Dara Ó Briain is not like other comedians because there is something about him that makes his jokes stand out. As anyone who has ever seen him perform would know, he rather oddly likes to incorporate the odd mathematical equation into his humor.
That’s because he’s actually a math whiz. Dara has a great passion for mathematics and even holds a degree in Mathematics and Theoretical Physics from University College Dublin. In 2021, the celebrity comedian actually won the Maths Week Ireland Award in an online ceremony.
In fact, Dara uses a mathematical proof called ‘reductio ad absurdum’ to help him structure his jokes. Reductio ad absurdum is the form of argument that attempts to establish a claim by showing that the opposite scenario would lead to absurdity or contradiction.
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Dara himself has admitted that he was lured away from science by the “cheap, flashy thrill of being on a stage”. He spoke to iNews in a 2020 interview about his difficulties returning to science after establishing himself as a comedian.
He said: “I get the same grief as anyone who is famous for writing books, so why don’t I write ‘Bumpy the gorilla goes to the shops’ or turn stories I make up for my children into books, rather than writing pages and pages about exoplanets?
“To write these books, you have to go a little further and know a little more. But if you as a reader want to know more, you have to go to people who actually know things. I did a science degree, but at the point where I could have done a PhD, I was in the clubs doing gigs.”
What about his personal life? The comedian’s wife Susan prefers to stay out of the limelight, but she and Dara have been married for 16 years. Susan, who is a surgeon, married Dara in 2006. The couple have two children together and the family lives in North London.
And in his spare time, Dara likes to look at the star. He even has a telescope at home that he uses to scan the night sky looking for planets, comets and even aliens. He has even written children’s books about outer space.
Dara is enjoying his time at home so much that he admitted he actually welcomed the lockdown during the Covid pandemic, saying it gave him more time to focus on his hobbies and his family.
He told iNews: “Whatever aptass I have desired, I have imposed very much on the rest of you.” Dara also says he spent that time learning a number of new skills.
He said: “I learned how to make a margarita, a carbonara, how to repair a toilet lid. It was a nice afternoon fixing a slow-closing toilet lid. I was very pleased.”
But just like the rest of us, Dara is now back at work and is now hosting her brand new quiz show on Channel 4 called One and Six Zeros, where teams have to answer seven questions to win £1million. The next episode of the show will be on Sunday at 6 PM.
