>>and it's as though they have switched the roles of Jim Hacker and Sir Humphrey
Why do you say that?
I watched the original programs, and saw the stage play, and I am now watching the new series.
I dont see any evidence of them changing roles.
In a few of the old series Hacker often got "one over" on Sir Humphrey, like he did in the last episode of this series with the civil service credit cards.
Must say though that I did not enjoy the stage play that much (I found the idea of getting a "young girl" for the foreign minister a bit unsavory which I believe is in the next TV episode).
And I dont believe these recent episodes have been as well written as the orignal series.
In fact it seems to me that some extra laughter has been added on after the show has been recorded, the laughter sounds "wrong" to me.