Rory Goes to Holyrood
Rory Goes to Holyrood is a 2013 satirical documentary presented by Scottish impressionist and comedian
Background
Details of the programme were announced by the BBC Media Centre in March 2013, with plans for it to be aired later in the year. Bremner had recently returned to live in Scotland after spending much of his life in England, and as part of the press release for the show, he gave some insight into his reasons for recording it. "Coming back to Scotland in the run-up to the Referendum, I realised I knew almost nothing about Scottish Politics. Time I did. And why is there so little political comedy in Scotland outside the Parliament? Time to make sense (and nonsense) of it all."[1]
2013 also saw Bremner defend fellow comedian Susan Calman, whose attempt to satirise the referendum debate on BBC Radio 4's The News Quiz led to her receiving death threats on social media from users who had been offended by her comments.[2][3] Bremner himself spoke of a strong reaction to the announcement of his show, telling The Scotsman in June 2013 "I didn't get it to the extent that Susan Calman did, but the strength of feeling surprised me."[3] He also noted that from a comedy perspective, there are people who "think [First Minister] Alex Salmond should be off limits, even though Alex Salmond himself has a very good sense of humour and understands that political comedians are part of a healthy democracy."[3] The Scotsman later noted that "many observers have complained of a lack of satire in the mainstream media and lamented the fact even light-hearted attempts to lampoon the Scottish political scene have triggered an explosion of online bile."[4]
The programme aired on BBC Two Scotland on 13 June 2013.[2] Shortly before it was broadcast, Bremner said that recording it had left him undecided on the question of Scottish independence. "On the debate itself, I started the programme with an open mind and, funnily enough, ended it with a perhaps more open mind."[3] He subsequently called for there to be more satire in the referendum debate. "There’s great humour to be had. There’s a lot of big, different characters involved and good arguments, and there are plenty of good Scottish comedians who can have plenty of fun with it. It’s far too dangerous to leave it only to the politically minded."
Synopsis
The programme follows Bremner—known for his impressions of UK politicians—as he searches for material to put together a show focusing on Scottish politics for the
Undaunted by the lack of public recognition of those he intends to lampoon, Bremner works on his material, listening to recordings of
References
- ^ "Rory Bremner puts Scottish politics under satirical spotlight". BBC Media Centre. BBC. 27 March 2013. Retrieved 30 December 2013.
- ^ a b English, Paul (10 June 2013). "Scots comic Rory Bremner says most voters don't know who to vote for". Daily Record. Trinity Mirror. Retrieved 31 December 2013.
- ^ a b c d Rudden, Liam (12 June 2013). "Rory Bremner talks Scottish politics in Rory Goes To Holyrood". The Scotsman. Johnston Press. Retrieved 30 December 2013.
- ^ "Scottish independence: Rory Bremner in comedy call". The Scotsman. Johnston Press. 28 December 2013. Retrieved 30 December 2013.
External links
- Rory Goes to Holyrood at BBC Online
- Rory Goes to Holyrood at IMDb