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Richard Osman's House of Games

British quiz show From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Richard Osman's House of Games

Richard Osman's House of Games is a British quiz show hosted by Richard Osman and produced by Banijay UK Productions subsidiary Remarkable Entertainment for the BBC. The show is played on a weekly basis, with four celebrities playing on five consecutive days to win daily prizes, and the weekly prize of being crowned as "House of Games" champion. Points are accrued depending on where each celebrity finishes on each day and the points are doubled on Friday's show.[2]

Quick Facts Also known as, Genre ...
Richard Osman's House of Games
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Also known asHouse of Games
GenreQuiz show
Directed by
  • Ollie Bartlett
  • John Smith
Presented byRichard Osman
Theme music composerMarc Sylvan
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series8
No. of episodes705
Production
Executive producers
  • Alexandra McLeod
  • Tamara Gilder
  • Richard Hague
  • Stephen Lovelock
ProducerStuart Harrison
Production locations
dock10 studios (2024–present)
Camera setupMultiple-camera setup
Running time30 minutes
Production companyRemarkable Entertainment
Original release
NetworkBBC Two
Release4 September 2017 (2017-09-04) –
present
NetworkBBC One (primetime)
Release20 November 2020 (2020-11-20) –
5 November 2021 (2021-11-05)
Related
Richard Osman's House of Games Night
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Format

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Osman sits on a chair to the left of the screen, while the four celebrities sit on individual chairs. Osman hits a button on his table, activating a round generator, which is displayed on a big screen. He then explains what the round is about and in what format it will take place. For instance, whether it is a buzzer round, a pairs round or one where the players require use of their tablet computers. Five rounds are played each day, with the second round being played in pairs, and the final round always being "Answer Smash". The first round is quick general knowledge questions with a comic twist, such as rhyming words. The fourth round is typically "slow", where the question takes several minutes to be answered, and only one contestant receives a single point each time. In most games, a point is awarded for each correct answer, but in "Answer Smash", points are also deducted for incorrect answers.

At the end of each day, the scores are announced and the winner wins a daily prize, which is usually a normal everyday object of some description with the "House of Games" logo imprinted on it (the logo being a turquoise-blue background with a depiction of Osman's hair, eyebrows and glasses). The points are then converted to four points for the winner, three for second place, two for third place and one for fourth place onto the weekly leader board with the points doubling to 8, 6, 4 and 2 for Friday's "Double Points Friday" edition. The weekly winner receives the "House of Games" trophy (a silver cup with the Osman depiction on it) from Osman. If there are 2 players tied for first place at the end of the week, both players are declared joint-winners and win a trophy each. In more recent episodes, a tie for first place is resolved by a tie-break question; the first to buzz-in wins if they answer correctly or their opponent wins if they answer incorrectly.

Starting with Series 3, special "House of Champions" episodes aired featuring players who had previously won a daily or weekly edition of the show coming back for another week to fight for the Gold Champions Trophy. There were also daily prizes, which were similar to the prizes on the regular version of the show, however, they were mainly gold, rather than the turquoise-blue colour. In Series 6 and 7, there were also special "Redemption" weeks with four previous losing contestants who had never won a day prize.

A week's worth of shows is recorded on a single day, so the celebrities are booked for only one day,[3] changing outfits between shows.

