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Dara O Briain



Last Updated: 8/19/2008

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Status: Married
City: London
Country: UK
Signup Date: 10/13/2006

Who Gives Kudos:


Monday, June 25, 2007 

Last tuesday night ITV broadcast "Dara O Briain's Tough Gig" in which I spent a weekend with the Live Action Role Players of Skullduggery in Canterbury.

Some insider telly stuff: The total viewing figures for the show were 902,000, which is sort of low for that time of night, even if it was up against Big Brother. It's less than half of a episode of Mock The Week and less than a quarter of the figures for when I was on Parky a couple of weeks ago. In fact, they're the kind of figures that get quoted when people talk about the decline of ITV and compare "Dara o Briain's Tough Gig" to the "Morecambe and Wise 1976 Christmas special" or something.

In telly terms, no fucker watched it.

But bizarrely, every fucker seems to have seen it.

I've spent the last week talking about to people about my time in the forest, foam weaponry, drinking mead and more often than not, those bloody ears. Apparently they were a complete victory style-wise. they may have been the equivalent of Kate Moss walking through the mud in her designer wellies during the last Glastonbury.

However i'm not sure if I'm putting the ears on the map or if the ears are doing it for me.

If you haven't seen the show, I've put some of the gig on the page for your delectation, from a clip that i think the telly company slid out onto Youtube. The entire show might appear there soon. If it does, i'll stick a link on to it.

Big thanks to all the LARPers then, for hosting a brilliant weekend and being so generous when they must have thought we were going to do some sort of hatchet job on them. No chance. Like I said on the film, they're my kind of nerds..

 

 

Lev
Lev Murynets

 
damn it that was funny, i watched it, i mean common big brother is just commonly watched crap, either that, or the fact that it was in smaller text in the radio times, either way great show, you should do tough gigs more often
 
Posted by Lev on Sunday, June 24, 2007 - 7:19 PM
[Reply to this
Lynette

 
Can't understand why people didn't watch it. I did and it was fantastic, laughed my ass off from begining to end! fantastic!!! You're amazing, and i'm really looking forward to mock the week coming back
 
Posted by Lynette on Sunday, June 24, 2007 - 7:38 PM
[Reply to this
Amy

 
Yup, I watched it too, and thought you were brilliant. The ears, by the way, are something I think you should go for at all your gigs.

x
 
Posted by Amy on Sunday, June 24, 2007 - 7:41 PM
[Reply to this
Kaz

 
hmmm I saw it too. The elf ears were the highlight.
 
Posted by Kaz on Sunday, June 24, 2007 - 8:04 PM
[Reply to this
Choccster

 
I watched the clip on YouTube and a friend of mine in Glasgow watched the whole thing on telly! I really enjoyed it but then again I'm biased as I think you're always brilliant! You Russian gymnast, you!
 
Posted by Choccster on Sunday, June 24, 2007 - 9:19 PM
[Reply to this
Kitty Bliss
Kathleen Gowers

 
Dara, the programme was brilliant, and I really liked the ears. Kinda nice! Anyway, who wants to be popular? In the words of George Bernard Shaw (I think), "To be popular one must also be a mediocrity", and you wouldn't want that. Everyone on this comment page obviously loved it, so that must mean something!
Can't wait for Mock The Week to come back!
Kat x
 
Posted by Kitty Bliss on Sunday, June 24, 2007 - 10:15 PM
[Reply to this
The Six-Fingered Savage

 
So from the sounds of it, I take it that you're not going to be taking up LARPing any time soon as a full-time hobby? Excellent show though, had me in sticthes from taht to finish.
 
Posted by The Six-Fingered Savage on Sunday, June 24, 2007 - 11:10 PM
[Reply to this
J.

 
I watched it! I've been excited about the whole series since I heard about it on Chortle, you were hilarious.
 
Posted by J. on Monday, June 25, 2007 - 9:28 AM
[Reply to this
kim

 
I watched it and I made everyone I know watch the repeat. It such a shame viewing figures were low - blame all those big brother freaks!

Maybe it was because frank skinner's was rubbish..? I didn't watch his but its nice to have someone to blame!

Roll on July 12th. I've missed you on BBC2.

