The shape I'm in: Kevin McGahern, TV presenter

FIRSTLY, we had Navan man now it’s Cavan man. Kevin McGahern is pulling on the comedy jersey for his county, but he’s not about to go all nostalgic about the home turf.

“Your average Irish person is quite funny and has the ability to produce great comedy whether they know it or not.

"In Cavan, it’s even more concentrated. I suppose it’s because there is not a whole lot to do — you’ve got to entertain yourself,” he quips.

Currently presenting the Republic of Telly on RTÉ2, he’s excited about the new line-up, saying there are “a lot of nice changes... I think it will be good fun”.

He also finds time for stand-up comedy, though you’d have to wonder if he’s not taking his life in his own hands every time he faces a drink-fuelled audience.

“It’s not as dramatic as that; it’s the equivalent of having a breakdown in a pub.”

Aged 29 — “I look older” — he studied animation initially but, along the way, got interested in comedy and in “making little films and sketches and it kind of took over”.

“It [animation] is such a painstaking process and a very lonely process. I much prefer working with other funny people that I can bounce things off.”

* Republic Of Telly, Mondays at 9.55pm, RTÉ2

What shape are you in?

I’m in terrible shape and I do absolutely nothing to keep myself fit.

I’ve enquired about a kung fu class at least four times without going once. I’ve been in a gym for maybe an hour in my entire life.

What are your healthiest eating habits?

I eat whenever I’m hungry, essentially a child’s approach to feeding myself.

I would be happy if in the future we could just put a pipe directly into our stomachs and pump the food in.

I try not to do ready meals.

When I cook, it’s mostly spud-based. I always boil them — that’s the way my mother used to do it.

I eat out a lot. I go to Lemon, a crêpe place, for spinach and bacon crêpe; to a high-end kebab restaurant when I’m drunk; and, if I’m really drunk, it’s taco fries, a leg of chicken and a baby coke.

What are your guiltiest pleasures?

I eat what I want, I drink what I want and I wait for death.

My diet mostly consists of guilty pleasures.

What would keep you awake at night?

Normal things people stress out about: Where are you? Where are you going?

I don’t really stress about money. I’ve had no money and it was fine.

It’s more creative stresses: Are you working as hard as you could be and are you the best man you could be?

How do you relax?

I’m a big movie fan. I’m at my happiest when I’m alone watching a really good cowboy film. I like anything with Clint Eastwood and John Wayne.

My favourite western would probably be Rio Bravo, starring Dean Martin and John Wayne.

Who would you invite to your dream dinner party?

Comic book writer Alan Moore, I find him extremely interesting, Harpo Marx, and Jesus Christ — he’d balance the other two guys.

What’s your favourite smell?

Smell is the least of the senses I think about. I only really notice smells when they are bad.

My girlfriend gave me a Vera Wang scent for men, which is quite nice.

What would you like to change about your appearance?

Obviously, I’d like more muscles, but I’m not willing to do the work for it, at all.

If you asked me when I was 16, I’d probably have had a big list, but you just get used to the car you drive.

When is the last time you cried?

When I heard a poem by Seamus O’Rourke the other day on the RTÉ Facebook page.

It was about his dad telling him to get up to do work on the farm. He revealed his dad had been dead for 10 years.

It starts off funny and then it gets really sad and poignant and, at the end, it gets quite uplifting. I found it very moving.

What traits do you least like in others?

Selfishness or just a lack of empathy for other people. And littering.

What traits do you least like about yourself?

Probably the same things I dislike in other people... selfishness.

Do you pray?

No. I’m sure JC is a really nice guy — it’s just the lads who followed after him.

What would cheer up your day?

I have a lot of time for kids.

Nothing brings a smile to an adult’s face more than a happy child, they are undamaged.