Games

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Buzzer games

  • Rhyme Time: The players are shown two statements whose answers rhyme. They then buzz in with the correct answers. On some questions, one of the statements is replaced with either a picture or a song (in which the title of the song is the rhyming answer they require). This is usually the first round of the week to ease the contestants into the format.
  • Broken Karaoke: The "House of Games" fictional karaoke machine is broken and can only show the first letters of each word of a particular song. The players must buzz in when they know the answer. The only clues that the players get are the year that the song was released or the genre of the song (first seen in Series 4) and that the letters come up in time with the tune of the song. From Series 2 onward, if the song has not been correctly guessed by the time the letters are filled in, the initial letters of each word of the title are also provided as an additional clue.
  • What's in a Name? (changed to It's All in the Name in series 2): The players are given statements, the answer to which can be made using the letters from the full name of a particular player. Each player has two answers come from their name and a point is given for a correct answer, but if the player gets a correct answer from their own name, they get two points.
  • This Round Is in Code: The players are given a category, and answers are shown in alpha-numeric code (1=A, 2=B, 3=C, etc.). The players have to unscramble the codes to get a point.
  • Z-A: The players are shown three blanked out words with the letters filled in reverse alphabetical order (Z, then Y, then X, etc.). The players have to buzz in when they know what connects all three words.
  • Games House Of: The players are given questions, but instead of answering them normally, they have to give the answer with the words in alphabetical order. For example, Sacha Baron Cohen stars alongside Pamela Anderson as the title character in what 2006 comedy film? The answer is Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan. However, in this round, they would give the answer as "America Benefit Borat: Cultural for Glorious Kazakhstan Learnings Make Nation of of".
  • The Elephant in the Room: The players are given a word, and are then given questions to answer, but instead of answering them normally, they have to give the answer with the given word removed from the answer. For example, if the given word was "ham" and the answer to the question was Hammersmith, the player would have to say "mersmith" as the answer.
  • Roonerspisms: Same as Rhyme Time except that, rather than the answers rhyming, they are spoonerisms of each other. For example, a statement could say "Surname of Richie Rich's minder, portrayed by Ade Edmondson" and the other one say "Hat referred to in Scotland as a bunnet", then the answers would be "Catflap" and "Flat cap".
  • The Backwards Round: The players are given questions, but the words are in reverse order (buzzers on fingers). As with the questions, the players must give their answers in reverse. As an example for "Duo mouse and cat which created Barbera Joseph and Hanna William?", the answer would be Jerry and Tom (with the correct way round being "William Hanna and Joseph Barbera created which cat and mouse duo?" Tom and Jerry). Some questions involve the identification of songs played backwards (often with Richard asking "Song this of title the is what?").
  • Opposites Attract: The players are given a category and a clue, and they have to work out what the answer relating to the category is, which is the opposite of the clue that they have just been given. Some opposites may be more cryptic than others. For example, if the category were rock bands, and the clue were "Green Cold China Georges", then the answer would be Red Hot Chili Peppers, as red is in the opposite side of the colour wheel from green, hot is the opposite of cold, Chile is on the opposite side of the world from China and George is the brother of Peppa in the show Peppa Pig.
  • King of the Jumble: Same as Rhyme Time except that, rather than the answers rhyming, they are anagrams of each other.
  • Two Clues in One: The players are given a category and are then given a clue to an answer related to that category, which has the same initials as the answer.
  • A Blast from the Past Tense: The players are given a question, but they must give the answer in the past tense. For example, if the answer to a question was "Take That", the players must give the answer "Took That", as 'took' is the past tense of 'take'.
  • Internet History: In this round, the contestants are asked to identify a historical figure using fictionalised hashtags relating to their role in history. Contestants get a point for each correct answer.
  • Pop Art : After being given the year the song was released, the players are shown four picture clues representing a lyric from a popular song and must buzz in with the title.
  • Can You Feel It?: Each of the players is given a magnetic board with a word spelled on it (all the same word). The players are then blindfolded with their board facing towards the screen. Osman gives them a question and they have to spell out the answer using the letters on their boards. The first person to hit the buzzer with the correct answer wins a point.
