Richard Osman reveals why this politician is ruining the Pointless viewing figures!

The Chancellor is proving taxing for the show's figures

Pointless host Richard Osman has revealed that the quiz show's ratings fluctuate based on which politician appears on screens across the nation to give the daily coronavirus briefing.

The popular game show, presented by Richard and his co-star Alexander Armstrong, has been removed from its usual prime time spot on BBC1 over to BBC2, airing when the update on the country's fight against the Covid-19 crisis is on.

According to Richard, some political personas draw in more viewers than others, meaning that on the evenings when less favoured speakers take to the podium, Pointless rakes in better ratings, with people seemingly switching over and opting to play along with Pointless.

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"Pointless is definitely getting a new audience, although we’re up against Boris Johnson or Matt Hancock sometimes," Richard, who co-created the famous Pointless format, admitted.

Confessing that it's clear which political faces are the most popular when it comes to attracting viewers, Richard added, “If it’s Matt Hancock, our ratings shoot up, but when it’s Rishi Sunak, we’re in trouble.

"He’s very much the Bradley Walsh of the Cabinet."

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Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi has received a lot of attention online in recent weeks, with many social media users pointing out his good looks during his telly appearances, dubbing him Dishy Rishi, so it's no surprise that some viewers loyally tune into his on screen moments.

Explaining why he reckons quiz shows like Pointless and its rivals The Chase and Tipping Point are so popular among the UK's people right now, he told the Radio Times, "We’re spending an awful lot of time inside our heads. For some people, that’s a nice place to be, and for some, it’s a very difficult place to be. A quiz show distracts you.

"You can’t be worrying as much if you’re trying to think of an African country."

Caitlin Elliott

Caitlin is Junior News Editor for woman&home, covering all things celeb, fashion, beauty and lifestyle. 


Having set her sights on becoming a magazine journalist when she was a child, Caitlin took on work experience stints at local papers and titles such as Cosmopolitan, Now, Reveal and Take a Break while studying for her Multimedia Journalism degree and has interviews with celebs, reality stars and the Archbishop of Canterbury under her belt (of course, she couldn't resist asking him about Meghan Markle and Prince Harry). After leaving uni, she dabbled in fashion PR as a Press Assistant for Topshop before becoming a part of the Now team at Future for her first real job in the world of online journalism, joining the ranks as a Digital Writer in 2019. Caitlin went on to add the likes of Woman, GoodtoKnow, WhatToWatch and woman&home to her writing repertoire before moving on to her current role. 


When she's not working you'll find Caitlin sipping bubbles at brunch with her besties, thinking about her next iced coffee, trying to close the rings on her Apple Watch, scrubbing up on her royal family knowledge or scrolling through the Zara app, trying to resist tapping 'check out' again.