Rory Goes to Holyrood

Background

The BBC Media Centre announced details of the programme in March 2013, with plans for it to air later that year. Bremner had recently returned to live in Scotland after spending much of his life in England, and in the press release he explained his motivation: coming back to Scotland in the run-up to the Referendum, he realised he knew almost nothing about Scottish politics and wanted to make sense (and nonsense) of it all. 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.

Bremner told The Scotsman in June 2013 that while he did not get the same level of reaction, the strength of feeling surprised him. He noted that some people think First Minister Alex Salmond should be off limits, even though Salmond has a good sense of humour and understands that political comedians are part of a healthy democracy. The Scotsman later observed that many observers have complained of a lack of satire in mainstream media and lamented that even light-hearted attempts to lampoon the Scottish political scene have triggered online bile.

Shortly before the broadcast, Bremner said recording the programme had left him undecided on the question of Scottish independence, and he subsequently called for more satire in the referendum debate, noting there is great humour to be had from the big characters and good arguments involved.

Synopsis

The programme follows Bremner as he searches for material to put together a show focusing on Scottish politics for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, the first time he has tackled the subject. He speaks to politicians, journalists and other public figures to get to grips with Scotland's political scene and the independence debate, and assembles a team of fellow comedians including Andy Zaltzman, Julia Sutherland and Paul Sneddon. The group discusses potential material and identifies characteristics and topics for a stand-up routine.

Bremner conducts a street survey asking members of the public to name Scotland's politicians, highlighting that many cannot identify key figures at Holyrood. He works on his material while listening to recordings of First Minister Alex Salmond and other politicians, receives a tour of the Scottish Parliament Building from MSP Joan McAlpine, watches a session of the Scottish Parliament, and travels to Westminster to interview Ian Davidson, chair of the Scottish Affairs Select Committee. The documentary ends with Bremner presenting a one-off stand-up routine at Edinburgh's Assembly Hall.