Richard Osman praises ‘lovely’ Alexander Armstrong in final Pointless episode

Richard Osman has told Pointless co-presenter Alexander Armstrong how “lucky” he feels to have worked with him, as Osman’s final daytime episode of the BBC gameshow aired.

The TV presenter and author, 51, announced his exit in April, having co-hosted the programme alongside Armstrong, 52, since it debuted in 2009.

During an episode which aired on Wednesday afternoon, Osman took a moment to praise his “lovely” co-presenter, telling Armstrong: “I was just in an interview, and they always ask about Pointless at the end of it, they always say ‘and how’s Pointless and what’s Xander like?’ and I always say how lovely you are.

“And it occurred to me that I don’t tell you in person often enough.

“So I just want to say how lucky I am to work with you.

“I always think after the end of interviews, I must tell Xander in person, which I never do. So now I’ll tell you on telly.”

A visibly touched Armstrong said: “That’s the nicest thing in the world.

“And I’ll get an opportunity, I hope, to tell you the same thing.”

Jokingly, Osman replied: “Well, if it were true. It only works if it’s genuine.”

Osman took to Twitter on Thursday to reiterate his tribute to Armstrong, and alongside a clip of the touching moment on the show he wrote: “I will still be on screen for a while in repeats, but yesterday was my final ever episode of daytime #Pointless after 12 years.

“Only Xander and I knew that at time of recording, so I wanted to give him a heartfelt message.

“New episodes with new hosts will be with in September!”

In a tweet posted in April, Osman said he was leaving the show to “concentrate on writing”, and he expressed his excitement at getting to watch the show “as a viewer”.

Osman has presented the gameshow with Armstrong for almost 13 years (Jonathan Hordle/PA)PA Archive/PA Images - Jonathan Hordle

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

A sequel, The Man Who Died Twice, was published last year, and his third novel, The Bullet That Missed, is expected in September.

After Osman’s departure, a host of guest presenters will join Armstrong on the show, with names confirmed so far including Sally Lindsay, Alex Brooker, Lauren Laverne, Stephen Mangan, Konnie Huq and Ed Gamble.

In May, the BBC confirmed Osman will continue to host future series of Pointless Celebrities, as well as his BBC Two show Richard Osman’s House Of Games.

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 but 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.