Why is Richard Osman leaving Pointless? What books has Alexander Armstrong’s co-host written - what he’s said

Richard Osman is a television presenter, producer, novelist and comedian.

He created the BBC One quiz show Pointless in August 2009 - and has been a presenter ever since.

There have been 26 regular series, and a further 13 celebrity specials.

He co-hosts the quiz show alongside Alexander Armstrong, who has also worked on the show for 12 years.

Find out more about why Richard Osman is leaving his beloved show here.

Why is Richard Osman leaving Pointless?

Richard Osman is leaving the BBC show, Pointless, to focus on his writing career.

The 51-year-old has had to juggle his TV commitments alongside writing a successful series of crime novels, The Thursday Murder Club.

Osman will continue to appear on the celebrity spin-offs of Pointless.

His co-host Alexander Armstrong will remain on the show, and will be joined by a series of guest presenters.

The details of the guest presenters will be announced later this year, and Osman will not be replaced with a permanent new co-host.

Osman and Armstrong have filmed more than 1,300 episodes of the daytime quiz show.

Alongside writing, Osman will also continue to present his own BBC Two show House of Games, which aired in 2017.

What books has Richard Osman written?

Richard Osman has written four books, and co-written a further six.

Osman has written three novels which are part of the The Thursday Murder Club series.

He released the The Thursday Murder Club in 2020, and a year later he released The Man Who Died Twice as a sequel.

On 15 September 2022, he will publish the third book he wrote as part of the series, The Bullet That Missed.

In 2017, he released The World Cup Of Everything - the quiz-style book that tried to settle popular debates, such as which is the best Christmas film? And who would win in a head-to-head between Quavers and Wotsits?

He also co-wrote five Pointless quiz books alongside his Pointless co-host, Alexander Armstrong, and co-wrote a House of Games quiz book with Alan Connor.

What has Richard Osman said about his departure from Pointless?

Richard Osman released a statement to the BBC, which 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 that I’ll still be presenting the celebrity shows. I can’t thank everyone enough for 12 amazing years."

Osman also took to twitter to announce his departure from the BBC show.

The game show host wrote to his fans that he had “SOME NEWS!”.

Finishing the leaving speech with a love heart, he continued the thread by sharing his appreciation of co-host Alexander Armstrong and said: “Thank you to everyone who watches”.

Osman wrote a further Tweet explaining that he couldn’t keep up with the schedule since starting publishing his book series, The Thursday Murder Club, which “has become such a juggernaut around the world”.