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He may use the small screen to entice viewers into his gigs, but that doesn't stop Dara O'Briain telling Claire Sawers his extreme opinions on
certain female TV presenters
ust as yoti would never dare confuse a
snowboarder with a skier. whatever you
do. never. ever bundle a comedian in with a magician. ‘lt irritates the hell out of us.‘ seethes l)ara O’Briain. Apparently. being onstage and trying to entertain crowds does not make for kindred spirits. ‘They really are the naffest thing in the world. In fact . . .‘ he adds. absentmindedly' brtisliing his cat Nero‘s fur into a Mohawk. ‘I take great joy in the death of a magician.'
'I‘he charismatic Irishman is best known for inacliitie-gunning out jovial. quick-wilted satire on panel shows such as .lIm‘k I/It' ll'a'k. Never .lliml r/ii' Iiiiizi'm‘ks and Have I (in! Neil'ij )iiii. btit acerbic and anecdotal stand—up is where his heart lies. giving him a platform to launch into many-detoured tirades about everything from (iillian McKeitli (‘some cow making millions selling grain bars) to the ongoing War with Bacteria. ‘I try not to tell people in TV. btit basically my entire television career is jtist PR for my stand-up. (‘omedy is my actual day job. not just some merchandising spin-off from the 'l’\' stuff.‘
()‘Briain began his telly career as a chirpy kid‘s presenter for RTli. Judging by his 2005 appearance on Room /()I. the experience clearly left him scarred. and he picked a fellow female presenter from his lz'i‘lio Islam] days — whom he still refers to as ‘a complete pain in the hole'— to be dropped into the torture chamber. But ()‘Bi‘iain is nothing if not contradictory. Despite his rant. he was recently outed by Mock the Week panellists as a secret admirer of ex-Blm' Peter presenter Konnie Huq. 'I just think she‘s a very striking. very smart girl.. he protests rather too earnestly. clearly still squirming at the brutal on-air slagging he received. When ()‘Briain bumped into l-luq at last year‘s Edinburgh International Television Festival. the married 35—year-old confesses he ran away. ‘squealing like a high-pitched geek at a junior disco.‘
Despite humiliation from co-stars. ()‘Briain enjoys the set—up of programmes like Mock the Heck. which are meticulously prepped to allow for spontaneous comedy fireworks to fly when the cameras roll: “The whole format is one big hook on which to hang funny things.‘ The set-up may guarantee laughs. btit ()‘Briain can't resist the thrill of unplanned stand-up. where audience members can throw a fork in the road where be least expects it. ‘lt‘s risk versus reward. You've got to think incredibly quickly.‘
‘I RAN AWAY, SQUEALING LIKE A HIGH-PITCHED GEEK AT A JUNIOR DISCO'
26 THE LIST £8 Feb—13 Mar 2008
His brand new show was written. like all his solo material. over the course of a bottle of red wine. ‘The first two glasses get you thinking. By three and four you‘re really funny; it's coming thick and fast. Then the last two glasses are jtist you reflecting on how funny you tised to be at
the first two glasses.‘ For him. comedy. whether
on TV or on stage. is all about relieving tension. ‘You just keep tickling
someone until they laugh.‘
Royal Concert Hall, Wed 12 Mar, 8pm, £19; Edinburgh Playhouse, Sun 9 Mar, 8pm, £19.
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Malcolm Jack hooks up with Ivan Brackenbury who has given up the catamaran lifestyle to insult our ears with some truly insensitive tunes
A regional ratlit) DJ .‘vit’i shut hilllil‘, tiii i' ‘.i‘.'i:- ' taste and an llli‘.‘.’liill‘.t_l haliit ft ‘i tnnnp'vvi .i‘X .i'v people's foflifslii‘.’lTI(:‘.i‘ f;( ‘lliltif; tanniiai l’r ilial '.. although most iikely llfffltlll‘lt' ii tirinjs to ill‘l‘ 1 Steve Coogan's; lt.)‘.”t}£ll)l‘, lilillilillilt‘ l,‘ tlli'f' li creation Alan Partridge, rather than l‘.’;iti Brackenbury, the self styled sagiiitii of Chesterfield and North Derby/shirt: llosjiitai Radio. Maybe not for much longer. thi tli‘lll‘ A run at last year’s Edinburgh Fl’lliQt‘ resiiiti-d in Ivan Winning the Spirit of the irinqi: Award and receIVing a nomination for the if,<:i,ivi<:itrlii: awards.
It's also worth noting that he ‘.’/(t.‘; MCillétll,’ flf‘3l to take to the airwaves, 'I did lvan as part of iii, stand-up in the early 90s and then on the ratio, ab0ut seven years before Alan] explains Brackenbury creator Torn Binns. 'l have to say. there was a little part of me lliSlflf: that (l|(:(l when they put him into a radio studio. I knew l COuldn't carry on domg my character .‘Jlill/Mii compansons.‘
A serious radio career presenting on Xfrn tot/ill off fOr Binns around the same lllill':, a stint that ended infamously in 1999 when he earned the station what was then the biggest fine in European broadcasting history 6:50.000; for a spiel on masturbating pigs. After a TV presenting jOb failed to come to fruuion. Binns flicked off to Ibiza and skippered a catamaran] for foiir years, befOre successfully returning. Lazarus st/le. to the live CirCuit as Brackenbury last year
A TV spot. DVD and radio show are all lined up. True to character ihOngli, Binns adrriits that his proudest achievement yet remains giiegtiig 0n Steve Wright's Radio 2 show. When Ste/e IOId me that he'd asked personally for Man to come on I was beSide myself,‘ he says. 'l .vas mOre excited about that than when found out I'd got my own Radio 2 series. Am i as tragic as Ivan Brackenbury is in real life? Probably."
I B/ackfriars, Fri 7 Mar, 8pm, £8 4.6).
Magners Glasgow International Comedy Festival, Thu 6-Sun 23 Mar, various venues. www.9lasgowcomedy festival.com, 0870 0135464. See pages
6 & 15 for ticket offers 8: giveaways