Irish Daily Star

DARA: 17 YEARS IS GOOD INNINGS End of an era for comic as BBC block the Week

- ■■Star REPORTER

MOCK The Week host Dara O’Briain said that 17 years was “not a bad innings”, following the BBC announceme­nt that the show will end in autumn.

The Bray comedian, who hosted the show for 21 series and more than 200 episodes, said it would have been “nice to carry on” but acknowledg­ed that such shows “had an era”.

The upcoming eight episodes of the popular programme will be the last, after being first broadcast in 2005.

with O’Briain, Hugh Dennis was a series regular, with other comedy stars including Chris Addison, Frankie Boyle, Rory Bremner and Russell Howard previously featuring.

Speaking to Newsnight about the decision, O’Briain (50) said: “These things have an era.

“It would have been nice to have carried on, but in many ways when the announceme­nt came, when I found about it, it

Sources say Gruffudd hopes the new courtenfor­ced restrictio­ns will put an end to the public falling out between the pair. On Tuesday, a Los Angeles judge increased already existing conditions between the couple.

Gruffudd was in court to witness the Domestic Violence Restrainin­g Order granted, but Evans did not appear.

In court documents, he claimed his ex continued to cause him problems and wanted additional provisions added to an existing restrainin­g order.

He demanded Evans should be unable to make any more posts on any social media account. kind of got engulfed by theatres reopening after the pandemic which in many ways is more important to our working lives.

“But you can have a moment of reflection and say ‘we had 17 years of it’ – so not a bad innings.”

Stance

Asked about the show being “too Remoanery,” O’Briain said that due to the number of comedians it had been hard to have “a coherent political stance”.

“You’re drawing on a pool of coAlong medians, who generally — there are very few Brexiteer comedians,” he added.

“It did have a stab, at perhaps recognisin­g that the issue was about sovereignt­y as much as it ever was about immigratio­n.

“It was always a clumsy tool, there were seven voices speaking. I always bristle when people call it satire.

“When there’s seven different people speaking at a time, it’s very difficult to have a coherent political stance.”

 ?? ?? BITTER SEPARATION: Fantastic Four star Ioan Gruffudd and Alice Evans
HAPPY OUT: Ioan with Bianca
BREAKDOWN: Ex Alice Evans made accusation­s on social media
BITTER SEPARATION: Fantastic Four star Ioan Gruffudd and Alice Evans HAPPY OUT: Ioan with Bianca BREAKDOWN: Ex Alice Evans made accusation­s on social media
 ?? ?? AU REVOIR: Dara O’Briain
AU REVOIR: Dara O’Briain

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