Dara O Brian lands Apprentice job

Dara O Briain is to take over as host of The Apprentice: You're Fired, the BBC has announced.

He takes over the spin-off show from Adrian Chiles, who left the BBC for ITV in a deal reportedly worth £6million a year.

BBC Two controller Janice Hadlow added: ‘I'm thrilled to have Dara on board. His unique style of quick-witted banter is ideally suited to the job of probing the latest casualty of Lord Sugar's infamous firing finger.’

The Mock The Week host said: ‘I'm delighted to be stepping into the chair for this.

‘As a comedian, I've spent my entire career asking people, “What do you do for a living?”. It can't be too much of a stretch to include the words “ ...now that you know you're not getting this job” at the end of the question.’

O Briain is not the first comedian to benefit from Chiles’ departure, as Jason Manford will be filling his shoes as co-host of The One Show with Christine Bleakley.

Published: 11 Jun 2010