Rory Bremner, Britain’s top satirical impressionist and renowned comedian, is to star as Chris Tarrant in James Graham’s thrilling and provocative drama, Quiz. The production explores the real-life story of Charles Ingram, aka the Coughing Major, who conned the world’s most popular TV quiz show, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire out of £1,000,000. Or did he?
Nominated for two Olivier Awards including Best New Comedy, James Graham’s smash hit play, Quiz, transferred to London’s West End with sensational reviews in 2018, following a sold-out run at Chichester Festival Theatre. And in 2020, millions tuned in to see the three-part ITV adaptation starring Michael Sheen, Matthew Macfadyen and Sian Clifford.
Quiz now returns to Chichester Festival Theatre before embarking on a 9-week UK tour from 22 September to 2 December 2023, with press night on 28 September 2023.
Rory is ‘a one-man opposition party’ (Daily Telegraph). As a mimic, he’s provided definitive impersonations of PMs and Presidents from Major, Blair, Cameron and Brown, to Clinton, Bush and Trump. As himself, he’s been a presenter, writer, quiz-show host, actor, translator and even (briefly) ballroom dancer (Strictly Come Dancing, 2011).
Rory Bremner says “I’m very excited about this; not just the challenge of playing Chris Tarrant in long form but bringing the scandal that really caught the public’s imagination to a live audience every night. What really happened? The jury’s out- and this time it’s you!
I didn’t have to phone-a-friend. It wasn’t even 50/50. This was a role I had to take on, with A: a brilliant director; B: a terrific script; C: a different audience live each night; and D: a story that divides opinion to this day. Final answer? Ask the audience!”
Quiz is directed by Artistic Director of Chichester Festival Theatre, Daniel Evans and Seán Linnen with design by Robert Jones, and produced by Jonathan Church Theatre Productions and Wessex Grove, by arrangement with William Village. Lighting by Ryan Day, composition and sound design by Ben and Max Ringham, with video by Tim Reid and casting by Ginny Schiller CDG
QUIZ is a fictional imagination based on real events which took place in 2001 following an episode of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? It is not in any way connected with the makers of the programme or any of the individuals portrayed. The television programme Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? is produced by 2waytraffic.
Rory Bremner is widely regarded as Britain’s top satirical impressionist (‘a one-man opposition party’ Daily Telegraph). As a mimic, he’s provided definitive impersonations of PMs and Presidents from Major to Mandela, Blair to Brown, Clinton to Cameron and Bush to Trump. As himself, he’s been presenter, writer, quiz-show host, actor, translator and even (briefly) ballroom dancer.
Born in Edinburgh on 6 April 1961, Rory was educated at Wellington College and Kings College London, where he gained a BA in French, German and imitating lecturers. He speaks French adequately, German inadequately, and enough Russian to impress you for 90 seconds (unless you’re Russian). By the time he’d graduated in 1984, he was already performing on the London stand-up circuit and at his native Edinburgh Festival Fringe and got his first TV series with the BBC in 1986. In a TV career of over 30 years, he’s won numerous awards, including 3 BAFTAs for his long-running Channel 4 satire series Bremner Bird & Fortune, featuring Rory and the two Johns.
In addition, he’s written and starred in satirical specials covering four elections, the Blair Government, (From Blair to Here, My Government and I) the Iraq War (Between Iraq and a Hard Place, Beyond Iraq and a Hard Place), the financial crisis of 2008 (Silly Money) and - back at the BBC - the Scottish Referendum (Rory Goes to Holyrood, (2014)) and the Coalition government (Rory Bremner’s Coalition Report, Rory Bremner’s Election Report (2015)). He retraced his family history for Who Do You Think You Are and travelled all over Britain for the ITV daytime series Rory Bremner’s Great British Views (2012).
Meanwhile, he’s guested on many other comedy shows (Whose Line is it Anyway, Spitting Image, Have I Got News for You, and Mock the Week, where he was team captain for two series). He was a regular guest on both Wogan and Parkinson and has frequently appeared on Radio 4’s Newsquiz, The Now Show, Radio Scotland’s Breaking The News and his own shows, Tonight and Bremner’s One Question Quiz. He’s also written diaries & columns for the FT, New Statesman, & Daily Telegraph. In 2013 he made his acting debut alongside Patricia Hodge and Caroline Quentin in Noel Coward’s Relative Values, directed by Trevor Nunn. (Theatre Royal Bath and subsequently West End). In 2018 Rory exhibited his impressionist skills on a weekly basis as regular team captain on ITV’s The Imitation Game. In the same year he re-joined fellow mimic Jan Ravens for a live show at the Edinburgh festival, which went on to do a sell-out UK tour.
In his spare time (as if) he translates operas and plays from French (Carmen, (Spier Festival) and Orpheus in the Underworld (Scottish Opera)) and German (Kurt Weill’s The Silver Lake, (Broomhill Opera) & The Seven Deadly Sins) and Bertolt Brecht’s A Respectable Wedding (Young Vic) - the latter directed by Joe Hill Gibbons and starring James Corden."
QUIZ LISTINGS
Chichester, Festival Theatre cft.org.uk
22 Sept – 30 Sept 2023 01243 781312
Tickets on general sale from 4 March
Newcastle, Theatre Royal theatreroyal.co.uk
03 Oct – 07 Oct 2023 08448 11 21 21
Glasgow, King’s Theatre ATGTICKETS.com
10 Oct – 14 Oct 2023 0333 009 6690
Cardiff, New Theatre newtheatrecardiff.co.uk
17 Oct – 21 Oct 20203 02920 878 889
Salford, Lowry Theatre thelowry.com
24 Oct – 28 Oct 2023 0343 208 6000
Norwich, Theatre Royal norwichtheatre.org
31 Oct – 4 Nov 2023 01603 630 000
Bromley, Churchill Theatre churchilltheatre.co.uk
06 Nov – 11 Nov 2023 020 3285 6000
Canterbury, Marlowe Theatre marlowetheatre.com
14 Nov – 18 Nov 2023 01227 787787
Bath, Theatre Royal theatreroyal.org.uk
20 Nov – 25 Nov 2023 01225 448844
Birmingham, Alexandra Theatre ATGTICKETS.com
28 Nov – 02 Dec 2023 020 7206 1174
