Richard Osman's House of Games


Richard Osman's House of Games is a British quiz show produced by Endemol Shine UK branch Remarkable Television for the BBC, hosted by Richard Osman.
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.

Format

Osman sits on a chair to the left of the screen, while the four celebrities sit on adjoining 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. Five rounds are played each day with the final round always being "Answer Smash". 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 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 leaderboard 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 from Osman.
In 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, but they were mainly gold, rather than the turquoise-blue colour.

Games

Buzzer games

Rhyme Time : The players are shown two statements whose answers rhyme. They buzz in with the correct answers. On some questions, one of the statements is replaced with either a picture or a song. This is usually the first round of the week to ease the contestants into the format.
Broken Karaoke : The "House of Games" 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 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 the title are also provided as an additional clue.
What's in a Name? : 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. The players have to unscramble the codes to get a point.
Z–A : The players are shown three blanked out words, with the letters being filled in reverse alphabetical order. 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.
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.
Roonerspisms : The players are shown two statements, the answers to which are spoonerisms of each other. They have to buzz in with both answers to get a point. On some questions, one of the statements is replaced with either a picture or a song.
The Backwards Round : The players are given questions, but the statement is in reverse order. As with the questions, the players must give their answers in reverse.
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.
King of the Jumble : The players are shown two clues to answers that are anagrams of each other. They buzz in with the correct answers. On some questions, one of the statements is replaced with either a picture or a song.
Two Clues in One : The players are given a category and are then given a clue to an answer related to that category, but the clue 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
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 a 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 are given a magnetic board with a word spelt on it, the players are then blindfolded and have to have the 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 answer about, 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. (e.g. 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.

Individual games

Correction Centre : The players are shown statements in which one word is incorrect and needs to be amended. Each player gets their own statements, and get a point for each correct answer, but an incorrect answer opens the statement to everyone else on the buzzer.
Mouse of Games : The team are shown a short description of something like a film, TV show or book title, which has had one letter from its original title changed. The players have to give the answer to the description of this changed title for a point. They are also given the year of the release of the original film if it is a film.
The Answer's in the Question : The players are shown a statement based on a category. Part of it is in capitals, that need to be rearranged to create an answer that is relevant to the category in question.
And The Answer Isn't : Each player is given a question with four possible answers. One is correct, but the other three are false answers created by the celebrities who are not answering this question. They need to find the correct answer for a point, but if they choose a false answer, the player who created the false answer chosen gets a point themselves.
Cine-Nyms : The players are shown a quote from a film, but its words have been replaced with synonyms of the actual words used. They need to work out the film for a point.
Highbrow Lowbrow : The players are given two questions with the same answer, however, one of them is highbrow and the other is lowbrow. If they get the question right after the highbrow clue, they get two points, however they only receive one point if they get the question correct after the lowbrow clue.
The Pen-Ultimate Round : The players are each given two statements, which are claimed to be the opening lines to a piece of writing, such as a book, poem or speech. One is the correct answer and the other is a made-up statement by one of the other three contestants who is not answering the question. The players gets a point for the statement if they guess correctly, but if they get it wrong, then the person who made the statement gets a point instead. This round is played on the actual penultimate round of the week.
Question Writers' Day Off : Each player is asked to pick a question from a choice of 8 written by the children of the question writers, and they get a point for giving the correct answer.
House of Gamers : Like the Mouse of Games round, the team are shown a short description of something like a film, TV show or book title, but this time, a letter has been added to its original title. The players have to give the answer to the description of this changed title for a point. They are also given the year of the release of the original film, if it is a film.
Hose of Games : Like the Mouse of Games round, the team are shown a short description of something like a film, TV show or book title, but this time, a letter has been taken away from its original title. The players have to give the answer to the description of this changed title for a point. If it is a film, they are also given the year of the release of the original.

