Richard Osman has opened up about a personal health challenge that has impacted his television career. The 53-year-old writer and presenter, known for his work on House of Games, has dealt with nystagmus since he was born, which affects his vision.
This condition means Osman cannot use the autocue technology that TV presenters usually rely on to read their lines behind the camera lens. Instead, he memorises entire scripts before recording.
In an interview with Radio Times, Osman revealed, “I write my own script and I’ll learn it, then (on screen) my eyes can go wherever I want them to,” adding that this method is familiar to him from his school days when he had to remember everything because he couldn’t see the board properly.
He said, “It’s what I’ve always done. When I was at school, I just had to learn everything because I couldn’t see the board. So long as I’m not on autocue, I can relax.”
Addressing viewer concerns about his eye movements while on air, Osman previously clarified the situation in 2013 and said to one fan that his vision is “too bad to drive” due to the condition.
Engaging with a tweet concerning his non-use of autocue, Osman responded: “No autocue, so I never have to focus on one point. I hope it wasn’t too off-putting.”
In 2022, Richard Osman decided to leave ‘Pointless’ to focus on his burgeoning writing career and other personal projects. He has since become a successful author, with both The Thursday Murder Club and its sequel The Man Who Died Twice topping the Sunday Times best-seller list for fiction.
The Thursday Murder Club is currently being adapted into a Netflix film. The film will feature Helen Mirren as Elizabeth Best, Pierce Brosnan as Ron Ritchie, and Ben Kingsley as Ibrahim Arif, bringing Osman’s cherished characters to life in a highly anticipated adaptation.