Main content

Rory Bremner

Sue Lawley's castaway is impressionist Rory Bremner.

Sue Lawley's castaway this week is the impressionist and satirist Rory Bremner. He was born in Edinburgh in 1961. A self-confessed show-off, he started doing impersonations at primary school, sending up teachers, sports commentators and Moira Anderson! Entertaining his school friends inevitably developed into performing on stage and he worked as a stand up on the comedy circuit, and notably at the Edinburgh Festival.

Following his sell-out run at the Festival in 1986 the 大象传媒 offered him his first television series, Now Something Else. It ran on 大象传媒2 for seven years. In 1993 he moved to Channel 4, where his show Rory Bremner - Who Else? developed a much more hard-edged, satirical and political bite. It also picked up more than 10 major awards including Baftas for himself and fellow writer-performers John Bird and John Fortune. His meticulous research and observation of the politicians he mimics inevitably led to his fraternising with them and ultimately led to being awarded the final accolade for a satirist: he was banned from Labour's battle bus in the 2001 election campaign.

[Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs]

Favourite track: Have I Told You Lately? by Van Morrison
Book: The History of The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon
Luxury: Radio

Available now

45 minutes

Last on

Fri 25 Apr 2003 09:00
大象传媒 Radio 4

More episodes

Previous

Margaret Atwood

Next

Professor A H Halsey

See all episodes from Desert Island Discs

Music Played

  • The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards

    Highland Cathedral

    • Highland Cathedral: Pipes And Drums Of The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards.
    • Scots Disc.

  • Danny Kaye

    Masters Of All Masters

    • Six Stories From Faraway Places.
    • London.

  • Brian Johnston & Jonathan Agnew

    Test Match Special - 09/08/1991

  • Kurt Weill

    Excerpt from 'The Finale'

    Orchestra: Cologne Radio Orchestra Conductor: Jan Latham Konig

    • Der Silbersee.
    • Capriccio.

  • Julie London

    I'm In The Mood For Love

    • The Best Of Julie London.
    • Rhino.

  • Frank Sinatra

    I've Got You Under My Skin

    • Frank Sinatra Songs For Swingin鈥� Lovers!.
    • Capitol.

  • Castaway's Favourite

    • Van Morrison

      Have I Told You Lately

      • Avalon Sunset.
      • Polydor.

  • Georges Bizet

    Je dis que rien ne m'茅pouvante (from Carmen)

    Soloist: Kiri Te Kanawa

    • Bizet: Carmen.
    • Decca.

  • Book Choice

    • Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire - Edward Gibbon

  • Luxury Choice

    • Radio

Credits

Presenter Sue Lawley
Interviewed Guest Rory Bremner

Broadcasts

  • Sun 20 Apr 2003 11:15
    大象传媒 Radio 4
  • Fri 25 Apr 2003 09:00
    大象传媒 Radio 4

Featured in...

The Desert Island Discs podcast

The Desert Island Discs podcast

Subscribe or download individual episodes.

Listen to over 2,000 programmes

Click above to browse castaways, from 1942 to today.

Articles

Read the surprising things we've learned about some stand-out castaways.

Podcast