Richard Osman will be leaving popular BBC quiz show Pointless after 13 years, according to sources.
It is believed that Osman – who has presented the show alongside Alexander Armstrong since it first aired in 2009 – will be replaced by a series of rotating guest co-hosts.
A BBC source told The Sun: “Quiz fans and housewives all over the country will be gutted by this news. Richard has become a staple of the daytime schedule but sadly all good things must come to an end.
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“Richard has loved every second of doing the show alongside Xander but he really wants to give his all to his writing career which has been an enormous success.
“His departure is completely amicable but he just does not have enough hours in the day to do everything so sadly something had to give.
“His literary career is going from strength to strength so he’s having to be slightly more choosy with what he does TV-wise."
They added: "The headaches of what to do with his role long-term now begin. In the meantime, they're going to rotate guest co-hosts behind the laptop, but there's not heaps of time before filming begins so they're trying to find the right people quickly.
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"He is a telly legend so is a hard man to replace."
According to The Sun, filming for the new series begins in May, marking the first time Osman has not taken part – although he will reportedly continue to host the celebrity spin-off Pointless Celebrities in the short-term, with a view to eventually step down from that role as well.
LADbible has reached out to the BBC for comment.
Thankfully, the same BBC source said Osman will still be entertaining fans with his popular game show House of Games, which sees four celebrities go up against one another each week to test their general knowledge skills in a variety of 'entertaining games'.
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When the show was commissioned back in 2017, Osman promised: "The show is going to be great fun. Lots of great rounds, lots of competitive celebs, lots of surprises, and, most importantly, so much to play along with at home."
Dan McGolpin, BBC Controller of Programming and Daytime, added: “Not only does Richard Osman know everything, he can also twist and re-shape that knowledge for fun. In the show, challengers will need to prove themselves worthy as he tests their mental prowess like it's never been tested before.”
Featured Image Credit: BBC/AlamyTopics: TV and Film