A Quick Chat With: Patrick Kielty

"I was almost killed in a helicopter with Neil Armstrong"

Patrick Kielty, 39, is a comedian and telelevison presenter from Northern Ireland. He currently hosts Stand Up For The Week on Channel 4 every Fridays at 11pm.

If I weren't talking to you right you I'd normally be... on my way to do television edits. We take a couple of days in advance in order to run things by the lawyers.

A phrase I use far too often is… “I’m not gonna lie but”.

I wish people would take more notice of... listening to people. There are so many conversations where you wonder whether the person you’re talking to is actually listening, or if they’re just waiting to talk.

A common misperception of me is… difficult to think of. I think if something becomes a ‘common’ misperception, it’s probably rooted in truth.

The most surprising thing that happened to me was… almost dying in a helicopter with Neil Armstrong. We were on our way to a corporate gig and got into real difficulty. When you see a man who managed to land on the moon look worried, you know you’re in trouble.

I’m not a politician but… if I were I’d stop spending billions on a war we’re going to have to pull out of. It’s weird that the same government who in Northern Ireland resolved things by talking ignored that approach in Afghanistan. Very few people learn from history.

I’m good at… Gaelic football.

I’m bad at… saying yes when I should say no. I need to work on telling people I can’t do things in advance rather than letting them down at the last minute.

My ideal night out is… dinner in Dundrum – the village in which I was born, followed by a few pints in the Maghera Inn. It won Irish Pub of the Year and is about 500 yards from my home.

In moments of weakness I… breath in, breath out and look at things from a different perspective.

In another life I'd have been... an architect. I’m a bit of a retro man so late 20th Century architecture is a bit of a weakness.

The best age to be is… 40. I’ll be 40 next year and I’m really looking forward to it. You make far fewer mistakes than you did in your 20s although the mistakes do tend to be bigger.

In a nutshell, my philosophy is… this is as good as it gets, enjoy it.