Richard Osman feigns outrage over Pointless laptop revelation

Richard Osman has feigned outrage over the fact that the laptop in the Pointless studio actually works.

In April, the BBC announced that Osman had quit Pointless after almost 13 years.

The TV personality had presented the show since its very first episode in 2009 with Alexander Armstrong, with the latter now being joined by a rotating cast of co-presenters for the new series.

Coronation Street and Scott & Bailey star Sally Lindsay was the first celebrity to step into Osman’s shoes for last night’s episode (20 September), and she made use of a laptop in the studio to help her present.

Sharing an image of Lindsay using the computer, Osman – who was hardly seen going on the device during his years as host – tweeted: “Wait, the laptop WORKS NOW????”

Lindsay later posted: “Thank you everyone (especially the legend @richardosman) for your comments and support regarding Pointless. It’s such a great show and thanks for giving me a chance and letting me turn on the laptop!”

The next celebrities in the line-up to co-host with Armstrong will include Alex Brooker, Lauren Laverne, Stephen Mangan, Konnie Huq and Ed Gamble.

Osman’s debut novel, The Thursday Murder Club, was published in September 2020 and became a bestseller. Its global film rights were later bought by Steven Spielberg’s production company Amblin Entertainment.

A sequel, The Man Who Died Twice, arrived in September 2021.

Pointless sees members of the public competing for a cash prize by finding correct but obscure answers to four rounds of general knowledge questions.

Osman was not originally intended to be Armstrong’s co-presenter. However, after filling the role as part of a demonstration laid on for the BBC, executives asked him to continue for the first series.

The programme moved from BBC Two to BBC One after a successful two years.