  • The Too Complicated Round: The players are given a category which they have to give a correct example of, but the question has nothing to do with the category. Instead, the players have to buzz in with the right answer relating to the category which has the same initials as the answer to the question. For example, if the category was Doctor Who actors, and the question was "Who was the first host of Have I Got News for You following the sacking of Angus Deayton?", the players would have to answer with Paul McGann, as he has the same initials as the answer to the question: Paul Merton. This game is only played on a "Champions Week".
  • Well Done If You Said That at Home: The players are shown a word cloud based on something like a film, TV show or book title, generated from a home viewer survey asking for three words they would associate with the title. The cloud is revealed to the players from the least popular word to the most popular. The players must buzz in with the correct title for a point. The title of this round is a reference to Osman's other quiz show, Pointless, which is based on home-viewer surveys.
  • Sorry, Wrong Number: The players are given an instruction and a clue to an answer with a number in it. Players must buzz in with the answer correctly modified by the instruction. For example, if the instruction was "Multiply by 10" with the clue "Official residence of the UK Prime Minister", the answer the players should give is "100 Downing Street".
  • There Once Was a Quiz Host Called Richard...: The players are given the lines to a limerick, one line at a time. They must buzz in when they have worked out who or what the limerick is about. They must buzz in with the correct answer for a point.
  • Vowel Movement: The players are given a list of up to four items, one at a time, however all of the vowels have been changed in a substitution cipher, which may vary from clue to clue. They must buzz in with the category that links the correctly spelled items for a point.
  • Singonyms: The players are given a set of song lyrics where all words have been replaced with synonyms of the original words. Players are also provided the year that the song was released. They must buzz in with the title of the song to earn a point.
  • Richard's Junk: At the start of the round, all players are shown a picture of some of Osman's various junk items. Players are given 15 seconds to memorise the items before the picture disappears. Players are then asked a series of questions for which the answer is one of the items in the picture (often in a punning way). They must buzz in with the correct answer to earn a point. After each question, the relevant item is revealed and is not used in future questions in that round. After all questions are asked, the first player to buzz in and name all items in the picture that were not used earns a bonus point. The game was named Santa's Junk for Festive House of Games, with the items being presented in person by Father Christmas.
  • Sounds Like...: All players are shown a category and a set of pictures of things that, when combined in order, sound like something in the category. The first player to buzz in with the correct answer earns a point.
  • Only Fools and Zebras: Players are shown a category. A question is asked, which will have an answer from that category as part of the answer. A picture is also shown, containing a picture from the category. The player must answer the question, but substituting the picture in place of the part of the question from the category.
  • Double Trouble: Players are given a letter. They are then given two clues to things which each have a word that starts with that letter. They have to say the word of each answer that starts with the letter to earn a point.
  • Somewhere Only We Don't: A parody of the song "Somewhere Only We Know" by Keane and players are shown the same category as "Only Fools And Zebras" and this time, they have to say the correct answer in each category, but the wrong answer that the player has frozen out.
  • It Will All Become Clear: Players are given a blurry still from a movie. The still "buffers" to become clearer over time. They must buzz in with the name of the movie to get the point.
  • Wetter Slap: Players are shown a category and two relevant answers to that category, but with a letter swapped around for each word. They must buzz in with the correct answers, by swapping the letters back around to make the normal words, for a point each. For example, if the category was Bands, "The Corks" and "Rings of Leon" have the "k" and "r" swapped respectively, so the correct answers to give are The Corrs and Kings of Leon.
  • Flamingo, Pot Plant, Middlemarch: The contestants are shown a question. They must buzz in and recite every previous correct answer from this round, in order, before they can add the correct answer to the most recent question to the list.
  • Name Tag: The contestants are given a question which has a name in its answer. They must buzz in and replace the name with that of one of their fellow contestants, who then gets the next question.
  • There's a Cat on My Keyboard
  • Is It Spaniel Craig?

