How Rory Bremner spoofed ministers…

It’s been a relentless 48 hours managing the Rory Bremner news maelstrom! If you have not been reading the papers perhaps you missed the news that the brilliant impressionist hoaxed the Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett. Rory tricked her when he pretended to be Chancellor Gordon Brown. Rory phoned her on the day on 2005 general election, when she was environment secretary, and they discussed her Cabinet colleagues. The four and half minute tape is hysterical but ignited the press many of them running it as their front page lead this morning.

When a story of this size takes shape its always stressful. So I was not surprised by the intensity. I don’t want to be paranoid, (whilst we were in the throws of outing the detail of the tale) for huge chunks of Friday evening and Saturday afternoon, both Rorys’ and my mobile went down. I began to become slightly paranoid when somehow the Foreign office had a prepared statement before journalists knew the name of the politician in question. I have been in the centre of many interesting stories that has got “Fleet Street “salivating but this one was a little spooky and at times uncomfortable. Rory described the call as deep research but he felt as if he had played with a large box of matches. I suspect a puritanical back lash, Rory isn’t a cheap talk show radio DJ looking for instant fame. The Rory I know is a clever funny and genuine human that has his feet firmly on the ground with a healthy overview of the fame game. It will be fascinating to see the Government reactions to the call especially when they are currently challenging the old definitions of privacy that we have all come to take for granted