Sir Humphrey and his victim, Jim Hacker, were the creation of writing duo Antony Jay and Jonathan Lynn. ‘It’s about these two old men who are completely bewildered by the world as it is now, Jim more than Humphrey,’ says Lynn. ‘Everything worked really efficiently when he was in charge of it but he’s very disappointed with the civil service,’ says Lynn. ‘I think Jim got into politics for the reason that most politicians do, which is not only personal ambition, but also a genuine desire to do something good. So I don’t think that’s changed.’Indeed, the issues facing Starmer would have been very familiar to Prime Minister Hacker.