Richard Osman is closing the door on House of Games after nine years – and will hand the keys to another host.
The best-selling author and former Pointless co-presenter has been easing viewers into their evenings as the face of the self-titled series since its launch on BBC Two in 2017.
But he revealed on his Rest is Entertainment podcast that, after one last week of filming, the show “will no longer be Richard Osman’s House of Games”.
He continued: “It will be somebody else’s House of Games. I gladly hand over the keys. I just wanted to go on record saying how much I love it and loved it.”
In a follow-up statement, he described his time on the show as “such a great pleasure and honour”.
However, he said it was “time to let someone else have a go”. A new host is yet to be announced, but will be revealed soon.
Rob Unsworth, the BBC’s Head of Daytime, said of the news: “Richard Osman has established House of Games as one of our best-loved shows.
“His contribution to its success is impossible to overstate, and we couldn’t be more grateful for his work over the last nine years.
“But as we wish him even more success in the future, we also look forward to sharing with viewers who the House of Games’s next resident will be – and will have more on that soon.”
House of Games features four celebrities, who compete for daily prizes, for five episodes each week.
Osman spent two decades behind the camera, becoming creative director at production company Endemol UK, where he worked on shows like Prize Island. His extensive production credits include Deal or No Deal, 8 Out of 10 Cats, Whose Line is it Anyway?, Total Wipeout, and 24 Hour Quiz.
He was not originally intended to be one of the hosts of Pointless alongside Alexander Armstrong, but BBC executives asked him to continue for the first series after filling the role as part of a demonstration laid on for the corporation.
Osman left the series after nine years in 2021 to focus on House of Games, The Rest is Entertainment and his best-selling cosy crime Thursday Murder Club book series, which spawned a Netflix film adaptation produced by Steven Spielberg in 2025. He has written five novels in total, which have sold over 15 million copies globally.
He co-hosts podcast The Rest is Entertainment with journalist Marina Hyde, and the pair offer behind-the-scenes insights into popular culture talking points. It was launched in 2023 and routinely hits more than two million downloads per month.
For his services to culture, Osman was recently appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE).
The recognition, announced in the New Year Honours list, celebrated his significant contributions to both literature and broadcasting, with Osman stating he is “absolutely thrilled”.
Baftas host Alan Cumming breaks silence on racial slur incident
BBC star, 28, in ‘last stages’ of life after skin cancer diagnosis
SNL facing backlash for ‘shameful’ Tourette’s sketch mocking Baftas incident
Strictly star Alex Kingston shares cancer symptoms she ignored before diagnosis
God of War creator slams first look at Amazon’s TV adaptation
Christina Applegate cringes over Married With Children audience ‘lusting’ after her
