice. Scriptwriter Edward Taylor has
also written some episodes only for the Finnish audience that have
never been broadcast in the UK and he continues to write new
episodes for YLE, the latest four of his new scripts having been
aired in early 2008.
The series was about lazy, bungling, incompetent civil servants,
"Number One" - Roland Hamilton-Jones , "Number Two" - Richard Lamb,
with their dim, typo-prone, teenage secretary, Mildred Murfin , all
watched-over by the lecherous, pompous, self-seeking Permanent
Under-Secretary Sir Gregory Pitkin , all members of the British
Civil Service based in Whitehall. The stories centered on their
General Assistance Department, which helps other governmental
departments.
Instead of assistance, the department creates mix-ups,
misunderstandings and cock-ups that lead to a telling-off from Sir
Gregory, who sees his 'hard earned' Civil Service career and
pension disappearing. The characters are portrayed as inept,
subject to greed, selfishness and incompetence. However, malice was
never a factor and all the humour was light-hearted. There was also
a little broad satire in many episodes.
Cd:s are now available in the libraries.