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TALKING SHOP: Comedian Dara O'Briain tells C21 about the challenge of making maths and science appeal to mass television audiences, the state of comedy on British television and the future of The Apprentice format on the BBC.
O'Briain is one of the best known faces on UK television, as host of comedy show Mock the Week, astronomy programme Stargazing Live alongside Professor Brian Cox, and Apprentice spin-off You're Fired, which all air on BBC2. He has also recently fronted mathematics challenge series School of Hard Sums for UKTV diginet Dave.
Speaking about the current state of comedy on television, O'Briain said: "If anything, people are running from controversy and have been really since the Brand/Ross thing. What we got away with even on Three Men and a Boat in terms of bad language has now been toned down so drastically, and similarly on Mock the Week.
"Comedy generally and stand-up are in royal health at the moment because the live circuit is so healthy. It's a good time. I'm not in the Stewart Lee camp of thinking this broad, general success is a bad thing for us or is corrupting our fabulous ideals; I think it's great that people are finding an audience."
