Dara Ó Briain on his new stand up tour So... Where Were We?

Virgin Radio

11 Nov 2021, 12:45

The comedian extraordinaire joined the Chris Evans Breakfast Show with Sky to talk about his epic new tour and punching the air to be back on stage.

He told Chris: “I did the opening show last night in Dublin, so I did the first show in front of 1,000 people in a room and I'm still buzzing from it. It was mad. There's a real sense of wow, we can do this again, which is quite the wave to be riding."

On getting back on the stand up saddle, he said: "The first one is always a mad memory test, does this work and can I get this all out in the right order without reaching for the piece of paper in my pocket? So if you get through that alone you're thrilled but it was invigorating.

“I’ve not been in the company of a large group of people for a year and a half so there's a really exciting energy. The show grows and evolves anyway but at this point you can anticipate this is funny now but I think doing it 20 more times, 40 more times I might get bored… you begin to pick your favourites when they're within the routine. And then the neglected ones thoroughly get watered down than the ones you'd like to throw on the screen. The ones you don't like. 

“So the show gets changed a lot over the year and there's a point where sometimes you can drop stuff… all the bits I really like will expand and then other bits will quietly disappear at some point.

“There’s only so much you can do with the audience before they just go yeah, oh, Jesus, that's too long and yeah…  it's a good thing but there's always a bit where I look back on the tour and go, well that didn't make it all the way to the end.”

On his changing limb shape after a procedure recently, he said: “I had a knee operation in the summer and it meant that I have one really dark, hairy slim leg because when you’re in the healing process the blood goes to the injured leg. I’m like an old Italian woman on one side and a big meaty Irish guy on the other side.

“I've got a great walking stick joke but by the time the tour starts in March in UK, I have to pretend just to do the joke to still be using the walking stick."

Visit daraobriain.com for dates and more info.

For more great interviews listen to The Chris Evans Breakfast Show with Sky, weekdays from 6:30am on Virgin Radio, or catch up on-demand here.