Richard Osman
Born 1970 · Age 56
English television producer, presenter and novelist; co-creator and former co-presenter of BBC's Pointless; author of the Thursday Murder Club series.
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Life & Career Timeline
Born in Billericay, Essex
Richard Thomas Osman born to Brenda Wright and David Osman in Billericay, Essex, England.
Father left family
At age nine his father walked out on the family; Osman has said this shaped parts of his later life.
Grew up in Haywards Heath, West Sussex
Osman and his brother Mat grew up in Haywards Heath after early childhood in Billericay.
Attended Yardley Court and Warden Park School
Attended local schools (Yardley Court[citation needed] and Warden Park School in Cuckfield) during childhood and teens.
Early broadcasting experience (school radio)
While still at school he contributed regularly to Turn It Up, an open-access music show on BBC Radio Sussex.
Matriculated at Trinity College, Cambridge
Studied Politics and Sociology at Trinity College, Cambridge (1989–1992), contemporaneous with Alexander Armstrong.
Graduated Trinity College, Cambridge
Completed his BA in Politics and Sociology at Trinity College, Cambridge.
Programme associate on Whose Line Is It Anyway?
Credited as a programme associate on Channel 4's Whose Line Is It Anyway? (12 episodes).
Creator/producer of If I Ruled the World
Credited as creator and producer of BBC Two's If I Ruled the World (1998–1999).
Created and wrote Boyz Unlimited
Co-created and wrote the Channel 4 sitcom Boyz Unlimited with David Walliams and Matt Lucas.
Joined Endemol UK (approx.)
Osman has said he worked at Endemol since he was 29; he became Creative Director of Endemol UK and worked there for ~20 years.
Born with nystagmus (lifelong condition)
Osman has had nystagmus since birth, significantly reducing his vision and affecting how he reads autocue; he memorises scripts.
Food addiction and therapy
Has spoken publicly about a lifelong food addiction and receiving therapy for it; views it as a long-term condition.
Wrote additional material for The Adam and Joe Show
Credited with additional material on The Adam and Joe Show (TV credit).
Executive producer on Ban This Filth
Served as executive producer on Ban This Filth in 2004 (6 episodes).
Co-created and co-wrote Bromwell High
Co-created and co-wrote the animated Channel 4 sitcom Bromwell High (2005).
Executive producer on 8 Out of 10 Cats
Became executive producer on Channel 4's 8 Out of 10 Cats (credit span 2005–2017; 41 episodes as exec producer listed).
Created and pitched Pointless to the BBC
Pitched the idea for the quiz show Pointless to BBC daytime heads and became co-presenter when it launched.
Became co-presenter of Pointless
Started co-presenting the BBC quiz show Pointless with Alexander Armstrong (programme began in 2009).
Script editor on Total Wipeout
Worked as script editor/associate on BBC One's Total Wipeout (credits 2009–2011; 45 episodes total across roles).
Won Heat's 'Weirdest Crush' award
Won Heat magazine's 'Weirdest Crush' award in December 2011.
Published 'The 100 Most Pointless Things in the World'
Co-authored the non-fiction tie-in with Alexander Armstrong, capitalising on Pointless brand.
Created ITV gameshow Prize Island
Created the short-lived ITV gameshow Prize Island (aired 2013).
Fulham F.C. season ticket holder
Reported in 2013 that Osman was a season ticket holder at Fulham Football Club.
Guest-hosted Have I Got News for You
Guest hosted Have I Got News for You in October 2013.
Began presenting Two Tribes
Started presenting the BBC Two quiz show Two Tribes (first aired 2014; second series in Feb 2015).
Published multiple Pointless tie-in books (2012–2017 range)
Authored/co-authored a string of non-fiction Pointless books and quiz books between 2012 and 2017 (The 100 Most Pointless Things, Arguments, Very Pointless Quiz Book, A–Z of Pointless, A Pointless History of the World, The World Cup Of Everything).
Guest-presenter on The One Show
From October 2014 Osman guest-presented episodes of BBC One's The One Show.
Two Tribes second series began
The second series of Two Tribes began airing in February 2015.
