Dara Ó Briain is the thinking man’s comedian, famous for his stand-up routines and for hosting Mock the Week but, behind the smile, lies family heartache.
The Irish comedian is currently attempting to solve an ancient puzzle in Mysteries of the Pyramids with Dara O Briain on Channel 5. The two-part series sees him head to Egypt on a truth-seeking quest.
And in his personal life, Dara Ó Briain has also faced a similar search for answers within his own family. He was one of thousands of Irish children taken away from unmarried mothers at birth. As an adult, he made the decision to find his birth mother.
Here’s everything you need to know about Dara O Briain.
Mysteries of the Pyramids with Dara O Briain on Channel 5
In the Channel 5 series Mysteries of the Pyramids with Dara O Briain, the comedian attempts to solve an ancient puzzle.
In the two part series, Dara explores intriguing mysteries surrounding the world’s pyramids. With the help of archaeologist Raksha Dave and Egyptologist Chris Naunton, he begins with why and how these structure were built. The journey begins in Egypt with a search for answers about the missing body of pharaoh Khufu, the man behind the Great Pyramid of Giza.
The Channel 5 show asks: “How were the pyramids built using massive chunks of stone, so heavy that even today a modern crane would struggle?”
They will also explore the more far-fetched theories surrounding the pyramids: Was one a giant power station? Were they built for, or even by, aliens? And the biggest mystery of all – why did the Ancient Egyptians start building them and then stop?
Dara says: “What a joy to explore these great monuments to human ingenuity and effort; to sort out the amazing facts from the many, frankly, ridiculous fictions that surround them. But mainly to live out all my Indiana Jones fantasies, scrambling in sandy tunnels in search of treasure, just without all the Nazis or the snakes.”
His next collabortion with Channel 5 will be the upcoming Wonders of the Sun with Dara Ó Briain. He is set to explore space once again.
Who is Dara O Briain? What’s he famous for?
Dara Ó Briain is a comedian, TV presenter author, amateur astronomer and astrophotographer! TV viewers will probably know him best for being a stand-up comedian, and for hosting topical panel shows such as Mock the Week, and The Panel.
As a TV presenter, he hosted The Apprentice spin-off You’re Fired! between 2010 and 2014. Dara has also hosted and appeared on Have I Got News for You, Science Club, Robot Wars, and Blockbusters. He’s appeared on Taskmaster countless times, too.
He has been a newspaper columnist, and 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.
Dara also popped up as an actor in one episode of Horrible Histories, as well as playing a comic in the 2013 Michael Winterbottom film The Look of Love.
Has Dara Ó Briain been on Taskmaster?
Dara has appeared in 11 episodes of Taskmaster between 2022 and 2024. In fact, the comic was the first person on Taskmaster UK to achieve a “perfect score” (i.e. scoring every point on offer in one episode).
In 2022, he appeared as a contestant on series 14, winning with 184 points. This made him the contestant to have scored the most total amount of points in Taskmaster history, beating the previous leader of Liza Tarbuck from series 6.
He returned in 2024 for Champion of Champions III, winning again with 22 points.
How old is Dara Ó Briain? Where is he from?
Dara was born on February 04, 1972, in Bray, County Wicklow, Ireland.
He is currently 52 years of age.
Dara attended Coláiste Eoin secondary school, a Gaelcholáiste (Irish-speaking medium school) on Dublin’s southside. He subsequently attended University College Dublin (UCD), where he studied mathematics and theoretical physics.
Believe it or not, Dara began working as a children’s TV presenter after he graduated in 1994. He spent three years as a presenter on the bilingual Irish and English children’s programme Echo Island.
He also began gigging as a stand-up around that time.
Is Dara adopted?
Family man Dara Ó Briain was adopted from a young age into what he described as “a stable home”. He enjoyed a happy childhood with his “supportive” parents Eithne and Sean.
The comedian was one of thousands of Irish children taken away from unmarried mothers. Illegitimate Catholic babies were given fake birth certificates and sold. And, until a recent change in Irish law, it was illegal for those children to see any information about themselves.
In his late-40s, Dara decided to track down his birth family. In an interview with The Times, he revealed that watching the 2013 film Philomena inspired him to find his mum. He said: “I suddenly thought ‘you [bleep] eejit. It’s not just your story. There’s a woman out there who would maybe like to know how you turned out.”
In January 2020, Dara finally met his birth mother for the first time at the Shelbourne Hotel in Dublin. He has since said of the reunion: “You have in your head there’s going to be this amazing moment of recognition. But it’s nothing like that. There wasn’t a surge of music and the click of jigsaw pieces falling into place. It’s just this person standing there… And she’s a person you haven’t ever seen before in your life.”
He has since met three half-sisters and a half-brother.
Chris Hemsworth and I do the Thor “Did they though?” face when somebody mentions aliens building the pyramids. pic.twitter.com/boivI4fgrx
— Dara Ó Briain (@daraobriain) May 16, 2024
How tall is Dara?
Dara is 1.95 m in height, that’s 6 foot 4 inches.
In comparison, his best mate is 1.77 m, so a titchy 5 foot 8!
Who is the wife of Dara Ó Briain?
Dara Ó Briain married his wife Susan, a surgeon, in 2006. They live in West London with their three children, a daughter, 18, and sons 15 and 11.
Dara is fiercely protective of his private life, and rarely speaks of his wife and children in public.
His best friend Ed Byrne, also an Irish stand-up comedian, was Dara’s best man on his wedding day. And he returned the favour a few years later.
Read more: Taskmaster host Greg Davies on ‘miserable’ career before braving comedy
Mysteries of the Pyramids with Dara Ó Briain starts on Channel 5 at 9pm on Monday, May 20, 2024.
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