Richard Osman's House of Games: Champions Week 2: Friday
6:30 pm - 7:00 pm, Thursday, March 19 on BBC Two England (2)
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About this Broadcast
Champions Week 2: Friday
Season 9, Episode 95
Former winners Steve Backshall, Steve Pemberton, Sam Quek and Rachel Riley test their general knowledge skills in the final round of challenges
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16x9
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Quiz Show
Show/Game Show
Cast & Crew
Richard Osman
(Host)
Steve Pemberton
(Contestant)
Steve Backshall
(Contestant)
Sam Quek
(Contestant)
Rachel Riley
(Contestant)
John Smith
(Director)
Breid McLoone
(Executive producer)
Tamara Gilder
(Executive producer)
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.
Steve Pemberton
(Contestant)
Born:
September 01, 1967
in
Blackburn
Best Known For:
The League of Gentlemen and Benidorm.
Early-life:
Steve James Pemberton was born on September 1, 1967, in Blackburn, Lancashire. He first realised he wanted to be an actor while still at school, and his first role was playing Peter in The Diary of Anne Frank at the Chorley Little Theatre - although he admits he was the only boy who auditioned. Following his A levels, he gained a Theatre Arts degree from Bretton Hall College in Yorkshire, where he met Reece Shearsmith and Mark Gatiss who, along with Jeremy Dyson, became The League of Gentlemen.
Career:
Pemberton began his professional career on stage, but suffered a setback when he had a heart attack at the age of 25 while working in Germany. He went on to feature in Ken Russell's Alice in RussiaLand in 1995, but it was The League of Gentleman that was his first major success, first on radio, then on TV and film. He also appeared in the remake of Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased), Gormenghast, Shameless, The Life and Death of Peter Sellers and Blackpool. The latter co-starred David Tennant, and the duo were reunited in 2008 for a two-part Doctor Who adventure. Other projects include the Woody Allen film Match Point, Lassie, Psychoville, and Benidorm.
Quote:
On his favourite League of Gentlemen character: 'I miss Pauline from the job centre the most. It was scary when I put on the costume and the wig and the lips. It was like being possessed.'
Steve Backshall
(Contestant)
Born:
April 21, 1973
in
Bagshot, Surrey
Best Known For:
The BBC's Deadly 60 series.
Early-life:
Stephen James Backshall was born in Bagshot, Surrey, on April 21, 1973. His parents both worked for British Airways, so he spent a lot of time travelling around the world. He backpacked solo around Asia and Africa before studying English and theatre studies at the University of Exeter. He then studied biology at the Open University. After university, he spent a year in Japan learning about marital arts. Upon his return to the UK, he wrote the Rough Guides to Indonesia and South East Asia.
Career:
Backshall's first taste of TV came in 1998 when he filmed a pilot in the jungles of Colombia for the National Geographic channel. He spent five years making programmes for the channel before landing a role on the BBC's Really Wild Show in 2003. He is best known as the presenter of BBC children's series Deadly 60, which required him to travel around the world to find deadly creatures in their natural habitat. In 2014, he was a contestant on Strictly Come Dancing.
Quote:
On signing up for Strictly Come Dancing: 'It's going to be my wildest challenge yet!'
Trivia:
He is the patron of a number of wildlife charities, including Sharktrust and Manta trust.
Sam Quek
(Contestant)
Rachel Riley
(Contestant)
Born:
January 11, 1986
in
Rochford, Essex
Best Known For:
Countdown.
Early-life:
Rachel Annabelle Riley was born in Rochford, Essex, on January 11, 1986. She studied mathematics at Oriel College, Oxford.
Career:
Riley's big break came in 2008 when she was chosen from more than 1,000 applicants to replace Carol Vorderman on Countdown. She presented her first show alongside Jeff Stelling in January 2009, and reached her 1,000th episode in June 2013. Away from the numbers and letters on Countdown, she began co-hosting The Gadget Show alongside Jason Bradbury in June 2013. She was a contestant on Strictly Come Dancing in 2013 and was the fifth celebrity to be eliminated.
Quote:
'I don't want girls to aspire to being famous for the sake of being famous. If I was only known for wearing a dress, that wouldn't have any value for me.'
Trivia:
Riley won £36,000 for charity on a celebrity edition of The Bank Job. She supports Manchester United.
John Smith
(Director)
Breid McLoone
(Executive producer)
Tamara Gilder
(Executive producer)
