Blair? He is a real joker, says Lauren

Tony Blair may not be 'bovvered' but his Comic Relief act won a glowing review from his comedy partner yesterday.

'He is one of the finest comic actors of his generation,' joked Catherine Tate.

The Prime Minister made a surprise appearance alongside Tate's teenage chav character, Lauren.

He left Lauren speechless when he stole her catchphrase: 'Am I bovvered?'

The skit has helped to make Tate's Comic Relief DVD the fastest-selling pre-order DVD ever on the Amazon website.

Tate paid tribute to Mr Blair yesterday as she described her trip to No.10 for the recording as 'surreal'.

'There was a sense of occasion about it,' she added. 'We were all thinking, "This is history".' Mr Blair's new catchphrase even came up at Prime Minister's questions.

Asked if he was 'bovvered' about criticisms of Chancellor Gordon Brown, Mr Blair replied: 'Fortunately, one of the things I haven't had to be bothered about in the last ten years is the running of the economy.'