Annie Hacker
Anne "Annie" Hacker, Lady Hacker of Islington is a fictional character in the 1980s British sitcom Yes Minister and its sequel, Yes, Prime Minister. She was portrayed by Diana Hoddinott.
The Right Honourable The Lady Hacker of Islington | |
---|---|
First appearance | "Open Government" |
Last appearance | "The National Education Service" |
Portrayed by | Diana Hoddinott |
In-universe information | |
Title | Mrs |
Occupation | Spouse of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom |
Spouse | Jim Hacker |
Children | Lucy Hacker |
In Yes Minister Annie is the wife of Jim Hacker, Minister for Administrative Affairs, a cabinet post. In the last episode, "Party Games", her husband is appointed Prime Minister, and also plays the title role throughout Yes, Prime Minister. She is mother to the couple's daughter, Lucy who is mentioned numerously throughout the series but only seen once. Although their daughter is of university age, Annie appears to be a good deal younger than her husband (and actress Diana Hoddinott was almost 20 years younger than Paul Eddington, who portrayed Jim Hacker).
Very little is known about Annie and little is divulged about her life, being a secondary character. There are mentions throughout Yes, Prime Minister of Annie's charity work which is infringed upon when her charity doesn't have the money to host a Christmas event and is told by the members: 'It's not our fault, Mrs Hacker; tell your husband'.
Character
Annie is often portrayed as the frustrated wife of a politician, whose exasperation (and often suppressed amusement) with her husband's political aspirations is seen in the pilot episode and throughout the series. She also laments the lack of privacy she and her husband experience (especially when Jim assumes the Premiership).
Contrastingly, she is also played as a sympathetic character, especially when her husband has been thwarted by the Civil Service apparatus, for example in "The Whisky Priest".