BBC's Richard Osman flooded with support as he issues major career announcement

Richard Osman has been inundated with messages of support from fans after he announced a major new career development. The 54-year-old, best known for co-hosting BBC gameshow Pointless alongside Alexander Armstrong from 2009 until 2022, has become one of Britain's most beloved TV personalities. The former TV executive turned quiz expert expanded his career into writing back in 2020, releasing his debut novel The Thursday Murder Club. Set in the fictitious village of Fairhaven in Kent, it follows a group of lively pensioners – Elizabeth Best, Ron Ritchie, Joyce Meadowcroft and Ibrahim Arif – as they try to solve the mystery of the murder of a property developer.

Earning rave reviews from critics and fans alike, Richard’s book became the fastest selling adult crime debut in recorded history, selling over 10 million copies worldwide. The Thursday Murder Club’s sequels, The Man Who Died Twice, The Bullet That Missed, and The Last Devil to Die, were released in 2021, 2022, and 2023, respectively.

And now Richard has revealed his fifth book is finished and set to go on sale later this year. Sharing the exciting news to social media, the 6 ft 7 inch author posted a photo of his laptop screen with the words ‘The End’ and revealing a hefty word count of 94,026. He wrote: “And that's the fifth Thursday Murder Club book DONE! I'll be revealing the title later today. Out in September!”

Fans were thrilled with the news and rushed to congratulate Richard on his achievement. One person poignantly shared: “My gran absolutely loved your books. She passed away a few weeks ago but she got to read your most recent one and once again loved it! I’m now going to start reading them too (she also religiously watched house of games, we loved playing it together).”

Another user penned: “'l have a 4 month old by September and I can't wait to devour this book during my sleepless baby fuelled nights !!!!” While someone else enthused: “Your books are my prize every September for surviving the summer holidays with the children thank you!!”

2025 is set to be an exciting year for Richard as he confirmed last year a film adaptation of his book The Thursday Murder Club will be released on Netflix. Described by the streaming giant as "a whodunit with teeth — false ones, of course" it will follow the same storyline as the bestselling book and features an all-star cast with Helen Mirren as former spy Elizabeth Best; Sir Ben Kingsley as Ibrahim Arif; Pierce Brosnan as Ron Richie; and Celia Imrie as Joyce Meadowcroft.