Bremner, Bird and Misfortune

I've never actually found Rory Bremner funny.

I think the way he conned Margaret Beckett into believing she was speaking to Gordon Brown was somewhat childish but to then publish the transcript and try to broadcast a misleading and confidential call was the kind of thing you'd expect from the News of the World.

I met him back in the 90s and he bragged to me like a naughty schoolboy how he used to call Blair's office pretending to be Tony. Years later on the Andrew Marr show, he did one of those "witty" monologues and the sound of tumbleweed during his set was deafening. He had to beg for people to laugh.

But he's completely over stepped the mark with his "joke" on Sunday's show that Gordon Brown was so desperate for popularity that he would discover Madeleine McCann on the eve of an election to win votes.

Channel 4's feeble excuse was that it was aimed at politicians. A spokesman defending the sketch, said it was not aimed at the McCanns but "the lengths to which politicians would go to win public support."

This is the same Channel 4 that consitently misled viewers on phone call competitions and refused to throw out women who made racist comments against another housemate on Big Brother because the ratings were too damn good.

Is it any wonder that this country has such a cynical view of polticians when public school boy pranksters like Bremner play fast and loose with people's emotions for cheap laughs. I'm sure the McCanns will stoically refuse to comment and Rory will think he's got away with it.

But I hope Ofcom, who've already received 32 official complaints from viewers, gives Bremner and C4 both barrels.

Either that or force him to watch his own show.