Richard Osman QUITS House Of Games after 9 years with emotional goodbye to followers as new host takes over BBC quiz

Richard Osman will wave goodbye to his hosting spot on BBC quiz show House Of Games after NINE years presenting the BAFTA-nominated series. 

The novelist and broadcaster confirmed that he was stepping down from the BBC Two programme to ‘let someone else have a go’ at being in the hot seat.

The popular format challenges four contestants to go toe-to-toe in testing their general knowledge skills over a series of consecutive days – with a daily winner announced and a champion at the end of each week.

Richard will continue on the series, which launched in 2017 and is currently airing its ninth seasons, will record a final week of episodes before handing over.

It’s not yet been reveal who will take on from Richard, 55, but production bosses behind the show have teased ‘exciting plans’ in store. 

They said: ‘We are incredibly grateful to Richard for being the most brilliant host for the past nine series and will miss him so very much. 

‘House Of Games is a hugely popular show, and we have some exciting plans… all will be revealed soon!’

Richard added: ‘It has been such a great pleasure, and honour, to present House of Games for the last nine years, with the absolute best team in television. 

‘But it’s time to let someone else have a go, and I’m very excited to hand over the House keys to the lucky new host!’

While the BBC’s head of daytime Rob Unsworth continued: ‘We look forward to sharing with viewers who the House of Games’ next resident will be – and will have more on that soon.’

It comes after Richard claimed rumours that Alan Carr and Amanda Holden were offered the Strictly Come Dancing co-hosting job are ‘nonsense’ – despite the pair insisting they turned it down.

The former creative director of TV production company Endemol UK, who created hit quiz show Pointless and was a panellist on Strictly spin-off It Takes Two from 2012 to 2016, dismissed suggestions that the duo had turned down the job.

‘It’s nonsense. Of course, they didn’t [turn it down]. It was never offered to them,’ Richard said on his podcast The Rest Is Entertainment. 

‘I would be fairly confident in saying that it has not yet been offered to anybody. I mean, it will be in the next month or so.’

Alan, 49, and presenter Amanda, 54, said last week that the BBC had asked them to take over from Strictly co-hosts Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly during an appearance on Jessie and Lennie Ware’s podcast, Table Manners.

‘We said no ages ago,’ declared Celebrity Traitors winner Alan, who went on to tell a Q&A for his new Channel 4 show Secret Genius that he ‘doesn’t love’ Strictly enough to take on the presenting role.

‘I just think I like watching the show, I don’t love it,’ he explained on Monday. ‘I think it would be better for someone who really, really loves it, you know.’

But TV insider Richard, whose production credits include Big Brother, Deal Or No Deal and Prize Island, said any discussions between the BBC and the pair were likely far more casual than Alan and Amanda have suggested.

‘Or the agent has said, would you consider Alan, and they said, we’re not not considering Alan,’ he explained.

‘But no, no one sat in a room with Alan and Amanda and said, would you two like to present Strictly.’ 

Richard also revealed he had been told with ‘absolute certainty’ by another insider that presenters Bradley Walsh and Alex Jones were set to host the show.

‘I was told yesterday by someone with absolute certainty, “It’s amazing that Bradley Walsh and Alex Jones are hosting Strictly.” And I was like, I don’t think they are hosting Strictly,’ Richard said.

He added: ‘They have not decided who’s going to host Strictly. And that’s a big old show. It’s a big old commitment. 

‘It has to be somebody who loves that show, probably someone who’s been involved in that show to some extent.

‘You can have a wild card, but my understanding is no one’s in, no one’s out – two men, two women, a man and a woman – everything is still on the table there.’

Addressing why he isn’t interested in taking the gig, comedian Alan said previously: ‘They asked me all the time to be on it and stuff.

‘I just think, wouldn’t it be great to get someone fresh, someone new.

‘That show is so adored and so loved. You want someone in there who’s like, “Yeah, this Paso Doble was…”. I don’t give a s**t.

‘Give it to someone else, yeah.’

The hosting vacancy has become one of the most talked-about jobs in British television following the shock announcement last October that Tess, 56, and Claudia, 54, would be stepping down after more than a decade presenting together.

The beloved duo presented their final live show together in December during the series 23 finale, which saw footballer Karen Carney crowned winner with her partner Carlos Gu.

Names rumoured to be in the mix to replace them include former It Takes Two hosts Rylan Clark and Zoe Ball, presenter Holly Willoughby, and former Strictly professional Oti Mabuse.

The Chase host Bradley Walsh has insisted the role would ‘absolutely ruin my weekend‘, telling the Radio Times that his Saturday nights are dedicated to watching the show with a pint.

Alan is actively involved in eight different shows airing on British television, including the newly-announced Disney Plus series, Castle Man.

The project will see him buy and renovate a castle – a format that Richard’s podcast co-host Marina Hyde described as ‘cosy conflict’ in the style of Clarkson’s Farm.

Richard said of Alan’s busy schedule: ‘Ten years ago you could not have eight shows on television at the same time because too many people watched TV. 

‘Now, it is so splintered and everything is so siloed that actually you can.’

Richard Osman’s House Of Games continues tonight at 6pm on BBC Two and is available to stream on iPlayer.