Dara Ó Briain is keeping his spirits up despite Mock The Week being axed from BBC.
The comedy panel show was scrapped after nearly two decades earlier this month, with the Irish presenter – sarcastically saying at the time that the ‘UK has finally run out of news’.
‘The storylines were getting crazier and crazier – global pandemics, divorce from Europe, novelty short-term prime ministers,’ he said in his announcement. ‘It couldn’t go on.
‘And so, regretfully, we are closing the doors on Dara and Hugh’s Academy for Baby Comedians.’
He thanked the guests who have appeared on the show over the years, many of whom were rocketed to national fame, and branded the last 17 years ‘a joy’.
Following the show’s axe and after he fronted over 200 episodes, Dara’s name has been in the mix for a number of jobs, including the presenter of University Challenge.
Jeremy Paxman recently announced that he was stepping down from the much-loved quiz show after sitting in the driver’s seat since 1994, leaving fans to speculate over who will take his place – with both Dara and former Pointless star Richard Osman’s names floating around.
But, Dara is taking the speculation with a pinch of salt, after Amol Rajan was confirmed as Paxman’s replacement.
‘Dara, you were in the news this week. You were touted as as possible replacement for Jeremy Paxman on University Challenge,’ Adam Hills began to the TV star on Friday’s The Last Leg.
‘How do you feel about your name being in the mix?’, he asked.
‘I think my name’s gonna be in the mix for everything. They fill out a list for these things and they’ll pick whoever’s been recently fired’, Dara laughed.
‘It’ll be me and Richard Osman, just sitting at home in our pyjamas going, “Oh, I’m in the running for that job, am I?”,’ he joked, pretending to smoke a cigar.
‘We often go round to each other’s houses in each other’s pyjamas’, he added.
Fellow TV star Richard announced that he was stepping down from Pointless back in April, after 13 years on the show alongside Alexander Armstrong.
Much like Dara, he too has been in the running for presenting roles after his exit, including Anne Robinson’s replacement on Countdown, but he also doesn’t believe pal Dara should give up hope about Mock The Week’s future.
Reacting to the news of its cancellation on Twitter, he previously wrote: ‘Respect to Dan Patterson and @daraobriain and the gang for 17 years of #MockTheWeek, with ratings strong til the very end. The BBC is running out of money for these sorts of shows,’ he wrote, giving a shout-out to Dara and Dan Patterson, who co-created the programme with Mark Leveson.’
He then shared his prediction that there could still be life in Mock The Week yet, writing: ‘I would be shocked to my core if this doesn’t end up on Dave though.’
The Last Leg airs Friday nights at 10pm on Channel 4.
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