No imitation of life as Rory Bremner takes family back to their Scottish roots

RORY Bremner may be facing a harrowing future as a leading satirist with a lack of evocative new political characters to mimic, but the Scot has revealed that he believes his life and that of his family will be improved by returning to Scotland.

• An appreciation of a happy Scottish childhood has led Rory Bremner to relocate his family to the BordersPicture: Phil Wilkinson

Bremner was in Edinburgh this week for the launch of the Scottish Rugby Hall of Fame at Murrayfield. The 49-year-old guest speaker recounted stories of growing up around Edinburgh and watching Scotland at Murrayfield, once even returning to the ground after witnessing a victory over Wales and sneaking onto the pitch to mimic Andy Irvine in kicking at goal.

"But I soon realised that there was no future in trying to be other people," he told the 400-plus audience. So, instead of trying to emulate Irvine, he turned to comedy and became a success as a voice in the satirical puppet show Spitting Image and in countless TV programmes since taking off world leaders and celebrities.

However, he has decided to return to his roots and is waiting to move into his new house in the Borders in an effort to offer his children a better upbringing.

"Honestly, I'm not coming back because there are simply no politicians in the new government that anybody recognises," he joked, "though that does make life a bit trickier for me. I feel I'm coming home and actually feel better just being here. I am more relaxed and at home in Scotland, and my children are of an age now (nine and seven] where I want us as a family to spend more time up here.

"There is a better quality of life here, especially in a place like the Borders. My wife grew up around Hawick and she feels the same as I do. We want the children to have the kind of upbringing that we had, and they've had great fun already spending time at our new home and getting to know the area, charging around, learning to ride.

"I was at the Border agricultural show, watching the men judging who had the best blackface sheep, taking the girls to the pet show, watching boys climbing over tractors, and I thought 'this is great'. People will probably take that pace of life for granted, but they shouldn't.

"I was brought up in Edinburgh really, but the walks we had down at Gullane and in the Pentland Hills; it all added up to a very, very happy childhood. It is still possible to have the kind of childhood in Scotland that is increasingly difficult if not impossible in the south, where life is so much more intense."

Having bought the mansion at Crailing, midway between Jedburgh and Kelso in the Borders, Bremner is having parts of it renovated and will not formally move in until next summer.

He has television and charity work on the horizon, and has enjoyed writing plays for London theatres, but he plans to become more involved in Scottish life.

He added: "The attraction for me is a bit like Scottish Rugby's Hall of Fame in my view. People will argue about whether rugby has changed for the better or not with professionalism coming in, but what we saw at Murrayfield was a unique celebration of a rich history that Scotland has that no-one has, and no-one can take away.

"It's not just another brand that comes onto the market, but a game that has been played by characters that have a history; not an ‘X Factor' created to make ‘stars' from nothing."