Whitehall farce is a descriptive term applied to a series of improbable events that caused grief at the time to everyone involved but could—perhaps only with distance or hindsight—be considered comical.
The original Whitehall farce, from which this term arose, refers to a series of stage plays at the Whitehall theatre in London, directed by Brian Rix, between 1950 and 1969. These were part of the comedy tradition of British farce, following, for example, the Aldwych farces which played at the Aldwych Theatre between 1925 and 1933.
The typical Whitehall plot derived its entertainment value from situations involving a chaotic and unlikely series of accidents that caused drama and panic for the characters involved but amusement for the audience.