Dara Ó Briain

Film, television and entertainment Media and journalism

Documented profile covering 2 controversies, including “Criticism of Political Bias on Mock the Week, Particularly over Brexit” and “Lack of Diversity and Women on Mock the Week, Criticism Acknowledged by Ó Briain”.

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Profile No. 0153 · Updated on 12 October 2026

2Documented controversies

4Sources

0Formal charge · all time

0Conviction

§ Legal statuses reflect the documented sources as of the date shown; they replace neither court decisions nor the presumption of innocence. Counts are not a rating. Methodology

I. Documented controversies

2012–2023

Lack of Diversity and Women on Mock the Week, Criticism Acknowledged by Ó Briain

No legal proceedings

Mock the Week was criticised in a BBC-commissioned report for its low number of women, and subsequently by several comedians for its lack of diversity. In 2023, Ó Briain said the criticism was 'bang on' and that the programme could have done more earlier.

State of the evidence: BBC report, public criticism and acknowledgement by Ó Briain documented
Legal status — source text: no legal proceedings
Attribution: responsibility as longstanding presenter, without attributing casting decisions solely to him

Sources · 2

[1]
ITV NewsCriticism of Mock The Week over lack of diversity ‘bang on’ – Dara O BriainMediaHigh reliability
[2]
The GuardianQuestion Time, QI and Mock the Week criticised by BBC diversity reportMediaHigh reliability

Last verified: 31 August 2026

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2005–2022

Criticism of Political Bias on Mock the Week, Particularly over Brexit

No legal proceedings

Some viewers accused Mock the Week of left-wing bias and overwhelmingly anti-Brexit representation. Ó Briain acknowledged that criticism of the uniformity of views on Brexit was 'fair', while defending his own judgment that Brexit was a bad idea.

State of the evidence: recurring criticism and personal response documented
Legal status — source text: no legal proceedings
Attribution: personal responsibility limited to his role as presenter and his own positions; other panellists' jokes are not attributed to him

Sources · 2

[1]
The GuardianDara Ó Briain takes aim at rightwing critics and ‘terrible idea’ of BrexitMediaHigh reliability
[2]
The GuardianMock the Week was never part of the culture wars. We only fought for laughsMediaHigh reliability

Last verified: 31 August 2026

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II. Constellation of documented links

No documented link with another published profile for now.

Two profiles are linked when a documented controversy of one names the other. The link points to that controversy and its sources; it does not indicate a personal relationship.

III. Has something changed?

A new court decision, a missing source, a mistake? Tell us what should be updated: every request is read by the editorial team.