Comedian John Bird of trio Bremner, Bird and Fortune dies aged 86

28 December 2022, 12:27 | Updated: 28 December 2022, 13:09

Bird became known for sketches performed alongside John Fortune and Bremner
Bird became known for sketches performed alongside John Fortune and Bremner. Picture: Alamy

By Emma Soteriou

John Bird, who was part of the beloved comedy trio Bremner, Bird and Fortune, has died aged 86.

Listen to this article

Loading audio...

A statement announcing Bird's death said he died "peacefully" at Pendean care home on Christmas Eve and that a family funeral will be followed by a celebration of his life in the new year.

Rory Bremner paid tribute to "one of the greatest satirists", adding that it was "striking" Bird had died "nine years, almost to the day" after Fortune, who died aged 74 on New Year's Eve in 2013.

Scottish impressionist Bremner, 61, wrote: "It's an irony that one of our greatest satirists, so brilliant at portraying ministers, civil servants or high-ranking officials who exuded self-satisfaction, was himself so modest and self-effacing.

"John Bird was, to the end, never pleased with himself, always feeling he should have done better, been less lazy, had a late period like Brahms, 'where everything was spare and abstract'.

"The reality was that he and his friend and collaborator John Fortune, together with Peter Cook, were pillars of the anti-establishment."

He added: "Lord knows, satire has missed them this last decade and now that loss is permanent.

"John may not have felt he got his life right, but by God he got it written."

Read more: Remembering the famous faces lost in 2022

Read more: 'Showing emotion isn't a weakness, it’s a strength': Jake Quickenden opens up about dealing with grief during the festive period

Bremner, Bird and Fortune
Bremner, Bird and Fortune. Picture: Alamy

Bird and Fortune became household names with their The Long Johns comedy skits, in which the double-act played bumbling politicians, military figures and businessmen.

They were nominated for four Baftas and won the TV award for their performance in 1997.

Bird, Bremner and Fortune also collaborated in shows Now Something Else and The Rory Bremner Show and Channel 4 series Rory Bremner, Who Else?

Bird made appearances in fantasy comedy film Jabberwocky, comedy shows Yes, Prime Minister, A Very Peculiar Practice, Chambers and One Foot In The Grave and detective shows Jonathan Creek, Inspector Morse and Midsomer Murders.

John Bird (left) and John Fortune hold their awards for Best Light Entertainment performance at the TV Baftas
John Bird (left) and John Fortune hold their awards for Best Light Entertainment performance at the TV Baftas. Picture: Alamy

Bremner added that seeing Bird and Fortune work was the "highlight" of his life and he would "marvel at the genius of it all".

He said that Bird could be shy and nervous before the cameras started rolling but once he had to perform he would be "shamelessly playful".

In 2007, Bird and Fortune revived their show in a special called The Last Laugh which was broadcast on ITV's The South Bank Show.

Bremner added that watching the sketch with the comedians, playing an investment banker and an interviewer, was a way to "understand the madness behind the 2008 financial crash" as it "ridicules the city culture that led to the crash with astonishing perspicacity".

"They realised that true satire lay not in ad hominem attacks on politicians but in exposing the cant behind the 'discipline of the market' and the culture of privatisation where chief executives were rewarded for success and equally compensated for failure," he added.

John Bird (left) and John Fortune on stage at the Albery Theatre in central London.
John Bird (left) and John Fortune on stage at the Albery Theatre in central London. Picture: Alamy

Bird, born in Nottingham, went to a grammar school before going to Cambridge and meeting his comedy partner Fortune. While there, he also directed comedian Peter Cook and actress Eleanor Bron in the 1959 Cambridge Footlights Revue, an annual show by the university comedy club which has seen David Mitchell, Richard Ayoade and Eric Idle among its members.

Bird then joined the Royal Court Theatre as an assistant director, hosted the first episode of Beyond The Fringe, directed Austrian-American singer Lotte Lenya in a Brecht revue and opened nightclub the Establishment Club with Cook in London, and New York.

He is survived by his wife Libby, a concert pianist, along with his step-sons Dan and Josh.

More Latest News

See more More Latest News

Matt Gaetz withdraws as Donald Trump's nominee for attorney general amid sexual misconduct allegations

Donald Trump nominates Pam Bondi for attorney general hours after Matt Gaetz withdraws

Starmer has backed the International Criminal Court over its arrest warrant for Netanyahu

Netanyahu faces arrest if he travels to Britain as Starmer vows to enforce International Criminal Court warrant

Yvette Cooper has branded the Rwanda scheme a "complete con."

Yvette Cooper to crack down on anti-social behaviour with new 'respect orders' as repeat offenders face jail time

King Charles III And Queen Camilla on Coronation Day

King Charles' coronation cost taxpayer £72 million, report reveals

Pep Guardiola, Manager of Manchester City

Pep Guardiola signs two-year contract extension with Manchester City

Captain Tom's Daughter Hannah Ingram-Moore

Behaviour at Captain Tom charity left ex-boss 'gobsmacked'

Armed robbers attempted to break into the star's Sunderland home.

Masked machete-wielding robbers break into Charlotte Crosby's home while she is upstairs with two-year-old daughter

Police have released new CCTV of Harshita Brella and her husband

Chilling CCTV released of Harshita Brella and prime murder suspect husband on night she was killed

First photos of Gavin and Stacey Christmas Special as James Corden and Ruth Jones mark triumphant finale

First photos of Gavin and Stacey Christmas Special as James Corden and Ruth Jones mark show's triumphant finale

King Charles performs a Hongi, a traditional Maori greeting, with Mere Takoko

King Charles shares traditional Maori nose rub greeting with activist as he launches environmental charity

Putin issued a chilling threat to the West as he confirmed Russia launched a ballistic missile against Ukraine

Putin issues chilling warning to UK and US as he confirms Russia hit Ukraine with new 'experimental' ballistic missile

Telegraph writer Allison Pearson.

Police drop investigation into journalist Allison Pearson over tweet - as review to be launched over handling of case

Exclusive
Angela Rayner has paid tribute to John Prescott

Angela Rayner says John Prescott 'used to call her after PMQs to remind her to stay true to who she is'

Four men have been arrested accused of attempting to rob a mobile phone store

Undercover police arrest four men after EE shop raided by masked gang

Matt Gaetz withdraws as Donald Trump's nominee for attorney general amid sexual misconduct allegations

Matt Gaetz withdraws as Donald Trump's nominee for attorney general amid sexual misconduct allegations

Donald Trump Watches SpaceX Launch Its Sixth Test Flight Of Starship Spacecraft

Elon Musk pledges to fire civil servants who work from home