Richard Osman says meeting Ingrid Oliver was the best thing that ever happened as he reveals how his eye condition shapes his writing

In a Saga Magazine interview, Richard Osman said meeting Ingrid Oliver was the best thing that ever happened to him. The 54-year-old author and television presenter described how their romance began when Oliver appeared as a guest on his BBC quiz show House of Games in 2021, and the couple tied the knot in 2022. He said travel and professional travel in particular have become richer experiences since sharing them with her, noting that while he doesn’t mind traveling alone, it is far more enjoyable with his wife by his side.

Oliver’s impact on Osman’s life extends beyond companionship. He revealed that she cried on finishing his latest Thursday Murder Club novel, The Impossible Fortune, after reading it that morning. She reads the books but prefers to wait until revisions and proofreading are completed so she can focus on the story without worrying about minor details like a missing comma on page 57. The couple’s dynamic has become a focal point of his public narrative, with Osman describing their partnership as a source of happiness both personally and professionally.

Osman’s Thursday Murder Club novels have become a global phenomenon, with sales surpassing 10 million copies. The first book in the series was adapted into a Netflix film featuring a high-profile cast that includes Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan, Sir Ben Kingsley and Celia Imrie. The fifth installment, The Impossible Fortune, is scheduled for release on September 25, 2025. Despite the commercial success, Osman has acknowledged that his eye condition, nystagmus, adds a layer of difficulty to his writing process. Nystagmus is an involuntary eye movement condition that can impair vision, and Osman says that even with large font sizes, he must position himself only five or six inches from the screen to write effectively.

He described his writing routine as something he must curate carefully. Most of the work happens upstairs at his home in a setup tailored to his needs, including his preferred snacks—mint tea and dried mango—that help sustain long writing sessions. He emphasized that, relative to many other jobs, writing is not inherently hard, but these novels are “big beasts,” and his condition requires meticulous attention to the page and phrasing.

The Saga Magazine profile also delves into the couple’s history together. Osman recalled pining for Ingrid Oliver for roughly a year before they finally met on the set of House of Games in 2021, after seeking a path to connect with her through a mutual friend, comedian Lou Sanders. By the time they began dating, Osman had already begun to see himself as part of a team, a sentiment he echoed in conversations from prior years about finding happiness in partnership rather than solitary ambition.

Their personal histories weave through their public narratives. Ingrid’s reticence about marriage stemmed in part from her tumultuous upbringing, in which her parents married and divorced multiple times—a pattern she did not want to replicate without certainty. She had also recently navigated a difficult IVF journey, attempting three rounds before meeting Osman. She had already been aware of him through social media and television, but she and Osman did not pursue a relationship until the right moment presented itself. When Osman first asked Lou Sanders about Ingrid’s availability, the timing was not right; a year later, Ingrid joined House of Games as a guest, and Osman says he found it easier to engage without risking inappropriate flirting during the long day of filming.

Osman has spoken publicly about the balance between personal life and professional achievement, including remarks made on a Christmas Day edition of Desert Island Discs in 2022, where he reflected on his happiness and the role Ingrid plays in his life. The couple remains a focal point as Osman’s literary career continues to thrive, with renewed attention on how his ongoing health challenges shape the craft behind a best-selling series and its high-profile adaptation pathways.