Richard Osman quits House Of Games
No successor yet named
Richard Osman is quitting the House Of Games quiz show that bears his name.
The presenter has hosted more than 800 episodes since the show began in 2017.
Speaking on his podcast, The Rest is Entertainment, Osman said: ‘It will no longer be Richard Osmond's House of Games. It will be somebody else's House of Games and I gladly hand over the keys.'
He said he would front ‘one final week where I will hand over to the new host’ – but no replacement has yet been named.
One wag on social media, Dan Vine, suggested the new host should be Sue Perkins, to avoid the need to remake the graphics that feature a stylised version of Osman’s hair and glasses.
Osman, a former TV executive who came to prominence as co-host of Pointless – has latterly become a best-selling murder-mystery author of titles such as Thursday Murder Club.
In an Instagram post, he added that it had been an ‘amazing nine years’ on House Of Games, which usually features a comedian in each week’s line-up of contestants.
Rob Unsworth, the BBC's head of daytime and early peak commissioning, said: ‘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."
The current ninth series attracts around 1.6 million viewers per episode including catch-up and on-demand viewing over a seven-day period.
Osman met his wife Ingrid Oliver, the comedian and actress, when she appeared as a contestant on the show in 2021.
The series last year spawned an Australian version, hosted by stand-up Claire Hooper.
Published: 3 Mar 2026
