Richard Osman

Richard Osman (born 28 November 1970) is an English television presenter, producer, and novelist. He is the creator and former co-presenter of the BBC One television quiz show ''Pointless''. He has presented the BBC Two quiz shows ''Two Tribes'' and '' Richard Osman's House of Games'', and been a team captain on the comedy panel shows ''Insert Name Here'' and '' The Fake News Show''. He has also made appearances on British comedy panel shows including '' Would I Lie to You?'' and '' QI''.

Osman worked at Hat Trick Productions before becoming creative director of the television production company Endemol UK, producing shows including '' Prize Island'' for ITV and ''Deal or No Deal'' for Channel 4. He is the author of the bestselling '' Thursday Murder Club'' mystery novels.

Early life and education

Osman was born on 28 November 1970, in Billericay, Essex, to Brenda Wright and David Osman. When he was nine years old, his father walked out on the family, which Osman says created difficulty for the rest of his life. His mother attended teacher training college and found making money to support her family a struggle. His older brother is the musician Mat Osman, bass guitarist of the rock band Suede. The boys grew up in Haywards Heath, West Sussex.

Osman attended Yardley Court and Warden Park School in Cuckfield. While still at school, he gained his first broadcasting experience, as a regular contributor to ''Turn It Up'', an open-access music show which went out on Sunday evenings on BBC Radio Sussex.

From 1989 to 1992, he studied Politics and Sociology at Trinity College, Cambridge, where he was a contemporary of ''Pointless'' co-presenter Alexander Armstrong, who read English.

Television career

Production

Osman worked as executive producer on British game shows, including Channel 4 comedy panel game ''8 Out of 10 Cats'' and satirical comedy '' 10 O'Clock Live''. He was the creative director at TV company Endemol UK, pitching the idea for ''Pointless'' to the BBC, becoming its co-presenter with his former university friend Alexander Armstrong, when it launched in 2009.

Osman created the short-lived 2013 ITV gameshow '' Prize Island''. His other credits include ''Whose Line Is It Anyway?'', ''Total Wipeout'' and the game show '' 24 Hour Quiz''.

Osman acted as script editor for BBC One's ''Total Wipeout'', and in 1999 created and wrote the Channel 4 sitcom '' Boyz Unlimited'' with David Walliams and Matt Lucas. In 2005, he co-created and co-wrote the animated Channel 4 sitcom '' Bromwell High''.

Osman left Endemol in 2020.

Presenting and ''Pointless''

From 2009 until 2022, Osman co-presented the BBC One teatime quiz show ''Pointless'' with host Alexander Armstrong. He created the show where he is jokingly known as Armstrong's "pointless friend". Having previously worked exclusively in behind-the-camera roles, Osman got the job as co-presenter/assistant when he pitched the idea for the show to a panel of BBC daytime heads, taking the role of the assistant in the demonstration.

Osman guest hosted ''Have I Got News for You'' in October 2013. In 2014, he began presenting a new BBC Two quiz show called ''Two Tribes''. A second series began airing in February 2015. From October 2014, he guest-presented episodes of ''The One Show''. Beginning in 2016, he was a team captain on the BBC Two comedy panel show ''Insert Name Here'', hosted by Sue Perkins. A second series was commissioned to begin airing in January 2017.

In February and December 2016, he presented ''Dragons' Den: Pitches to Riches'', two special episodes which looked back over the past thirteen series of ''Dragons' Den'' on BBC Two. Since 2016, Osman has presented '' Child Genius'' on Channel 4. He appeared on the telethon '' Red Nose Day 2017'' with ''The World Cup of Biscuits 2017''. This involved polling with Twitter to find the best British biscuit. In April 2017 he appeared in the first episode of the third series of '' Murder in Successville''.

In 2017, he began hosting his show '' Richard Osman's House of Games''. Each weekday, four panelists compete in general knowledge tests in a variety of entertaining games. Six series of the show have been made. In 2020, Osman created a spin-off show titled ''House of Games Night'', which aired on BBC One on Friday nights.

On 8 April 2022, Osman announced he would be leaving ''Pointless'', after 1,300 episodes across 30 series. After his ''The Thursday Murder Club'' series received critical acclaim, he wished to spend more time as an author. He is, however, continuing to appear on the spin-off ''Pointless Celebrities''. In a statement, he said, "''Pointless'' has been a joy from start to finish, working alongside my friend Alexander Armstrong, backed by the most wonderful team, and for the best viewers in the world. I will miss everyone so much, but I'm thrilled I'll still be presenting the celebrity shows. I can't thank everyone enough for 12 amazing years." He was replaced by a rotating series of guest presenters. His co-host Armstrong said, "Daytime television's loss is international best-selling crime fiction's gain. I say that like it's a consolation - I'm going to miss the big man next to me Monday to Friday. But at least I still get him at weekends - and weekdays if you're watching on Challenge".

In November 2023, Osman began hosting a podcast, '' The Rest Is Entertainment'', with Marina Hyde.

Literary career

Viking Press, a subsidiary of Penguin Random House, acquired the rights to Osman's debut novel, ''The Thursday Murder Club'', and one other novel, for a seven-figure sum in a 10-publisher auction in 2019. Osman's debut crime novel was published on 3 September 2020.

The ''Thursday Murder Club'' series is set in a luxury retirement village in Kent where four residents gather to investigate crime cases, including a "live" murder mystery. Osman confirmed in August 2020 that Steven Spielberg had acquired the book's film rights. The book sold 45,000 UK hardback copies in the first three days after publication, and by March 2021 had sold over one million copies in the UK.

The first novel in the series was followed by '' The Man Who Died Twice'' in 2021, ''The Bullet That Missed'' in 2022, and ''The Last Devil To Die'' in 2023. ''The Last Devil To Die'' reached number one on the ''New York Times'' Best Seller list. A fifth book in the series, named ''The Impossible Fortune'', is planned for release in September 2025.

Osman's latest book, ''We Solve Murders'', is the first in a new series. It was released in September 2024.

Other activities

Osman presented ''The Birthday Game'' podcast. In 2021 he featured in podcast adverts for premium ready-meal brand Charlie Bigham's.

In December 2021, Osman was the guest for BBC Radio 4's ''Desert Island Discs''.

On 9 June 2022, Osman was the subject of the BBC's '' Who Do You Think You Are?'', in which he discovered that a distant relative had been involved in a celebrated Victorian murder case.

Personal life

Osman was born with nystagmus, an eye condition that significantly reduces his vision. He learns his scripts by heart as his condition makes it difficult to read an autocue. He has had a food addiction since childhood and said that he had therapy for the disorder, but believed that it would be lifelong.

Osman has two children from his first marriage, which ended in divorce. On 3 December 2022 he married Ingrid Oliver, whom he met when she was a contestant on ''Richard Osman's House Of Games''.

On 6 December 2011, Osman won ''Heat''s "Weirdest Crush Award". In 2013 he was a season ticket holder at Fulham F.C.

Osman was living in Chiswick, West London.

Osman is notable for his stature, being tall, which he has noted as one of several reasons he did not succeed in becoming a spy for MI6.

Television work

Production credits

Presenting roles

Non-presenting appearances

Bibliography

Non-fiction

Fiction

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Osman, Richard
1970 births
Living people
21st-century English novelists
Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge
BBC television presenters
Cozy mystery writers
Detective fiction writers
Endemol people
English crime fiction writers
English mystery writers
English game show hosts
English television producers
Mystery writers
People educated at Warden Park School
People from Billericay
People from Haywards Heath
British television show creators