Dara Ó Briain facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Dara Ó Briain
Ó Briain at the 2011 BAFTA awards
Born	(1972-02-04) 4 February 1972 (age 53) Bray, Ireland
Medium	Stand-up, television
Education	University College Dublin (BSc)
Genres	Observational comedy
Spouse	Susan Ó Briain ​ (m. 2006)​
Children	3

Dara Ó Briain (born 4 February 1972) is a famous Irish comedian and TV presenter. He is well-known for his stand-up comedy shows around the world. He has also hosted many popular TV shows. These include Mock the Week, The Panel, and The Apprentice: You're Fired!.

In 2012, he was nominated for a BAFTA TV Award. This was for his great work on Mock the Week. Dara has also written articles for newspapers. He has written books for both adults and children. His first children's book, Beyond the Sky, was nominated for a Blue Peter Book Award in 2017.

Early Life and Education

Dara Ó Briain was born in 1972 in Bray, County Wicklow, Ireland. He was adopted into a loving home. He has described his childhood as happy with supportive parents.

School Days

He went to Coláiste Eoin secondary school. This was an Irish-speaking school in Dublin. Dara is a fluent Irish speaker. He speaks Irish with his father.

University Studies

Dara then went to University College Dublin (UCD). There, he studied mathematics and theoretical physics. He joked that his studies sometimes show up in his comedy.

While at UCD, he was very active. He led the university's oldest debating society. He also helped start the college newspaper, The University Observer. In 1994, he won two national debating championships.

Sports and Hobbies

Dara also played sports. He played Gaelic football and hurling for Bray Emmets. He even played hurling for the Wicklow County minor team.

Starting His Career

After finishing university in 1994, Dara began working at RTÉ. This is Ireland's national broadcaster. He started as a children's TV presenter. At the same time, he began performing stand-up comedy. He played in small venues, learning his craft.

He spent three years presenting Echo Island. This was a children's show in both Irish and English. He became more widely known as a team captain on Don't Feed the Gondolas (1998–2000). This was a popular panel show.

Stand-Up Comedy Journey

Ó Briain at the 2024 Edinburgh Festival Fringe

Dara's stand-up career grew quickly. He started touring all over the world. He performed in places like Dubai, Paris, Adelaide, Shanghai, and New York City. He was a regular at major comedy festivals. These included the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and Just For Laughs in Montreal.

In 2005, his show at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe was the best-selling solo comedy show. This showed how popular he had become.

Tours and Records

Dara has done many successful tours across the United Kingdom and Ireland. His shows often sold out big venues. His 2010 tour had 150 dates and reached over 225,000 people. Many of his tours have been recorded for DVD.

In 2011, Dara, Jack Whitehall, and Jon Richardson set a Guinness World Records title. They hosted the 'highest stand-up comedy gig in the world'. This was on a British Airways flight for Comic Relief.

He continued touring with new shows like "Voice of Reason" and "So... Where Were We?". These tours took him to many new countries. His latest tour, Re:Creation, started in February 2025.

Television Career Highlights

Dara Ó Briain has had a very successful television career. He has hosted and appeared on many popular shows.

Early TV Appearances

He hosted The Panel in Ireland. This show was nominated for an IFTA three times. It featured comedians discussing current events.

Around 2002, Dara started appearing on UK TV shows. His big break came in 2003. He was a guest on Have I Got News for You. He later became a guest host for the show many times.

Hosting Popular Shows

From 2005 to 2022, Dara hosted Mock the Week on BBC Two. This was a very popular comedy panel show. It combined elements of news quizzes and improvisation. The show aired over 200 episodes.

Since 2006, Dara has starred in the BBC's Three Men in a Boat series. He traveled with Griff Rhys Jones and Rory McGrath. They explored rivers and coasts in various boats. They made seven series in total.

Dara also frequently appeared on QI. This is a quiz show about interesting facts. He also holds the record for the most appearances on Live at the Apollo. This is a showcase for stand-up comedians.

In 2010, Dara became the presenter of The Apprentice: You're Fired!. He hosted this show for five years. He has also hosted the British Academy Video Games Awards nine times.

Science and Education Shows

Dara has a strong interest in science. From 2011 to 2017, he co-presented Stargazing Live on BBC Two with Professor Brian Cox. These shows explored space and astronomy. They covered events like meteor showers and solar eclipses. Stargazing Live was nominated for a BAFTA award in 2017.

From 2012, Dara presented Dara Ó Briain: School of Hard Sums on Dave. In this show, he and guests tried to solve math puzzles. He also presented Dara Ó Briain's Science Club, discussing science topics with celebrities.

In 2015, he presented Dara Ó Briain Meets Stephen Hawking. In this show, he interviewed the famous theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking.

Other Notable TV Work

In 2015, Dara and Ed Byrne went on a road trip for Dara and Ed's Great Big Adventure. They drove down the Pan-American Highway.

From 2016 to 2018, Dara hosted the reboot of Robot Wars. This show featured robots battling each other. He also hosted Dara O Briain's Go 8 Bit, a panel show about video games.

In 2019, he hosted a new version of the classic quiz show Blockbusters.

In 2022, Dara was a contestant on Taskmaster. He won his series with the highest-ever total score at the time. He returned in 2024 for Taskmaster: Champion of Champions and won again.

More recently, Dara has presented several science and history shows for Channel 5. These include Wonders of the Moon with Dara Ó Briain (2023), Mysteries of the Pyramids with Dara O Briain (2024), and Wonders of the Sun with Dara Ó Briain (2024). In April 2025, he presented Volcano with Dara O Briain.

Personal Life and Interests

Dara Ó Briain married his wife, Susan, a surgeon, in 2006. They live in West London and have three children.

He is a big fan of English football club Arsenal. He also loves Gaelic games, having played them when he was younger. He has even tried to explain the sport of hurling to British audiences.

In 2020, an asteroid was named after him: 4901 Ó Briain. Also in 2020, he found his birth family, having known he was adopted.

Stand-up DVDs

See also

• Auditors of the Literary and Historical Society (University College Dublin)