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Richard Osman says wife was 'in tears' after reading next Thursday Murder Club

The former game show host is now on the fifth book about the group of five retired people who solve cold case murders

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r Richard Osman (R) and his wife British actor Ingrid Oliver (L) pose on the red carpet at the premiere of The Thursday Murder Club
r Richard Osman (R) and his wife British actor Ingrid Oliver (L) pose on the red carpet at the premiere of The Thursday Murder Club. Picture: Getty

By StephenRigley

Game show host and author Richard Osman has said his wife, Ingrid Oliver, was "in tears" after reading the next book in his Thursday Murder Club book series.

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The globally renowned series follows a crime-busting group of retired people who spend time solving cold case murders before they find themselves in their very own murder mystery.

A film adaptation starring Oscar-winning actress Dame Helen Mirren, former James Bond actor Pierce Brosnan, Calendar Girls actress Celia Imrie, and Gandhi star Sir Ben Kingsley, was recently released on Netflix.

Pierce Brosnan, Helen Mirren, Ben Kingsley, and Celia Imrie in The Thursday Murder Club
Pierce Brosnan, Helen Mirren, Ben Kingsley, and Celia Imrie in The Thursday Murder Club. Picture: Alamy

Read More: Could The Thursday Murder Club change how Britain thinks about retirement living?

Read More: Helen Mirren and Pierce Brosnan team up in new trailer for Richard Osman's star-studded The Thursday Murder Club

Speaking about his wife's thoughts on new book The Impossible Fortune, Osman said: "Ingrid does read the books, but refuses to pick one up until it's all been tweaked and proofread.

"She likes the idea of being able to concentrate on the story, not worrying about the missing comma on page 57.

"She actually just finished The Impossible Fortune earlier this morning and rang me up in tears.

"Happy tears. She enjoyed it."

Osman, 54, who has written five Thursday Murder Club books, pondered the longevity of the series given the characters are older people.

He told Saga Magazine: "It's an interesting question, isn't it? How long can they keep going?

"Look, I love spending time with The Thursday Murder Club and I have absolutely no interest in killing them off.

"The readers care for them and as long as they're happy to suspend their disbelief, so am I. Don't get me wrong, Elizabeth, Ibrahim, Joyce and Ron will continue to put themselves in situations they regret.

"Harm will come to them, serious harm. But I will keep them alive as long as possible. That's a promise."

The Thursday Murder Club film follows Dame Helen as ex-spy Elizabeth Best, Imrie as former nurse Joyce Meadowcroft, Sir Ben as ex-psychiatrist Ibrahim Arif, and Brosnan as former union activist Ron Ritchie.

Osman, who became a household name on Pointless, left the hit TV quiz show in 2022 to concentrate on writing, having co-hosted alongside Alexander Armstrong since its debut in 2009.

His wife appears in The Thursday Murder Club film as Joyce's daughter, Joanna Meadowcroft.

The Impossible Fortune will be published on September 25.