Stand-up comedian and presenter Dara O’Briain (48) chats to us about his passion for star gazing, how nerves can be good for you, finding perspective and his new children’s book.
I’m a space nerd!
I studied maths and theoretical physics at university and I’ve always been a bit of a nerd about space. I could have done science as a job but I became a clown instead. There are a few similarities between science and comedy. In science, you take an initial ridiculous premise and follow it to its illogical conclusion. Comics naturally do that. There’s also a lot of comparing things to a lot of things, which is what you do in science when comparing phenomena. But for comic effect, it’s a little bit more liberating.
I love children’s curiosity
I like writing books about space for eight to 12-year-olds! (Dara’s children’s book Is Anyone Out There? has just been published). I think by choosing to write for this particular age group, as opposed to even two years later, I’m going easy on myself and choosing the last age where you can talk about science before it seems like a subject. All kids are scientists at this age. They’re naturally curious. My own three children seem to like my books but I’m never quite sure if they’re winding me up!
My planet heroes and villains
My least favourite planet has to be Venus. It’s an awful place with big clouds of gas and sulphuric acid swirling around. There’s a lot of acid rain and general horribleness. At 400 degrees celsius it’s also ludicrously hot. Jupiter is probably my favourite planet because it’s huge and very see-able. Stick someone in front of a telescope, say ‘Look at that!’ – and there’s Jupiter.
Space gives a sense of eternity
Space gives you an amazing sense of perspective. One of the great universal sources of wonder is just to tilt your head back and gawp at this incredible show unfolding above. I’ll never forget the first time I saw the Plough in the night sky. I stepped out of the front door, I looked up, saw it and thought, ‘Wow! That’s incredible!’ Then, when I saw it again on holiday, I thought, ‘There it is again!’ I realised the Plough was ever-present. I got this astonishing sense of its eternity.
The earth isn’t flat!
I’m mystified by flat earthers and their beliefs. The curvature of the earth can be seen from space for goodness sake! The claims of flat earthers make the whole thing far more complicated than it really is. They are refusing the scientific evidence and when they try to explain their theory about the route of the planets by using diagrams, it ends up looking like a spirograph pattern.
Binoculars are a good start
You don’t necessarily need a telescope to look at the stars and planets. Binoculars are relatively cheap, widely available and easy to carry and store. Ordinary seven-to-ten power binoculars improve on the naked eye. Choose a clear night and find an outside space away from tall buildings and bright lights. It may take up to 20 minutes for your eyes to adapt to the dim light.
Nerves show you care
I still get nervous about performing live on stage. I think you have to be otherwise you don’t care enough. It has to mean something. If I’m not nervous enough, I’ll peep through the curtain and look at the audience – that usually gets it going. Or at least it did before Covid when there was an actual audience. I’ve done a few socially distanced dates recently where I’m performing to people sitting in their cars. That’s very strange!
What advice would you give your 18-year-old self?
Stop worrying, you are going to meet some incredible people and life will turn out in a way that you can’t possibly imagine.
Is Anybody Out There? by Dara Ou2019Briain, published by Scholastic, is out now, RRP £8.99. The fully illustrated book is full of humour to help children sort science fiction from fact. A good stocking filler for the grandchildren.
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