Yes, Prime Minister

Yes, Prime Minister – the stage play based on the BBC tv series of yesteryear – is touring New Zealand and came to Wellington for a short run at the Opera House. We tootled into town to dine at Vivo Enotica Cucina, a wine bar and restaurant which is sadly neglected by many in Wellington –but not tonight, it appeared, although (in the manner of restaurants everywhere) they managed to squeeze us in. It’s possible that a lot of restaurants were experiencing the same pre-theatre rush as our first choice, Zibibbo, had been fully booked when I checked earlier in the week.

We had a lovely dinner of arancini and fettucine (herself) and carpaccio and confit duck leg (me) all washed down with some New Zealand wine; they do a very good selection by the glass, as well as carrying some of New Zealand’s finest, and a good selection of foreign wine as well (and not just from New Zealand’s West Island). We were also able to make a first indent on this year's Entertainment Card, which handily reduced the bill.

A short walk took us to the Opera House, where we were royally entertained by Jim Hacker, Sir Humphrey, Bernard and various others as they attempted to solve a knotty problem whilst at Chequers (the Prime Minister’s country residence), before giving a live interview to the BBC in the morning. If you’ve seen the series, then you know what to expect, and if you haven’t, well, you should! It was watched by many politicians, including Margaret Thatcher, who (allegedly) viewed it as a documentary rather than a comedy. Unsurprisingly, there were a number of civil servants in the audience, and Nicola spotted many acquaintances there from work.