Bernard Woolley
| Sir Bernard Woolley GCB, MA (Oxon) | |
|---|---|
Derek Fowlds as Bernard Woolley in Yes, Prime Minister | |
| First appearance | "Open Government" |
| Last appearance | "The Tangled Web" |
| Portrayed by | Derek Fowlds (original) Chris Larkin (2013 revival) |
| In-universe information | |
| Occupation | Principal Private Secretary, Permanent Secretary |
Sir Bernard Woolley, GCB, MA (Oxon) is one of the three main fictional characters of the 1980s British sitcom Yes Minister and its sequel, Yes, Prime Minister. He is a civil servant, working as Minister (later Prime Minister) Jim Hacker's Principal Private Secretary.
While his role is to support Hacker, Woolley’s innate honesty and belief in public duty frequently place him in awkward positions, as he struggles with the pressure to sometimes obfuscate or even manipulate information at the behest of both Hacker and Appleby. This makes Woolley the moral compass of the series, subtly highlighting the ethical challenges within government. His humour, typically delivered with dry wit and subtle irony, often serves to lighten tense moments and highlights the absurdities within the government’s bureaucracy.
He was originally portrayed by Derek Fowlds in the two series. In 2013, Chris Larkin took on the role for a brief revival.