Kim
 
Posted by kim on Monday, June 25, 2007 - 12:49 PM
[Reply to this
Rowena

 
Hmm but 10pm on a Tuesday and on ITV is not exactly an 'established comedy hot spot' is it? Not like the BBC Two slots on Thursday/Friday?! And whilst I did think the whole programme was a hoot (esepcially The Ears) the ITV 'less than half hour' format meant the whole felt a bit sqished and constrained. If an hour was felt to be too indulgenct/lacking in pace by the producers then surely this would have been a good candidate for 'interactive viewing' with more of the standup section online in some format?! Anyhoo I'm looking forward to seeing those Ears on MtW - or indeed their own programme - in a few weeks. Rx
 
Posted by Rowena on Monday, June 25, 2007 - 2:16 PM
[Reply to this
Dave

 
I found it by accident flicking through the EPG, it was barely promoted by ITV. Shame, because if they're actually starting to "do" comedy again for the first time since 1979 then this was a cracking addition to their line-up. Tough gig, indeed, and it must have been tempting to mock the weak (see what I did there?), but instead you genuinely earned the respect of your audience.


Intelligent comedy. Maybe there's hope for ITV1 yet. Even though they commissioned News Knight...
 
Posted by Dave on Monday, June 25, 2007 - 2:46 PM
[Reply to this
Ursula

 
Brilliant show - glad to have been one of the 902,000 to see it :o)

Was a bit worried that you were going to struck down by some magical powers for a while - but you managed to bring them round

.........btw, your much sexier than Legolas :o) Hehehe
 
Posted by Ursula on Tuesday, June 26, 2007 - 11:29 AM
[Reply to this
Harri [B.A.D.ass]

 
I'm glad you enjoyed your time stuck out in the middle of a wood with all of us nerds, we ciertainly enjoyed having you come drink with us in the crimson moon.

I was round Steve's (AKA Skullduggery creator) for the show with a few other fellow LARPers and we all loved it. Steve was buzzing after it as he was so glad you gave a decent showing of what LARP really is. I'm just shocked you thought we took it all too seriously! ^_^
 
Posted by Harri [B.A.D.ass] on Wednesday, June 27, 2007 - 7:42 PM
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Nathan McBeard
Nathan Hoyle

 
Amen to that, noone there takes it that seriously. As for viewing figures, I know loads of people who didn't watch it but have it taped (or both, like me!), and if you look at youtube the viewing figures are pretty high, so it is getting seen. Only reason I knew about it was because I was in it, it wasn't really advertised at all well.
 
Posted by Nathan McBeard on Thursday, July 05, 2007 - 1:19 AM
[Reply to this
Margo Carr

 
Yes I would agree that it was badly advertised and in consequence it has now been cancelled on ITV Whoopee now we can have even more all night quizes GREAT....
 
Posted by Margo Carr on Saturday, June 30, 2007 - 3:26 PM
[Reply to this
Whovian

 
This fucker watched it, and loved it! I have friends who are LARPers and they are as strange as the bunch you played to!

Got to say (sorry) but those ears we fabulous! Though I was continualy thinking of Star Trek then anything elf related!

Will watch it again if it's posted :D
 
Posted by Whovian on Monday, July 02, 2007 - 8:56 PM
[Reply to this
Neville

 
Yes Dara, but you see the problem with the figures that you have quoted i.e "Thats half the amount that watch Mock The Week" and "Less than a quarter for Parkinson" is because those shows have other people on them. I can only deduce that nobody watched your show because nobody likes you.

I like you. You're one of my favorite comedians. But that's not enough for you is it! Your greed gets you in the end. I would be happy if nearly a million people turned on their tvs accross the land to see me - it would make me feel all warm inside - but for you it's not enough - Mr Bigshot

x
 
Posted by Neville on Tuesday, July 10, 2007 - 11:55 AM
[Reply to this
Sorrel ​♫

 
I watched it, and I'm mighty pissed that they pulled the rest of the series,
myself and others all wanted to see the Russel Howard one
But yours was great, and would have loved to have seen more of the end gig, 30 min program just wasnt enough !
 
Posted by Sorrel ​♫ on Tuesday, July 10, 2007 - 10:50 PM
[Reply to this
Neville

 
actually I would like to take this opportunity or Dara's failings - whatever you want to call it - to ask people to stop watching anything on ITV.

I say this because they have really pissed me off with the F1. Last year they actually missed the final lap of the Monacco Grand Prix (I think it was) and last week they were on for an hour and a half and had 15 minutes of ads.

Not only that but they change into Quiz Bollocks or whatever it's called at around midnight, they cancel Dara's programme because they didn't advertise it and apart from corionation street - they have nothing to offer - no new comedies (I believe they axed "the Abbey" which had my mate ras in) and the films they show are in the "Straight to video" bracket.

Everyone, rise up and stop watching ITV 1,2,3 and 4 - you won't miss a thing.

