Maybe you want to ask him about what Alan Sugar is like when the cameras stop rolling. Perhaps you just want to know what gets his goat on Twitter. You might be intrigued by his late-in-life conversion to science. Or it could be you're just after his funniest out-take story from Mock the Week.

Well, now's your opportunity. We're delighted to say that the one and only Dara O Briain will be joining us here at Guardian Towers on Wednesday lunchtime, and has bravely volunteered to respond to your questions.

It's your chance to find out what makes him so superstitious about superstition, a subject he dwells on in his latest standup show. Whether he's as much of a nerd as he claims. And what it is that keeps him coming back to live comedy.

So post your questions in the thread below ... He'll be here at 12pm GMT or thereabouts on Wednesday.

- Dara O Briain's live DVD Craic Dealer is out now on Universal

We have posted the conversation here to make it easier to follow.

Mock the Week has come in for a lot of stick for being an unfriendly bear pit for female comics. As host, do you bear some responsibility for that?

I think it's been an ugly bear pit for all comics and the number of male comics who don't want to do it, is just as high as the number of female comics. If anything, I think the show has mellowed a bit as we're got older and since Frankie left it's been less about one-liner as well. It's the New Mock! All friendly! Bet there's a complaint about that further down...

As a 26 year old woman who would consider herself wildly funny with some company and crippling shy at other times, with no experience on stage but with a huge love for yourself, woody allen and Izzard (to name the big guns), do you have any suggestions for the best classes, stand up nights, books or methods to get the ball rolling to get on stage sometime next year?

Thanks,

I'm a huge advocate of the "just get out and gig" philosophy, having not used courses or books myself. You'll learn more about how to do it just from trying it out, over and over again. Plus, comedy is easier to get a start in than a lot of performance industries because we're geared towards open-mic nights and five minute slots and the nursery slopes of the industry are quite accessible.

Don't be disheartened by the tough gigs; we all had those. Look to find your own voice, which again will only emerge by repeated gigging. So, the advice is always, find a local gig and try it out.

We were all crippling shy at some point, by the way. And it's a joy of a thing to do... Good luck!

Who is your favourite writer?

Peter Carey or Philip Roth

Do you often get shouted at in the street just for being famous? Last friday night for instance as you wondered past the pub near Watford Junction....sorry. I swear it was my boss.

Yep, remember him, smoking outside a pub near the train station. So, not so often that it doesn't stay in the memory

You wear a poppy on screen all the time, have you ever worn an easter lily on British television?

Actually I've only wore the poppy once, but well done on escalating that one episode of "the Apprentice". In fact I've been on the telly twice in the last week without a poppy, once because of a pre-recorded show, and the other time because we all just forgot until the show was in train. Number of complaints about this: zero.

When I did wear the poppy last year, I made a point of bringing it up on a few Irish chat shows to guage where people stood and we had quite an interesting debate. The majority of Irish now seem seemed to have no problem with it.

My own view: I think it is a profound mark of respect for the War Dead, but having grown up abroad I feel it is your tribute and respectfully step aside. I suppose it might be like any of us wearing the Stars and Stripes if we lived in America. And yes, I know, that 50,000 Irish died in WW1.

I also think that a symbol as profound shouldn't be worn just because a wardrobe lady ran over to you in a panic before "this Morning" or "The One Show".

Trust me, any stance you take will lead to criticism.

Do you pluck your eyebrows? They're lovely.

Thank you. I trim, as all men should. Roy Hattersley, people. Never forget.

You seem to be a genuine fan of computer games and are a great example that not everyone who plays games is a sad, overgrown child (like me). Do you get much time to play and what are some of your favourites?

Angry Birds doesn't count.

Sadly not. Have dishounored, Ass Creed 3 and Halo 4 all vying for the one hour a week I get to sit down with them. I doubt I'll finish any of them...

Dana - I'm not Irish by the way - you're regarded as a bit of a Plastic Paddy by some on the Emerald Isle. Do you think it's essential for an Irish comedian, or an Irish 'entertainer' in general, to denounce, as you have done, the whole of Irish Republicanism, not just its extremes, but the whole shebang, to get on here on the 'mainland'? I'm a big fan by the way!

Ah the keyboard nationalist! among my favourite trolls!

An ugly trait among certain Irish people is the feeling that they get to decide who is, or isn't Irish "enough". It's something we should grow out of, especially if we then turn to the same emmigrant community and ask them to return for "the Gathering" or whatever.

