Bremner, Bird and Fortune explained

Runtime:60 minutes (including Television advertisements)
Country:United Kingdom
Company:Vera Productions
Num Series:19 (7 as Rory Bremner...Who Else?, 12 as Bremner, Bird and Fortune)
Num Episodes:158 (62 as Rory Bremner...Who Else?, 96 as Bremner, Bird and Fortune)

Bremner, Bird and Fortune, originally titled Rory Bremner...Who Else?, is a satirical British television programme produced by Vera Productions for Channel Four, uniting comedy impressionist Rory Bremner with the veteran satirical comedy duo John Bird and John Fortune (known as "The Two Johns"). From 1993 to 2008 the show ran for 19 series, followed by several one-off episodes until 2010.

History

1986–1992: Now Something Else / The Rory Bremner Show

Rory Bremner's first television series, Now Something Else, started in 1986 on BBC Two and ran for seven series, with the title changed to The Rory Bremner Show from the fourth series onwards. The BBC gave him his own television series after successful shows at the Edinburgh festival.[1] The series also had input from Jeremy Hardy, Steve Nallon, Steve Brown, Enn Reitel, Jim Sweeney and Steve Steen.[2] In 1989 John Bird started to contribute to the show, as did John Fortune starting in 1991.[3]

1993–1998: Rory Bremner...Who Else?

In 1993 Bremner moved to Channel 4. His new show, Rory Bremner...Who Else?, featured Bird and Fortune prominently, and over the seven series the show developed into a more hard-edged, satirical and political show, with sketches satirising subjects such as The Jerry Springer Show, Ainsley Harriott and sporting personalities being reduced.

1999–2010: Bremner, Bird and Fortune

By 1999 all non-political sketches were dropped and the show was refocused purely on political satire, with a name change.

In 2002 three members of the show's production team, Geoff Atkinson, Steve Connelly and Tristam Shapeero, were nominated for a BAFTA for Best Comedy Programme or Series.[4] Bird and Fortune were nominated for a BAFTA for Best Entertainment Performance in 2001 and Best Comedy Performance in 2002.[5] They did not win, however.

In 2003, the 2002 one-off special At Her Majesty's Pleasure won a Broadcasting Press Guild Award for Best Entertainment.[6]

In October 2004, Bremner, Bird and Fortune published a book based on the show, called You Are Here: A Dossier (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 288 pages,, also available as a paperback from Orion mass market paperback,).[7] In 2004 Rory Bremner was nominated for a BAFTA for Best Comedy Performance.[8]

In November 2008 a four-part miniseries was produced called Silly Money. The trio looked at the economic downturn, with fewer of the usual sketches and co-stars. The episodes contained many more George Parr sketches than usual (the standard being one per episode). They also included a number of archive clips to further illustrate points and create satire from them based on hindsight.

The last full series was broadcast in late 2008. Two further miniseries, both having three episodes, focussed more on specific issues. The Last Show Before The Recovery started on 7 June 2009 and looked at the banking crisis, while The Daily Wind-Up, aired from 2–4 May 2010, focused on the 2010 United Kingdom general election.[9] The Daily-Wind Up were the last three episodes of Bremner, Bird and Fortune.

Regular features

For most of its run, the show was almost entirely political, but in the later series different genres of sketches were introduced. The programme featured regular stand-up impressionism sections by Bremner. Another feature was interviews between Bird and Fortune, alternating each episode between interviewer and interviewee, with the interviewee usually being a man in a government position or a businessman, almost always named George Parr, who ended up exposing the idiocies of his area of expertise. There were also heavily researched, bitingly satirical three-handed historical narratives; the dinner party sketches, featuring Bird, Fortune, Pauline McLynn and Frances Barber; and other small sketches. Each episode ended with a (usually political) musical number.

Episodes

Now Something Else / The Rory Bremner Show

40 episodes in total

Rory Bremner...Who Else?

62 episodes in total

Bremner, Bird and Fortune

[10] [11] [12]

96 episodes in total

Books

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: BBC Radio 4 - Desert Island Discs, Rory Bremner. BBC. 10 March 2015.
  2. Web site: The Rory Bremner Show. https://web.archive.org/web/20090531033215/http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/421312. dead. 31 May 2009. BFI. 10 March 2015.
  3. Web site: Rory Bremner, comedian : Chortle : The UK Comedy Guide . 2012-06-10 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20160425231500/http://www.chortle.co.uk/comics/r/153/rory_bremner . 25 April 2016 . dmy .
  4. Web site: BAFTA Television Awards. bafta.org. 31 July 2014 . 10 March 2015.
  5. Web site: BAFTA Television Awards. bafta.org. 31 July 2014 . 10 March 2015.
  6. Web site: 2003. Broadcasting Press Guild. 31 December 2007 . 10 March 2015.
  7. Web site: You Are Here by Rory Bremner, John Bird, John Fortune . Orion Books . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20070807122328/http://www.orionbooks.co.uk/hb-31982/You-Are-Here.htm . 7 August 2007 . dmy-all .
  8. Web site: BAFTA Television Awards. bafta.org. 31 July 2014 . 10 March 2015.
  9. http://www.channel4.com/programmes/bremner-bird-and-fortune-the-daily-wind-up Bremner, Bird and Fortune: The Daily Wind-Up Channel 4 site
  10. Web site: BFI Bremner, Bird and Fortune. https://web.archive.org/web/20140101142653/http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/series/32481 . 1 January 2014 .
  11. Web site: Episodate Bremner, Bird and Fortune. 17 October 1999 .
  12. Web site: Bremner, Bird and Fortune at TV Maze.

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