Richard Osman has quit Pointless after almost 13 years.
The BBC announced that the TV personality, who has been on the show since its very first episode in 2009, will leave ahead of the new series.
Osman’s co-host Alexander Armstrong is reportedly set to be joined by a rotating number of co-presenters.
However, Osman will continue to host Pointless Celebrities and his popular BBC Two show, Richard Osman’s House of Games.
“Pointless has been a joy from start to finish, working alongside my friend Alexander Armstrong, backed by the most wonderful team, and for the best viewers in the world. I will miss everyone so much, but I’m thrilled that I’ll still be presenting the celebrity shows,” Osman said in a statement released by the BBC.
“I can’t thank everyone enough for 12 amazing years.”
In all, Osman has filmed more than 1,300 episodes and almost 30 series.
His 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.
Additional reporting by Agencies
