Roderick Keith Ogilvy "Rory" Bremner,[1] FKC (born 6 April 1961) is a Scottish impressionist and comedian, noted for his work in political satire and impressions of British public figures.

[1] While studying at King's College London, he worked on the cabaret circuit in the evenings and was also active in a student drama club.

It was a parody of Paul Hardcastle's number one hit, "19", with Bremner impersonating cricket commentators, including Richie Benaud, John Arlott, and Brian Johnston,[citation needed] and replacing references to the Vietnam War with references to the England cricket team's disastrous 1984 home series against the West Indies, in which the England captain David Gower had averaged 19.

He has also presented a BBC Radio 4 series, Rory Bremner's International Satirists, in which he talks to comedians and impressionists from other European countries.

Bremner has translated three operas into English: Der Silbersee by Kurt Weill, Carmen by Georges Bizet,[8] and Orpheus in the Underworld by Jacques Offenbach.

His translation drew a positive reception from critics, although it did draw the ire of some for the removal of any class conflict edge to the play, directed by Joe Hill-Gibbins as a squirming farce that relies heavily on the comic value of embarrassment.

In 2013, Bremner presented Rory Goes to Holyrood, a one-off show for BBC Scotland that takes a satirical look at Scottish politics and the independence referendum.

"[13] The programme featured Bremner presenting a one-off stand-up routine at Edinburgh's Assembly Hall, airing on 13 June 2013.

[citation needed] In late 2016, he featured in the BBC Radio 4 miniseries Desolation Jests alongside David Jason, Jan Ravens and John Bird.

[21] He was placed at 49 on ITV's list of TV's 50 Greatest Stars, and in 2008 received the James Joyce Award of the Literary and Historical Society.

He said: "When I first met Tony Blair in 1996, he was open and idealistic, keen to bring a breath of fresh air to government.

However, he remained an outspoken critic of the Conservative Party, saying: "How dare they look at the railways, the schools, the hospitals, and say the priority is tax cuts?

"[22] Bremner supported Reg Keys in the 2005 general election when he stood against Tony Blair as an anti-war candidate.

[23] Bremner opposed Scottish independence in the 2014 referendum, arguing that "social justice, a fairer society and the NHS don’t stop at the border" and that people should "fight for those things within the Union".