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Award-winning stand-up comedian Dara O Briain is to take over as host of The Apprentice – You're Fired when it returns to Â鶹Éç Two later in the year.

Already very popular with Â鶹Éç Two viewers as the host of Mock The Week, Dara regularly appears on Live At The Apollo (Â鶹Éç One), QI (Â鶹Éç One), Three Men In A Boat (Â鶹Éç Two) and Â鶹Éç Radio 4's Just A Minute. He also released his first book last year – currently No. 9 in the Sunday Times best-seller list – to excellent reviews.

Dara 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".

Janice Hadlow, Controller, Â鶹Éç Two, said: "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."

Mark Linsey, Controller, Entertainment Commissioning, said: "Dara is such a witty and clever man – perfect attributes for the host of The Apprentice – You're Fired.

"He's absolutely the right man for the job and I'm delighted he's said yes!"

The Apprentice – You're Fired is a talkbackThames production for Â鶹Éç Two and was commissioned by Janice Hadlow, Controller, Â鶹Éç Two, and Mark Linsey, Controller, Entertainment Commissioning.

Executive editor for the Â鶹Éç is Jo Wallace. The series producer for talkbackThames is Sally Dixon and the executive producer is Michele Kurland.

KT