Yes, Prime Minister/The West Wing crossover: random snippet.
Notes, which you can ignore if you want: In Yes, Minister, Jim Hacker was the Minister for the Department of Administrative Affairs, Sir Humphrey Appleby was his Permanent Secretary and Bernard Wooley his Principle Private Secretary. Sir Arnold was the Cabinet Secretary (a rough equivalent to the Prime Minister's Perm. Sec.). In Yes, Prime Minister, Hacker was PM, Sir H was Cab. Sec. and Bernard was still Hacker's PPS. In The West Wing, Toby Zeigler is White House Communications Director and Sam Seaborn is his deputy.
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Perhaps the single remaining legacy of Hacker's period at the Department for Administrative Affairs was a reduction in the office space allotted to visiting foreign governmental parties. At the time, the then minister has reasoned that if the enemy (by which he was presumed to mean foreign delegations) wanted more space, they could use their own bloody embassies. This move was motivated entirely by administrative concerns and not at all because Sir Humphrey had heard that Sir Arnold, the then Cabinet Secretary, would look favourably upon the reappropriation of an office that could be used for certain delicate meetings. Even if Sir Humphrey had wished to help Sir Arnold, he would never have abused his position as a trusted ministerial aide to- Yes, well. Quite.
The fact remained that the office space generously provided by Her Majesty's Government for the use of the President of the United States' staff could reasonably have been expected to house two small voles, as long as they didn't mind physical intimacy.
Toby Zeigler and Sam Seaborn, if the voices floating through the closed door of their shared office were any indicator, did mind.
"I did not- I- Did I ask you to call him?"
"No, but-"
"Or did I specifically ask you not to call him? Did I not stand in this very office and ask you not to call him?"
Bernard allowed himself a quiet smile. Sir Humphrey had been right: this reduction in office space really did foster a unique closeness and quite unparalleled sense of good will with our foreign cousins.
"Toby, it was the only way to get the job done. I didn't-"
Toby, presumably, mumbled something Bernard couldn't quite catch. This seemed as opportune a moment as any to interrupt. His knock on the door was answered with a sharp "Yeah!" from lower voice, which Bernard was now almost certain belonged to Toby Zeigler.
"Mr Zeigler? Mr Seaborn? Sir Hu- Uh, the Prime Minister asked me to see if you needed anything not already provided." Bernard noted that while Zeigler was fixing him with a faintly malevolent stare, the other man, Seaborn, had not looked up since he had entered the room. Sir Humphrey had been oddly insistent that Seaborn be well looked after, perhaps hedging bets of which Bernard was not aware. Still, it was wiser not to disobey a direct order from the Cabinet Secretary himself, especially when the order had been framed as such desperately casual advice.
"Mr Seaborn?"
Seaborn looked up. "Sam." There was a pause, during which time Bernard carefully didn't raise an eyebrow. "Call me Sam," Seaborn elaborated.
"Indeed. Is there anything you need?"
"No." Seaborn smiled alliteratively. "Thank you."
Bernard resisted the urge to click his heels together as he left the office.
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Perhaps the single remaining legacy of Hacker's period at the Department for Administrative Affairs was a reduction in the office space allotted to visiting foreign governmental parties. At the time, the then minister has reasoned that if the enemy (by which he was presumed to mean foreign delegations) wanted more space, they could use their own bloody embassies. This move was motivated entirely by administrative concerns and not at all because Sir Humphrey had heard that Sir Arnold, the then Cabinet Secretary, would look favourably upon the reappropriation of an office that could be used for certain delicate meetings. Even if Sir Humphrey had wished to help Sir Arnold, he would never have abused his position as a trusted ministerial aide to- Yes, well. Quite.
The fact remained that the office space generously provided by Her Majesty's Government for the use of the President of the United States' staff could reasonably have been expected to house two small voles, as long as they didn't mind physical intimacy.
Toby Zeigler and Sam Seaborn, if the voices floating through the closed door of their shared office were any indicator, did mind.
"I did not- I- Did I ask you to call him?"
"No, but-"
"Or did I specifically ask you not to call him? Did I not stand in this very office and ask you not to call him?"
Bernard allowed himself a quiet smile. Sir Humphrey had been right: this reduction in office space really did foster a unique closeness and quite unparalleled sense of good will with our foreign cousins.
"Toby, it was the only way to get the job done. I didn't-"
Toby, presumably, mumbled something Bernard couldn't quite catch. This seemed as opportune a moment as any to interrupt. His knock on the door was answered with a sharp "Yeah!" from lower voice, which Bernard was now almost certain belonged to Toby Zeigler.
"Mr Zeigler? Mr Seaborn? Sir Hu- Uh, the Prime Minister asked me to see if you needed anything not already provided." Bernard noted that while Zeigler was fixing him with a faintly malevolent stare, the other man, Seaborn, had not looked up since he had entered the room. Sir Humphrey had been oddly insistent that Seaborn be well looked after, perhaps hedging bets of which Bernard was not aware. Still, it was wiser not to disobey a direct order from the Cabinet Secretary himself, especially when the order had been framed as such desperately casual advice.
"Mr Seaborn?"
Seaborn looked up. "Sam." There was a pause, during which time Bernard carefully didn't raise an eyebrow. "Call me Sam," Seaborn elaborated.
"Indeed. Is there anything you need?"
"No." Seaborn smiled alliteratively. "Thank you."
Bernard resisted the urge to click his heels together as he left the office.