Individual games

  • Correction Centre
  • Mouse of Games
  • The Answer's in the Question
  • And the Answer Isn't
  • Cine-Nyms
  • Highbrow Lowbrow
  • The Pen-Ultimate Round
  • Question Writers' Day Off
  • House of Gamers
  • Hose of Games
  • Hey, Alexander!
  • Look Who's Back
  • Hidden in Plain Sight
  • Klaus of Games
  • Previously on House of Games

Pairs games

NOTE: In every episode, Round 2 is always a pairs game, and on each show, the person who is in last place after the first round gets to choose which of the other celebrities they want to be their partner for this round. However, if 2, 3 or all 4 players are tied in last place, there is no formal tiebreaker (e.g. whoever is sitting closest to Richard gets to decide); instead, Richard will just choose a player at random

  • Distinctly Average
  • Build Your Own Question
  • Dim Sums
  • Chron-Illogical
  • You Complete Me
  • All in the Details
  • Venn Will I Be Famous?
  • You Spell Terrible
  • Totes Emoji
  • The Two Wrongies
  • I Complete You
  • Reichard Ösmans Haus Der Spiele (changed to Reichard Ösmanns Haus Der Spiele in Series 4)
  • The Z-List
  • Don't State the Obvious
  • Password123
  • Stick It
  • My Perfect Match
  • Mime Time
  • Great Minds Link Alike
  • Richard Osman's Blank of Blanks
  • Why Don't You Answer My Letters?
  • Partners in Time

Random games

  • Is It Me?
  • The Nice Round
  • But What's the Question?
  • Lucky Dip
  • Win When They're Singing
  • The (Not Quite So) Nice Round
  • Who Goes First?
  • There's No 'I' in Osman
  • I Am Not a Robot
  • Tom, Vic and Abby
  • Bits of Hits

Tablet games

  • Put Your Finger on It
  • Where Is Kazakhstan?
  • The Rich List
  • Size Matters
  • I'm Terrible at Dating
  • Outplay Osman
  • Race the Dame

Final round

Answer Smash is played in the final round.

Contestants

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Weekly winners in bold.

Series 1

Series 2

Series 3

Series 4

Series 5

Series 6

Series 7

Series 8

House of Champions

Series 3
Series 5
Series 6
Series 7
Series 8

Redemption Week

Series 6
Series 7
Series 8

Festive

Festive Series 1

Festive Series 2

Festive Series 3

Transmissions

More information Series, Start date ...
SeriesStart dateEnd dateEpisodes
14 September 2017[4]22 September 2017[5]15[5]
228 May 2018[6]14 December 2018[7]50[7]
37 October 2019[8]13 March 2020[9]100[9]
412 October 2020[10]12 March 2021[11]100[11]
516 August 2021[12]29 April 2022[13]140[13]
65 September 2022[14]3 February 2023[15]100[15]
725 September 2023[16]1 March 2024100
823 September 20247 March 2025100
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Spin-offs

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Richard Osman's House of Games Night

On 20 November 2020, Osman launched a five-episode spin-off called Richard Osman's House of Games Night, broadcast weekly in primetime on BBC One.[17] A one-episode Christmas Special aired on 28 December 2020.[18] A second series, consisting of six episodes, began on 1 October 2021.[19]

The series follows the exact same format as the main show, but with the addition of rounds not seen in the original. There are no double points in the final episode. Series 2 features a house band led by David O'Doherty. In 2022, House of Games Night was cancelled after two series.

New games

  • Don't Cry for Me Guatemala
  • Don't Trust the Experts
  • Clash in the Attic
  • Sounding Off
  • This Music Round's Better with You
  • Is There a Doctor in the House of Games?
  • I've Got the Historical Blues
  • Arty-Facts
  • It's Not Me, It's You
  • Get Your Head in the Game
  • Here's One You Asked Yourself Earlier
  • Famous Last Words
  • Get Your Junk Out
  • Weigh Up Your Options
  • Coming Up Next...

Transmissions

More information Series, Start date ...
SeriesStart dateEnd dateEpisodes
120 November 202018 December 2020[20]5[17]
Christmas Special28 December 20201[18]
21 October 20215 November 2021[21]6[19]
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Contestants

Merchandise

On 17 October 2019, Osman and Alan Connor published Richard Osman's House of Games: 101 new & classic games from the hit BBC series, a quizbook based on the programme.[22]

International versions

More information Country, Name ...
CountryNameHost(s)TV stationPremiereFinaleRef
 Australia Claire Hooper's House of Games Claire Hooper ABC TV 21 April 2025 present [23]
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Footnotes

  1. [F 1]
    This person finished on a negative score during one episode this week.
  2. [F 2]
    This week had all five episodes won by the same person.
  3. [F 3]
    The equal highest (20) and equal second highest (19) single episode score.
  4. [F 4]
    The equal second highest single episode score (19).
  5. [F 5]
    The equal highest single episode score (20).

References

External links

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