FANS of Yes, Prime Minister may sometimes have wondered what happened to the Right Hon Jim Hacker when he left No 10 – or to his nemesis, the inscrutable and indefatigable Sir Humphrey. Well, now you can find out, as the pair return for one final theatrical outing in I’m Sorry, Prime Minister, at Theatre Royal Bath from Tuesday 2nd to Saturday 6th June.

Jonathan Lynn’s comedy of the two old sparring partners in retirement opened at the Barn Theatre in Cirencester, and had a London run with Griff Rhys Jones as Jim Hacker opposite Clive Francis’s silky senior civil servant. A much-loved veteran of the stage, Clive Francis, who created the role in the original production, returns as Sir Humphrey for this national tour, as does Princess Donnough, reprising the role of Sophie.

Simon Rouse plays Jim Hacker, older, but perhaps not wiser, and still utterly baffled by the real world. Hoping for a quiet retirement as the master of Hacker College, Oxford, Jim finds himself facing the ultimate modern crisis: cancelled by the college committee. Enter Sir Humphrey Appleby, who has lost none of his love for bureaucracy, Latin phrases, and well-timed obfuscation.

Can Humphrey and Jim out-manoeuvre the hostile students, the Fellows – and 21st century reality? Or is it finally time to say, “I’m sorry …”? Brimming with razor-sharp wit, nostalgic brilliance and more double-speak than a White House press briefing, this is political comedy at its most timeless — and timely.

Yes, Minister, written by Antony Jay and Jonathan Lynn, ran for three seven-episode series, from 1980 to 1984. A sequel, Yes, Prime Minister, ran for 16 episodes from 1986 to 1988. A successful stage play, Yes, Prime Minister, was premiered at Chichester Festival Theatre in May 2010. The production transferred to the West End where it played at three different theatres and also toured the UK twice to great acclaim.

The final chapter in the long-awaited series of this classic British political satire is written and directed by BAFTA Award-winning co-creator of Yes, Minister and Yes, Prime Minister Jonathan Lynn, and co-directed by Michael Gyngell.