Richard Osman fears 'complete nightmare' over contestant as House of Games filming ends

Richard Osman has opened up about the challenges of pre-recording his popular show House of Games after his podcast co-host pointed out a potential problem. The presenter shared that he won't be returning to the studio for the rest of the year as filming for the BBC series, including episodes for Christmas 2024, wrapped up last week.

Speaking on The Rest Is Entertainment alongside Marina Hyde, he said: "You record them when everyone is available and you record them all in one go. Last week was the last bit of filming for this year, so we're not going back into the studio this year."

Interjecting with her concerns, Richard's co-star questioned what would happen if a contestant became embroiled in controversy before the episodes air. She remarked: "I hope none of your contestants are involved in a huge scandal eg. in November and then you'll start with someone on the Christmas [shows] who has done something absolutely unspeakable."

Acknowledging the risk, Richard responded: "Don't, of course it's the nightmare. Anytime you ever do anything in advance, it's the complete nightmare."

The presenter also expressed his loathe of filming the Christmas specials so early, as he was unsure when they would air.

He explained: "Because Christmas is on a Wednesday, the BBC is still not sure what day it is going to go out.

"So I'm presenting it, firstly I can't say, 'It's Monday's House Of Games' which I like to say because it could go across a week, we don't absolutely know.

"Secondly, I don't know what day is [the show's] Christmas Day, I don't know if it's pre-Christmas or post Christmas.

"That, I hate because the one thing I love doing when presenting TV shows is thinking about what the viewers are doing when I'm presenting."

Richard's television programme, which began in 2017, involves four celebrities pitting against each other in fast-paced game rounds.

Participants win daily prizes over five continuous days and aim for the weekly title of House of Games champion.

Points are accumulated based on where individuals rank daily, with points doubled on the Friday show.

In 2022, Richard left Pointless after dedicating 13 years to the show to concentrate on his authoring career, but confirmed he will still be part of the celebrity editions.

Sharing the news on platform X at the time, he said: "SOME NEWS! After 13 wonderful years I'm leaving daytime Pointless, to concentrate on writing. Will still be doing the celebrity shows and House Of Games.

"It has been the GREATEST pleasure and I can't wait to start watching as a viewer. Thank you to everyone."

BBC later confirmed that Richard's co-star Alexander Armstrong will continue the daytime show procession alongside a rotating set of presenters.