Richard Osman says wife 'rang me up in tears' in rare personal life insight

Author Richard Osman has said his wife "rang me up in tears" when she read the finished copy of his latest book. The TV presenter, 54, married his wife Ingrid Oliver in 2022.

The latest book in his hugely successful The Thursday Murder Club series, the Impossible Fortune, is released tomorrow (Thursday, September 25) and the chances are it will be another hit.

Richard's wife though refuses to read his books until they have been "tweaked and proofread", although it seems like she was pleased with her husband's latest novel.

Speaking to Saga magazine, Richard said: "Ingrid does read the book, but refuses to pick one up until it's all been tweaked and proofread. She likes the idea of being able to concentrate on the story, not worrying about the missing comma on page 57.

"She actually just finished The Impossible Fortune earlier this morning and rang me up in tears. Happy tears. She enjoyed it."

Richard has two grown-up children from his first marriage, Ruby and Sonny. He met Ingrid when she was a contestant of the TV show House of Games, where he was the presenter.

The actress had a role in the adaptation of her husband's Thursday Murder Club novel, which was released in cinemas and on Netflix last month. Richard called meeting Ingrid "the best thing that ever happened to me".

He said: "This job has allowed me to see so much of the world, and, although I don't mind travelling on my own, it's loads more fun with my wife - sharing these experiences her, all these different people and places."

Richard worked as an executive producer for a host of British game shows, including 8 Out of 10 Cats, Deal or No Deal and 10 O'Clock Live.

He got his big break in front of the camera in 2009 when he co-presented the game show Pointless with Alexander Armstrong. Richard co-presented the show until 2022, quitting to spend more time writing.

The author also presents Richard Osman's House of Games, which involves four celebrities playing on five consecutive days to win daily prizes.

Despite his ongoing TV work and popular podcast The Rest is Entertainment, Richard says he now considers himself a full-time author.

He explained: "The podcast is only one morning a week and I recorded the whole House of Games series over six weeks in the summer, so the vast majority of my time is spent writing.

"I'm already back at my desk, working on the next in the We Solve Murders series, which is due out in September 2026)."

The first book in the Thursday Murder Club series became a Sunday Times bestseller and was also the first ever debut novel to be a Christmas number one in the UK