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Edinburgh Live
Edinburgh Live
Entertainment
Alexander Smail

Richard Osman quits Pointless after 13 years of co-hosting quiz show

Richard Osman has quit Pointless after co-hosting the BBC quiz show for 13 years and around 1,300 episodes alongside Alexander Armstrong.

He is retiring from hosting the show on an everyday basis in order to focus on his burgeoning writing career, but will continue to appear on celebrity specials.

Replacing the Pointless mainstay will be a series of guest hosts, in a similar manner to panel show Have I Got News For You, when the next series begins filming in May, according to The Sun.

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In a statement released on Twitter, Osman said: "After 13 wonderful years I'm leaving daytime Pointless, to concentrate on writing. Will still be doing the celebrity shows and 'HouseOfGames'. It has been the GREATEST pleasure and I can't wait to start watching as a viewer. Thank you to everyone!

"Will miss the whole team, especially the incomparable @XanderArmstrong. Thank you to everyone who watches, it really has been a dream, and I know the show will continue to go from strength to strength."

He added: " #TheThursdayMurderClub has become such a juggernaut around the world I simply couldn't keep up with my schedule. Delighted I'll still be involved in Pointless Celebrities though. I will still always be your Pointless friend."

Osman's debut novel The Thursday Murder Club was released in September 2020 to great success, becoming a bestseller.

Its global film rights were later bought by Steven Spielberg’s production company Amblin Entertainment, and a sequel was published last September.

Pointless sees contestants competing for a cash prize by aiming to find the most obscure answers to a series of general knowledge questions.

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