I could never do Strictly – but if I did I would win it

COMEDIAN Dara Ó Briain, 46, hosts panel shows Mock The Week, The Panel and The Apprentice: You’ve Been Fired. He has been described as ‘Terry Wogan’s heir apparent as Britain’s favourite Irishman ’.

It’s good to get a humility check every now again. I am 6ft 4in, I have size 13 feet and my hair went at the age of 20. I’ve been called all manner of things over the years. During one of my stand-up tours, I was called a fat Italian in a dressing gown.

Comedians are the ugliest branch of showbusiness. No one really cares about offending us. You certainly don’t become a comic to score with the opposite sex, that’s for sure – unless you’re Russell Brand.

Meet your heroes. Mine was Stephen Hawking and I was fortunate enough to meet him a couple of times before he passed away. I actually dropped to one knee when I was first introduced to him in his hotel room. One of the most precious things I own is a signed copy of his A Brief History Of Time – my parents gave it to me as a Christmas present in 1988.

I am a great dancer. I love dancing – if you get me on a podium then I will go crazy and people will be like, ‘B*****y hell.’ I am a big raver. I don’t do it as much as I used to because I suffer from osteochondritis dissecans, which is a problem that affects my left knee. I used to play lots of football but eventually my knee popped out.

I could never do Strictly because my knee would go. But every year, I sit in front of it saying: ‘I would totally win Strictly if I was in it.’

I have no Catholicism left in me but they know how to put on a good show. Catholic music, such as Requiem Mass In D Minor – Lacrimosa – by Mozart is so moving but you want to hear it with no priests in attendance.

Keep going. It’s the best advice I’ve been given. Keep writing; you never know if you will make it in comedy but if the fickle finger lands on you, you’d better be ready.

You can surprise yourself. I was shy as a child, very academic. I had no desire to be a performer. Then at University College Dublin, I stood in front of an audience debating and the laughs I received gave me the biggest buzz and from that point, being a comedian was all I wanted.

Dara hosts the Bafta Games Awards on April 12. bafta.org/games