The TV series Yes, Minister and sequel, Yes, Prime Minister, were pivotal situation comedies in the 1980s; the satirical and cynical take on British political society was impeccably written by Antony Jay and Jonathan Lynn and expertly performed by Paul Eddington, Nigel Hawthorne and Derek Fowlds.

The 2010 stage version is set at the Prime Minister’s country home, Chequers, and the story concerns the failing popularity of the PM and the need for his civil servants to find a way to boost it by fair means or foul. When a rogue Foreign Minister from an Eastern European nation makes an unusual request, the PM and his team’s minds work overtime to try and resolve the issues they face.

The opening music of the original TV series plays out and we are suddenly in familiar territory; the characters are like old friends. The famous bi-play between the characters, with the convoluted word play and acidic asides, fly as the scene is set. Topical references abound; the assassination of world leaders, global warming, as well as a hopeless government in crisis - is this fact or fiction?

Although the plot isn’t quite strong enough to last the evening and some of the jokes appear to stem from a time when xenophobic references seemed more acceptable, there is enough to keep the audience engaged.

Director Rob McWhir has ensured that there is no slavish recreation of the original trio and so there is a freshness about the portrayals. As Jim Hacker, the beleaguered Prime Minister out to save his own skin, Richard Stemp is fantastic; his increasing frustration and desperation is built to perfection. James Pellow (in his 20th Summer Season) has the unenviable job of dealing with the tongue-twisting verbal acrobatics of Sir Humphrey and does so with a sneer here and a smirk there; the extraordinary speech given in Act One fully deserves its own round of applause. With a mixture of schoolboy enthusiasm and wide-eyed outrage, Brendan Matthew offers a wonderfully drawn version of Bernard.

The PM now has a ‘special advisor’ in the guise of efficient (but as ineffectual as her civil service counterparts) Claire Sutton, a slick performance from Bridget Lambert. Excellent support comes from Yannick Budd, very suave, as the Kumranistan Ambassador; Mark Laverty as the manipulative BBC boss and Rhys Cannon as the wily TV interviewer.

The ultra-wordy script, though undeniably clever, just holds the action back a little, but this is an entertaining and topical production, with much to enjoy – the high ticket sales show it is a real magnet for the Summer Play Festival.

Yes, Prime Minister runs until 20 July. Next week's production is Party Piece, a farce by Richard Harris. Tickets are available from www.manorpavilion.com