I don't feel any need to assert my Irishness here; But if you'd like, we could continue through Irish?

Do you think the Irish wanting to go into the creative or entertainment industries have to leave Ireland to have a hope?

Not as much as they used to, and I left because London is a world centre for comedy and it would seem strange to me not to come here, especially since it is very easy to go back home to gig...

Do you envy they way David Mitchell has lost a lot of weight in the past year or two?

It's certainly one way of telling if the show he is on is a repeat.

Actually we lost weight at the same and he just managed to keep it off. But then he doesn't tour. That's my excuse.

What's the personal experience for you when delivering a standup routine? Do you always feel as relaxed and confident as you appear to be?

It's a rush. A controlled detonation hopefully. I recommend it to anyone

Being Irish, what do you know about boolean algebra?

It is a fine thing and may just pip the Hamiltonian as our greatest contribution to Maths Physics.

If you divide Franke Boyle by 0, do you get Jerry Sadowitz?

Never understand why people think that Glasgow couldn't create two angry, splenetic comedians, 15 years apart, especially when they are so different in style.

Dara, can you solve my maths coursework for me? I could use a proof which shows that the probability of a certain event and another certain event occurring is unity. Cheers, L.

Are they the only two events that CAN occuvvvr? well then of course it adds up to1 . 100 % chance of something happening, these are the only two options, therefore their probability adds up to 100%

Dara I'm a homoeopath. Would you like some help with your hair loss. ?

Or I could just go to the tap in my kitchen?

Hello Dara.

What is the largest animal you think you could kill with your bare hands?

A goat. But a small, older goat.

Dara, would you describe yourself as superstitious, a bit stitious or not stitious at all?

Duperstitious actually

Dara,

I once heard the Higgs-Boson field having to be described in analogy to some witless BBC presenter as being like a celebrity trying to force his\her way through a field of admirers and being held back by the contact of their eager grasping hands.

From your own experience are they all so thick and in need of culling they can only understand physics when explained to them in terms a hermit crab or Nadine Dorries could understand?

That was a version of an analogy made by the Cern Scientists themselves to justify funding in the eighties; except then it was Thatcher moving through the room. Nothing wrong with a good analogy in explaining Science, as long as people don't extrapolate the analogy and think they've advanced the Science.

Dara: Why is "women just don't do stand up" an acceptable argument and "women just don't do maths" is not?

They are arguments in two different debates. More women should do both; given the pre-eminence of this generation of 20-something women in many fields we might have to accopt that they've weighed up stand-up as an career option and simply decided it isn't worth the bother. They might not need the affirmation as much as we do.

Either way, know this, for all the debate about women in stand-up, the industry is DESPERATE for more women and they will get chances!

Stewart Lee has an anecdote about you moaning at him for plagiarism corner on his website. He says that you have completely missed the point with what it's about. I've also seen you on TV moaning about Bill Hicks and calling him overrated.

So my question is this, do you have an issue with successful comics?

Is it because neither Hicks (because he's dead) nor Lee (because he'd say it's beneath him) appeared on nonsense panel shows?

And if that's the case, then what is your opinion of Daniel Kitson, who is arguably the best comic working today (and has been for the past 10 years) seeing as he is someone who has never even released a DVD nevermind appearing on Mock The Weak (har har).

Thanks for answering, Dara.

Although I suspect this wont be forwarded onto you.

Is Stewart telling this as a story now? That's interesting. We only spoke about it when he contacted me to say that he had a new joke about Muslims, similar to one I had done the year before; but he re-assured me that he would put himself in his own Plagiarists corner. I told him he should just get rid of the entire thing instead. The idea that so many comics of similar age, background and belief wouldn't come up with the same comedy ideas now and again is ridiculous. Anyway, I look forward to seeing the clips up side by side.

For the record both Stewart and Hicks are fine, fine comedians. I just find they get held up as some badge of honour by some fans who think loving them is proof of their bona-fides as "proper" comedy fans.

Steve Martin with an arrow through his head. That, my friends, is gold.

Hey Dara, what is your favourite panel show of the last 10 years? (Not including any you've hosted)

Would I lie to You is always good fun, although that Big fat Quiz of the 90's a couple of months when Mr Blobby was on, was bizarrely the most joy I've ever had in a telly studio

Does libel law require a tweak or an overhaul? If only a tweak, what would be a good start?

Yes, I think we need a robust public interest defence. No time/space to expand further here but the campaign is all online!

Right! Enough! Must. Step. Away. All the best,

Dx