Rory Bremner examines Cleggmania

A general election campaign "touched with the wand of the TV reality show"? How Nick Clegg changed politics - comment from Rory Bremner.

A week is a long time in politics and, judging by Nick Clegg's recent career trajectory (see his Who Knows Who map here), a general election campaign (coupled with TV debates and the internet) also does funny things to the space-time continuum.

The Lib Dem leader's performance in the first two live showdowns (15 and 22 April) have so altered the political landscape that the weeks beforehand have been labelled BC - before Clegg.

The impact of his "arrival" in the nation's living rooms, and collective consciousness, has drawn comparisons with an unlikely host of popular figures - from Winston Churchill to Britain's Got Talent singer Susan Boyle.

Lord Ashdown even said "there's a touch of Diana's funeral about it" in an interview with The Times.

Who Knows Who election guest editor Rory Bremner writes -

Ah yes: the Clegg factor. The Big Story of this election. Indeed, the only story of this election.

The story of a presentable young man who, up until the first TV debate, could have been mistaken for Vince Cable's researcher. Or possibly nephew, roped in by uncle Vince to help him with all the admin.

And now, since politics has been touched with the wand of the TV reality show, he's this year's winner, up there with Michelle McManus, Steve Brookstein, Joe Pasquale and Christopher Biggins: the viewer's choice.

In the curious absence of a results show, where the two bottom candidates (that is, Gordon Brown and one other) get to dance, skate or sing-off to save their careers, Nick has emerged the winner as the Great British Public say: "Who's that bloke up there with Gordon and Dave? He looks nice. Let's make him prime minister".

Galling for the Tories, who've spent four years asking us to vote for someone young and fresh and different, only to see Nick Clegg appear and the country say, "OK, we will!"

Where does he come from? Who does he know? Does he really speak five languages? Should he campaign in Dutch and change his name to Nick Clog? We need to know.

Rory Bremner's Daily Election Show will be on Channel 4 on three nights leading up to 6 May.

Nick Clegg: the alternative man

Get Clegg?
The extra attention has, of course, brought extra scrutiny to the Clegg portfolio - in particular, his links with two lobby groups.

In his twenties, Clegg worked for a company called GJW. It is claimed one of the firm's clients was Libya and one project was to "improve the reputation" of its controversial leader Colonel Gaddafi.

Asked recently about this period of his career, Clegg said: 'Honestly, this is such bilge. Twenty years ago I spent nine months as a backroom researcher for a consultancy in London."

Clegg also worked for another lobby group, Gplus, based in Brussels, after his five years as a Lib Dem MEP from 1999 to 2004.

Peter Guilford, Gplus's founder, has said his firm is for organisations with "a real problem affecting their reputation". Its clients have included the Malaysian Palm Oil Council and the Russian government.

The Telegraph reports that Clegg was involved in a lobbying effort by the Royal Bank of Scotland to change European financial regulations.

The same paper made allegations about payments made into the Lib Dem leader's private account. Clegg dismissed the claims and said the arrangement actually left him out of pocket.

The new star of UK politics has also seen his background picked over with a finer toothed comb than ever before.

Tennis-loving Clegg was educated at Westminster school where his classmates ranged from Gavin Rossdale from rock band Bush, to Michael Sherwood, now vice chairman at Goldman Sachs .

Clegg then went to Cambridge but "can't remember" joining the university's Conservative club.

In the most extreme attack on Clegg, The Daily Mail accused him of a "Nazi slur" against Britain over comments he made eight years ago about Anglo-German relations.

The Mail also proclaimed "Some ordinary northerner!" before listing his links to privilege - from Dutch royalty to French mansions.

The Lib Dem leader's father, Nicholas Clegg, has been brought onto the agenda - largely because he is a successful banker - and attention has been drawn to the fact Clegg's grandfather was president of finance giant ABN Amro.

It is certainly a far cry from the also-ran who voters struggled to recognise just months ago. And did you know he once starred opposite Helena Bonham-Carter?