"Party Games" is the twenty-second and final episode of the BBC comedy series Yes Minister. A one-hour Christmas special that was first broadcast 17 December 1984, its events lead into the sequel, Yes, Prime Minister. The episode was shown again at Christmas 1990, shortly after the fall of Margaret Thatcher. Hacker’s denials of interest in the party leadership were similar to those made by Michael Heseltine some six years later.

Christmas is approaching, and Jim Hacker has two things on his mind. The first is a mountain of Christmas cards, which await various versions of his signature; now that he is also Party Chairman, there are more to send than ever before. The second is an EEC directive to standardise the Euro-sausage, which Hacker knows will be very unpopular with voters. The Minister is therefore reluctant to send a card to Maurice, the EEC Commissioner.

Meanwhile, Sir Humphrey Appleby is meeting with Sir Arnold Robinson, the Cabinet Secretary, who has decided to retire in the New Year. He must recommend his replacement to the Prime Minister, and lists what he believes are the necessary qualities for the post. He tells Sir Humphrey that the job entails finding questions rather than answers, in particular knowing the "key question." Sir Humphrey changes the subject and enquires of Sir Arnold what he will be doing during his retirement. This turns out to be a "very good question." Sir Arnold makes a few suggestions of activities in which he would be interested (most of them chairmanships of quangos), while Sir Humphrey takes notes. The Permanent Secretary reassures Sir Arnold that his eventual successor should be able to arrange them for him, and Sir Humphrey is told that his name is now top of the list—in fact the only one on it.

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