
Rory Bremner
Sinbad / The Kalendar Prince
Twenty-five years ago, Rory Bremner performed his first public impression. Nine years later, he starred in his first BBC series "Now For Something Else". Today, he is widely rated as Britain's sharpest impressionist – a one-man opposition party – with his weekly Channel Four show "Bremner, Bird & Fortune" (Vera Prods) and seasonal ‘specials’, regularly winning awards as the best satire on television. He ‘does’ over 100 people, from Tony Blair to Mohamed al Fayed.
His unique brand of comedy and satire has sustained a highly successful career in radio and television for over 25 years. Nowadays, he's equally in demand as a columnist for newspapers and magazines, a documentary presenter and one of the country's leading after-dinner speakers.
Rory was born in Edinburgh in 1961 and educated at Clifton Hall, Wellington College and King's College, London, where he was made a Fellow in 2006. He is an Honorary Fellow of Queen Mary College.
Together with John Bird and John Fortune, his satirical programmes (Rory Bremner - Who Else 1992-97, Bremner, Bird and Fortune 1997-present) have been a mainstay of Channel 4's output since 1992, winning a total of four BAFTAs and three RTS awards. The trio regularly produce specials, including a trilogy on Iraq (Between Iraq and a Hard Place, Beyond Iraq and a Hard Place and Beneath Iraq and a Hard Place) and a number of programmes charting the rise and fall of New Labour.
Their book ‘You Are Here’, (‘a stockpile of satirical ammunition’- Daily Telegraph) was published in 2005. In 2008 they created a four-part satirical documentary series on the global financial crisis, Silly Money.
Prior to that, Rory had seven series on the BBC, from 1986 to 1992, winning the Special Award at the Golden Rose of Montreux in 1987. Over the last two decades, Rory's appeared in many of the top TV comedy shows, from Spitting Image and Whose Line is it Anyway to Have I Got News For You, Mock the Week, and QI. He's appeared more than any other guest on Parkinson and Wogan.
He is a frequent guest on The Andrew Marr Show (BBC1) where he provides a satirical review of current political events through his many characters.
In 2008 he retraced his family history for Who Do You Think You Are (BBC 1, January 2009).
In addition to his many comedy appearances he has translated two operas (Carmen and Der Silbersee) and a Brecht play (A Respectable Wedding, for the Young Vic). He is a regular contributor to The Times, The Telegraph, The New Statesman and Radio Times, for whom he has interviewed Michael Parkinson and David Frost.
When not working he enjoys travel, opera, cooking, sport (especially cricket - he had a 1985 Top 20 hit as ‘The Commentators’ with N.n..nineteen not out) and motor racing – he owns a 1963 Alfa Spyder.
He lives in London and Oxfordshire with his wife, artist Tessa Campbell Fraser, and their two daughters Ava and Lila.
Click below to hear and read Rory Bremner’s interviews about working on The Opus Pocus
“I loved being involved with this project – the idea of setting a funny and fast-moving script to the original music was inspired, creating a lively and engaging experience that I’ve rarely experienced in classical music productions for a younger audience. It could become a kind of Peter and the Wolf for a new generation.”
– Rory Bremner