Dara O'Briain's London

Q: Do you live here in London?

A: I've lived in London for 6 years now. I started off in Holloway and now I've moved West. I'm in between the BBC and Heathrow now as I often travel back to Ireland.

Q: Where did you last eat out in London? When?

A: Jesus, what do you mean, proper eat out? Well, I eat out the whole time as I don't cook. Last time I ate out was probably at a small Italian called Tarantella off Chiswick High Road. I had wild boar ragu It's a lovely little local.

My favourite restaurant in London is J Sheekey. They do a lovely Dover sole dish.

Q: Where do you think serves the best London breakfast?

A: For breakfast, you can't beat a full English with the works. Bubble and squeak, the whole lot. Just pop in to your local greasy spoon and you can't go wrong.

Q: What's the best party you've been to in London?

A: I had a great party at my house. The kind that starts in the day and people bring the kids and then turns into an all-nighter with people partying until 5am. We found a rotisserie in Notting Hill (Rotisserie Jules) that delivers, so we had 8 roast chickens arrive at around 9pm. They went down very well!

Q: What's the best play, gig, comedy act you've been to in London recently?

A: Metamorphosis at the Lyric Hammersmith. It was fabulous. The music has been done by Nick Cave. There was no dressing up as cockroaches or anything like that, just a very well done physical-theatre production. By the end of the play, I was on the edge of my seat not wanting it to end.

Q: What's your favourite London icon?

A: The Emirates Stadium! Although maybe the tube map if you're looking for a piece of iconography. Emirates hasn't been around long enough yet. 

Q: What's the most romantic place in London?

A: Strand on the Green in Chiswick. There's a couple of lovely pubs around and people sail dinghies there in the afternoons. It's right opposite Kew Gardens and it’s one of the prettiest of parts of London.

Q: What's your favourite shop in London?

A: Selfridges. Even though I can't fit into any of the clothes, the fashions are all for tiny men. I always do my Christmas shopping there though. An impressive-looking man once came over and tapped me on the shoulder, I was thinking s**t have I nicked something? But it was just the CEO introducing himself as he was Irish.

Q: What's your top tip for visitors?

A: The museums are free! Do you think people know that already? Visit 10 galleries in a day. You don't have to spend hours in them as they're all free. Spend 10 minutes in each gallery, have a look at a couple of paintings and then leave before you get too exhausted.

Q: If you were Mayor for the day, what would you do/change?

A: I'd put bins back in the Tube. I know there's security issues, but come on, it's over now. I once went up to Tube worker and asked him why there were no bins, and he replied, "Well it's your fault".

And then I would fill all the bins with free sheets 'cause they're getting on my nerves. I'd fill them with those evil London Lites that lure you in thinking there's something to read and all that's in them is a load of horse s**t about Lindsay Lohan and antioxidants.

I don't know why the public are supposed to give a toss about Lohan? And antioxidants don't work. Superfoods, my arse!

Q: If you were invisible for the day where would you go?

A: I would go to the Houses of Parliament, hover in the back for a while and then I'd realise I should have just hung out in the ladies showers, which is what I had thought of originally.

Q: If you could go back to any period in London's history when would it be?

A: I would go back 100 years and check over the foundations of my current house to save me any problems in later life. And apparently my previous house was won in a card game. The Duke of Devonshire lost the house over a game of cards. I'd like to go back in time and witness that.

Q: What do you miss most when you're away from London?

A: My home.