Richard Osman, beloved host of the BBC quiz show House of Games, has announced he is stepping down after nine years on air.

The presenter revealed on his podcast The Rest is Entertainment that the show will continue, but under a new host.

“It will no longer be Richard Osman’s House of Games. It will be somebody else’s House of Games,” Osman said. “And I gladly hand over the keys.”

Since the show launched in 2017, Osman has hosted more than 800 episodes, helping cement its place as a weekday favourite on BBC Two.

Osman reflected on his time on the show, noting the personal milestones it brought. He met his wife, actress Ingrid Oliver, when she appeared as a contestant in 2022.

“I’ve loved it. And of course I met my wife through it as well,” he said.

Aside from his quiz show career, Osman is a best-selling author, known for the Thursday Murder Club series, which was adapted into a Netflix film starring Dame Helen Mirren and Pierce Brosnan.

“With the writing, there comes a point where you have to hand it over,” he explained.

The BBC confirmed that the ninth series of House of Games has been attracting around 1.6 million viewers, including catch-up and on-demand audiences.

Rob Unsworth, the BBC’s head of daytime and early peak commissioning, praised Osman’s contribution: “Richard Osman has established House of Games as one of our best-loved shows.

His work over the last nine years is impossible to overstate.”

Osman, who previously co-hosted Pointless with Alexander Armstrong, will host one final week to introduce the new presenter.

He also hosts a podcast with journalist Marina Hyde, adding another creative outlet to his busy career.

Fans eagerly await the announcement of Osman’s replacement, but one thing is clear: his legacy on House of Games will remain a defining part of British daytime television.