New book by two of Rory Bremner’s collaborators

Two of Rory Bremner’s collaborators have written a book about writing topical comedy during 12 years of Tory rule.

Two Idiots And A Genius covers the time married couple Mary and Tim Fowler started writing satirical gags for the impressionist in 2012 – part-way through the Cameron-Clegg Coalition – to Rishi Sunak’s defeat last year.

It includes much of the material they wrote during that period – with some of it punched up. given the passage of time. 

‘Leaving jokes on the cutting room floor is often a soul-draining endeavour that leaves writers weeping into their morning tea,’ says Mary. ‘With this book, we were able to go back through our archives, polish up our material, and of course, add to it! 

‘How could we not laugh at the past 12 years? The world was at times ridiculous, unfair, and almost impossibly bleak. But comedy kept us going through hardships, and our hope is that someone might open this book when they most need it and have a good chuckle. If it makes a person laugh at something they might otherwise cry over, then it’s done its job.’

The pair started working for Bremner after Tim responded to one of Bremner’s tweets advertising a tour show in Durham,

As the satirist writes in his foreword to the book: ‘I sent out an instruction along the lines of "Durham, Friday. Activate the Plan."  A short while after, a tweet came back. A single word. "*ACTIVATED*" I smiled. have an agent in Durham, I thought. A sleeper cell, waiting quietly for the call to action.

‘And so it proved. Amused by the reply, I direct-messaged the sender and the day after the show, Agent Fowler arrived at my hotel. A tall, bespectacled man in a wheelchair with long hair, a ready smile and a great sense of humour. "The name's Fowler. Tim Fowler" he might have said but didn't. 

‘By day he was a librarian at Durham University. By night, he devoured comedy, particularly satire, and had followed my Channel Four shows with John Bird and John Fortune for many years. We talked, enjoyed each other's company, and soon after I asked if he fancied writing some lines for my shows. The plan was ACTIVATED.

‘Not long after my meeting with Agent Tim, a second agent surfaced. Tim's soon to be wife, Mary. Herself recruited with a one-word tweet, sent by Tim in one of his darker moments when life was getting the better of him. "Struggling" he wrote. Out of the blue, Mary replied. "Is that a baby struggle?" A play on words worthy of the Uxbridge English Dictionary on I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue, Radio 4's antidote to panel games.’

The writers - pictured above with Bremner and fellow impressionist Jan Ravens –  say that as well as repeating many of their jokes, their book aims  to ‘examine the role that political satire plays in what some have called our "post-truth" society.’

In their introduction they add: ‘‘Rory writes most of his own material but like all performers, he takes inspiration from others. We're fortunate to be part of the small team that chips in on a regular basis. It's a joyful process, even when it's hard work. 

‘This material doesn't just appear out of thin air, like most creatives there are times when the jokes flow and times when we shut ourselves in a dark room and dig deep, fuelled by Jaffa Cakes (Mary) and chocolate buttons (Tim). We love it. Rory is incredibly rewarding to write for. He's a humble genius, fiercely intelligent and a warm-hearted gentleman.’

The book has been published by Imprint and is available from Amazon for £10 in paperback and £3.99 on Kindle

Published: 9 Jun 2025