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| first_aired =[[17 October]] [[1999]]
| first_aired =[[17 October]] [[1999]]
| last_aired = Present
| last_aired = Present
| num_episodes = 79 (to 2 November 2008)
| num_episodes = 82 (to 18 November 2008)
| imdb_id = 0361154
| imdb_id = 0361154
|}}
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Revision as of 12:41, 19 November 2008

Bremner, Bird and Fortune
Bremner, Bird & Fortune title card
Created byRory Bremner, John Bird and John Fortune
StarringRory Bremner, John Bird, John Fortune, Pauline McLynn and Frances Barber
Country of originUK
No. of episodes82 (to 18 November 2008)
Production
Running time60 minutes (included Television advertisements)
Original release
NetworkChannel Four
Release17 October 1999 –
Present

Bremner, Bird and Fortune is an award-winning satirical British television programme produced by Vera Productions for Channel Four, uniting the longstanding satirical team of John Bird and John Fortune ("the Two Johns") with the satirical impressionist Rory Bremner.

The show, which started in 1999, is currently showing its 14th series.

Regular features

File:Rory-bremner.jpg
Rory Bremner performs a sketch.

The show is almost entirely political, but in recent series different genres of sketches have been introduced. The programme features regular stand-up impressionism sections by Bremner.

Another feature are interviews between Bird and Fortune, one of them normally as George Parr, a man in a government position or a businessman, who normally ends up exposing the idiocies of their area of expertise. This feature has striking similarities to the longer-lived John Clarke and Brian Dawe interviews on Australia's ABC Television, even down to the interviewee's smug expression.[citation needed]

There are also heavily researched, bitingly satirical three-handed historical narratives, the dinner party sketches, featuring Bird, Fortune, Pauline McLynn and Frances Barber, other small sketches and ends with a usually political musical number.

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

Books and Awards

In October 2004, they published a book based on the show, called You Are Here: A Dossier (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 288 pages, ISBN 0-297-84778-3, also available as a paperback from Orion mass market paperback, ISBN 0-7528-6493-9).

In 2000 Bird and Fortune were nominated for a British Academy Television Award (BAFTA) for Best Entertainment Performance.

In 2002 and 2003, two years running, three members of the show's production team, Geoff Atkinson, Steve Connelly and David G. Croft, were nominated for a BAFTA for Best Comedy Programme or Series and Bird and Fortune were nominated for a BAFTA for Best Entertainment Performance or Best Comedy Performance. In 2005 Rory Bremner was nominated for a BAFTA for Best Comedy Performance.

Bremner Bird and Fortune was filmed up until the second series 11 in 2006 at The Riverside Studios. It is now filmed in Teddington Studios, South London.[citation needed] Series 11 was filmed in Studio 1 and Series 13 was filmed in studio 2.[citation needed] Teddington Studios was once the home to comedy greats as Benny Hill, Kenny Everett and Tommy Cooper.

The next series, 14, is being filmed at The Fountain Studios in Wembley, London where Series' 4 - 8 were also filmed.[citation needed]

In 2003 the episode "At Her Majesty's Pleasure" won a Broadcasting Press Guild Award for Best Entertainment.