Team captain on Insert Name Here
Became a team captain on BBC Two comedy panel show Insert Name Here (from 2016; second series commissioned for Jan 2017).
Began presenting Child Genius
From 2016 Osman presented Channel 4's Child Genius (credited from series 4 onwards).
Presented Dragons' Den: Pitches to Riches specials
Presented two special episodes (February and December 2016) revisiting Dragons' Den highlights on BBC Two.
Launched Richard Osman's House of Games
Began hosting the BBC quiz series Richard Osman's House of Games (weekday panel format). Multiple series were commissioned (6+ series by date of source).
Appeared on Murder in Successville
Appeared in the first episode of the third series of Murder in Successville in April 2017.
Published 'Richard Osman's House of Games' (book)
Published a tie-in book 'Richard Osman's House of Games' (BBC Books) in 2019.
Viking acquires rights to debut novel (seven-figure deal)
Viking (Penguin Random House) bought rights to The Thursday Murder Club and another novel in a reported seven-figure deal after a 10-publisher auction.
Launched 'The Birthday Game' podcast
Announced and launched The Birthday Game podcast (tweet 2 September 2019).
Created 'House of Games Night' spin-off
Created a spin-off titled Richard Osman's House of Games Night which aired on BBC One in 2020.
Pointless Celebrities continued role
Although leaving daytime Pointless, he continued to present the celebrity spin-offs Spotlight: Pointless Celebrities.
Pointless: 30 series, 1,300 episodes milestone at exit
At the time of his departure (April 2022) Pointless had broadcast 30 series and about 1,300 episodes since 2009.
Steven Spielberg acquired film rights to debut novel
In August 2020 Osman confirmed Steven Spielberg had acquired the film rights to The Thursday Murder Club.
Initial strong sales for debut novel
Sold 45,000 UK hardback copies in the first three days after publication.
Published debut novel 'The Thursday Murder Club'
The Thursday Murder Club was published on 3 September 2020 (Viking) and became a bestseller.
Announced leaving Endemol UK
Tweeted on 21 December 2020 that after ~20 years at Endemol (worked there since age 29) it was time to move on.
Published 'The Man Who Died Twice'
Second book in the Thursday Murder Club series released in 2021.
Resident of Chiswick, West London (as of 2021)
Reported living in Chiswick, West London as of 2021.
Recognised as Platinum Bestseller
The Thursday Murder Club was acknowledged as a Platinum Bestseller (tweet/award cited 17 March 2021) — only UK book to reach 1M+ UK sales that year.
Thursday Murder Club passes 1 million UK sales
By March 2021 The Thursday Murder Club had sold over one million copies in the UK.
Featured in Charlie Bigham's advertising campaign
Featured in podcast adverts for premium ready-meal brand Charlie Bigham's (campaign reported April 2021).
Guest on BBC Radio 4 Desert Island Discs
Featured as the guest on Desert Island Discs (broadcast 26 December 2021), discussed food addiction and personal life.
Published 'The Bullet That Missed'
Third book in the Thursday Murder Club series published in 2022.
Announced departure from Pointless
On 8 April 2022 Osman announced he would leave Pointless after 1,300 episodes across 30 series to focus on writing.
Subject of Who Do You Think You Are?
Featured on BBC's Who Do You Think You Are? (episode exploring family history and a Victorian murder case).
Married Ingrid Oliver
Married actress Ingrid Oliver on 3 December 2022; they had met when she appeared on House Of Games.
The Last Devil To Die reached No.1 on NYT Best Seller list
The Last Devil To Die reached number one on the New York Times Best Seller list in 2023.
Published 'The Last Devil To Die'
Fourth book in the Thursday Murder Club series published (Penguin Random House listing 24 May 2023).
Launched podcast 'The Rest Is Entertainment'
Began co-hosting The Rest Is Entertainment podcast with Marina Hyde in November 2023.
Published 'We Solve Murders' (new series)
Released We Solve Murders, the first book in a new series, in September 2024.
Planned release: 'The Impossible Fortune'
A fifth Thursday Murder Club book, The Impossible Fortune, is planned for release in September 2025.
Key Achievement Ages
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