Richard Osman's House of Games: Festive Week 1: Day 1
06:30 am - 07:00 am, Tuesday, December 23 on BBC Two England (2)
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About this Broadcast
Festive Week 1: Day 1
Season 2025, Episode 1
Mathew Baynton, Mel Giedroyc, Harriet Kemsley and Charles Venn go toe-to-toe testing their general knowledge skills in trivia-based games across the week
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16x9
Quiz Show
Show/Game Show
Cast & Crew
Richard Osman
(Host)
Mathew Baynton
(Contestant)
Mel Giedroyc
(Contestant)
Harriet Kemsley
(Contestant)
Charles Venn
(Contestant)
Breid McLoone
(Executive producer)
Tamara Gilder
(Executive producer)
John Smith
(Director)
More Information
Did You Know..
Richard Osman
(Host)
Born:
November 28, 1970
in
Billericay
Best Known For:
Pointless.
Early-life:
Richard Thomas Osman was born in Billericay on November 28, 1970, but grew up in West Sussex. He was raised by his single mum after his father left home - they didn't see each other for 20 years. Richard studied politics and sociology at Trinity College, Cambridge, where his future Pointless colleague Alexander Armstrong was reading English literature. He claims that one of his proudest moments came when his mum and grandfather watched his graduation.
Career:
Osman has worked behind the scenes as an executive producer on a number of TV programmes, including Deal or No Deal, 8 Out of 10 Cats, and 10 O'Clock Live. As the UK creative director of TV production company Endemol, he pitched the quiz Pointless to the BBC. As a way of explaining the rules, he played the co-host during a run-through. He was asked to do the role for real when the show was commissioned. Pointless started on BBC Two in 2009 and was an immediate hit. It quickly made the switch to BBC One. Since being in the spotlight on Pointless, he has made guest appearances on QI, Have I Got News for You and Would I Lie to You? He also guest presented an episode of The One Show alongside Alex Jones.
Quote:
"Whenever I turn up to pub quizzes now, I see people going: ‘Urgh, that's the guy who knows everything.'"
Trivia:
He is the younger brother of Mat Osman, bassist with Suede, and suffers from nystagmus, a condition that results in uncontrolled movement of the eyes.
Mathew Baynton
(Contestant)
Mel Giedroyc
(Contestant)
Born:
June 05, 1958
in
Epsom, Surrey
Best Known For:
Being the blonde half of TV personalities Mel and Sue.
Early-life:
Melanie Clare Sophie Giedroyc was born on June 5, 1968, in Epsom, Surrey, and grew up in Leatherhead. Her father is a Polish-Lithuanian history writer who settled in England in 1947. Mel also has Belgian and Belarusian ancestry. She attended Oxford High School before going on to Trinity College, Cambridge, where she studied Modern Languages. Her sister, Coky, is a TV director whose credits include The Hour, Blackpool and What Remains.
Career:
Like bread and butter, Giedroyc and Sue Perkins go well together - in fact, they're almost inseparable in professional terms. They were a hit at the Edinburgh Festival in 1993, and went on to write scripts for French and Saunders before presenting comedy chat show Light/Late Lunch and RI:SE. She was also in the children's sketch show Sorry I've Got No Head. More recently she has scored another hit with The Great British Bake-Off, alongside Sue, and daytime ITV show, Mel and Sue. Her radio work has included The 4 O'Clock Show on Radio 4 Extra.
Quote:
On her relationship with Sue Perkins: "She's like Don Corleone with her friends, which I must say can at times be trying: she will always get the truth out of you, you can't hide anything."
Trivia:
She has written two books: From Here to Maternity and Going Gaga.
Harriet Kemsley
(Contestant)
Charles Venn
(Contestant)
Born:
June 24, 1973
in
Kilburn, London
Best Known For:
Playing Jacob Masters in Casualty.
Early-life:
Born June 24, 1973 in Kilburn, London. Charles was passionate about athletics as a boy but later studied performing arts at Hammersmith and West London College. Originally, he took various roles under the name Chucky Venice.
Career:
Venn's breakthrough role was as Curtis Alexander in the Sky football drama Dream Team, which he performed from 2003 to 2005. Next, he moved to ITV's primetime football drama Footballer's Wives, where he played Tremaine Gidigbi for the final season. Venn has had roles in a number of films, including Return to House on Haunted Hill (2007), The Bourne Ultimatum (2007) and The Dark Knight (2008). He appeared in TV series The Brothers as Richard and later joined the cast of Eastenders as Ray Dixon between 2012 and 2013. He made his debut on Casualty in July, 2015 before becoming a series regular.
Quote:
[On his proudest life achievements]: "One of them for me is probably being a dedicated father. I've seen some who fade out but I'm proud to say I speak to my children, I engage with them, I see them and also I think realising my dream as an actor."
Trivia:
He supports Tottenham Hotspur Football Club.
Breid McLoone
(Executive producer)
Tamara Gilder
(Executive producer)
John Smith
(Director)