-**rant over

Love you DARA
 
Posted by Neville on Wednesday, July 11, 2007 - 11:41 AM
[Reply to this
Oven Glove's Creek

 
Well me and my housemates watched it and thought it was brilliant! It's just a shame it wasn't long enough to fit in your entire routine at the end.
 
Posted by Oven Glove's Creek on Wednesday, July 25, 2007 - 2:29 AM
[Reply to this
Kathleen

 
hey dara!!!

i watched it... my little girl was less than a day old and i was lyin in my hospital bed making sure i got to see it!!! it was utter class, but Mock The Week is definately my thing, believe me!!!
 
Posted by Kathleen on Friday, August 03, 2007 - 12:11 PM
[Reply to this
Staceykins!
Stacey Jacques

 
You well know EVERYBODY watched it! It was hilarious and i made my friend watch it too, who is a total nerd when it comes to W.O.W...she LOVED IT TOO!

And. Just a message for people who are attacking Big Brother on this page: SHUT THE FOOK UP! :) Thank you for listening. :)(Y)
 
Posted by Staceykins! on Tuesday, August 07, 2007 - 12:52 PM
[Reply to this
Patricia

 
Hello Dara,
I saw the Tough Gig and loved it - but what geeks. Mock the Week is on TV just now and it reminds me that I met you last year on a train - you sat opposite me when I was going from Newcastle to Aberdeen and then some weeks later I saw you in Malmaison in Newcastle (after you had been to a wedding? Remember? Or is that a dumb thing to ask.) Anyhow - I am again in Aberdeen and really I wondered if you have any live gigs in this area coming up? Anni L
 
Posted by Patricia on Thursday, August 16, 2007 - 8:26 PM
[Reply to this
Cat ♥ It's only forever ♥
Catriona Mowat

 
I saw it...I thought it was awesome!!!!

I especially liked your bit in the gig about that guy not reappearing from his 'death' the night before :D

are those figures counting the repeat? because it was shown twice...

ah well...you rock and we all love you

Cat
x ♥ x
 
Posted by Cat ♥ It's only forever ♥ on Sunday, August 19, 2007 - 7:45 PM
[Reply to this
Stu

 
Loved it. Thank so much for not making it a hatchet-job.

What I wouldn't give to see the full length gig, eh?

Cheers.

S.

(a LARPer of 20 years).
 
Posted by Stu on Monday, September 03, 2007 - 10:09 AM
[Reply to this
The Demon Headmaster

 
Even the Headmaster watched it!

The Headmaster has seen you live in Liverpool you know.


The Headmaster
 
Posted by The Demon Headmaster on Tuesday, September 04, 2007 - 7:34 PM
[Reply to this
Kate

 
I never even saw an advert for it and would have watched it if I had.
 
Posted by Kate on Tuesday, September 11, 2007 - 5:06 PM
[Reply to this
Steve

 
Well, I certainly liked it!
 
Posted by Steve on Sunday, November 11, 2007 - 7:57 PM
[Reply to this
Smileygoth

 
I liked it too ... I was rather embarrassed to see how visible my big green wings were in the audience!! Ooops!! Lol! See you back in Canterbury i n April by the way, look out for more elf ears in the audience!! Heh heh!
xx
 
Posted by Smileygoth on Thursday, December 06, 2007 - 9:35 PM
[Reply to this
Ozzi

 
Even tho I missed the actual event when this happened and am very sad I did so really. I must say as a fellow skullduggerian and larper, I must thank you for not doing the hatchet job i was expecting. Also thank you for defending us from richard and judy, as they truely dont understand the joy of LARP.

So watch out Mr. Fairchild you came to us we might just come to you full kit and all. Also if you ever feel you miss the rpg as much as the rest fo us do you are more than welcome to come back to afacia to help fight Ultima and get Afacia back to her former glory.
 
Posted by Ozzi on Wednesday, January 02, 2008 - 1:26 AM
[Reply to this
DJPR
peter reaney

 
ok! so you got ears !!!
fuck the begrudger s
ps: i meant to watch it but i was stoned,,,,sorry lol
seriously happy easter to you an yours
djpr
 
Posted by DJPR on Saturday, March 22, 2008 - 5:50 PM
[Reply to this
Chella.©
Chelsea Anderson

 
i watched this show & i loved it!! :)
hard to believe those viewer figures like. it was clearly better than big brother :P

- chelsea.
 
Posted by Chella.© on Sunday, May 25, 2008 - 1:49 PM
[Reply to this
shirley
Shirley Walsh

 
What I don't understand is how the hell do they know how many people have watched the show?
 
Posted by shirley on Saturday, September 06, 2008 - 11:12 AM
[Reply to this