Pairs games

Distinctly Average : The pairs are given questions about for which they must write numeric answers on their tablet computers, and the average of both their answers is taken as their team answer, the closest pair to the correct answer win themselves a point.
Build Your Own Question : The pairs are given a left and a right hand set of options, one member chooses from the left and one chooses from the right. The choices chosen are then used to make a question, to which a correct answer gives each player a point.
Dim Sums : The pairs are given a sum and they need to find two numbers that could be used to make the answer The pairs are then given four options that they could use, but they have to work out what the numeric values of those options are as well. A correct sum earns the players a point.
Chron-Illogical : The pairs are given three statements which they have to put in chronological order, they all have a loose theme, and one of the statements is about one of the four contestants. The team members get a point each if they put the statements in the correct order.
You Complete Me : The pairs are given a question which has a two word answer. One of the players in a pair buzzes in with the first word of the answer, and then the other player in the pair has to give the second word for them both to get a point.
All in the Details : Before the show, each player answers questions about specific details of a book, film, etc, based on 3 pre-prepared statements with the key part of the statement left for the players to fill in themselves. Their partner must identify the subject from the answers.
Venn Will I Be Famous? : Each pair is given the names of three famous people, and two statements. They must select the one person to whom BOTH statements apply. : The pairs are given a question which one player must buzz in to say the correct answer, and the other player must spell it out correctly to get a point.
Totes Emoji : Each player is asked to identify an answer based on a category chosen which one of their opponents has described in emoji before the show.
The Two Wrongies : All the players are asked general knowledge questions before the show, and the players in each pair have to guess what wrong answer was said by their teammates to the questions they answered incorrectly.
I Complete You : The pairs are given a question which has a two word answer. In a reverse to You Complete Me, one of the players in a pair buzzes in with the second word of the answer, and then the other player in the pair has to give the first word for them both to get a point.
Reichard Ösmans Haus Der Spiele : The pairs choose from a list of words in different languages and the question is in that language. They choose which of the three possible answers is the correct one.
The Z-List : The pairs are given a category and have to write down a correct answer between them. The team who goes furthest down the alphabet wins a point each, and if the team gives the answer that is the furthest possible, they get 2 points each.

Random games

Is It Me? : Each team member is given a card with something specific on it. Osman asks questions and each player must raise their card up if they think that the answer on the card is correct to the statement, and lower their card if they do not think it relates to it.
The Nice Round : A category is given and each player gets given an individual question. The other three players are given the answer on a card, and have to write down a word on their tablet, which they think would give the answer to what is on the card, without mentioning anything to do with what is on the card. The player trying to guess the answer can also nominate players to get a point for giving a good clue.
But What's The Question? : A list of four answers is provided at the start of the round, and each player is given one answer chosen by an opponent. They are then shown three questions and must pick the one which leads to that answer.
Lucky Dip : A bag of 4 balls numbered 1 to 4 is given to players, who must each pick a ball, and the person who picks ball number 1 gets the first chance to answer, the person who picks ball number 2 gets the second chance to answer, etc. A list of four answers is provided for each question, and the order of answering continues until the correct answer is given.
Win When They're Singing : The players hear the first part of a well known song, then after a few seconds, it's faded out. They need to buzz in when they think the first word is sung in that particular song.
The Nice Round : A category is given and each player gets given an individual question. The other three players are given the answer on a card and have to write down a word on their tablet, which they think would give the answer to what is on the card, without mentioning anything to do with what is on the card. Unlike The Nice Round, the player trying to guess the answer can also nominate players to get a point deducted for giving a bad clue.
Who Goes First? : A question with four options is shown, but to decide who gets to the answer that question first, another question is asked to the contestants, such as "How many pets have you owned?", and the contestant who has the highest to that answer gets to go first, and if they get the question right, they get the point, but if they get it wrong, the next person down gets the same question with 3 choices left and it carries on going down until someone gets it right.

Tablet games

Put Your Finger on It : The players are given a picture question and have to point out who or what they think is the correct answer. Everyone plays on their own tablet.
Where Is Kazakhstan? : The players are given a map of a certain part of the world on their tablets. They are given a question and have to point on their map where they think it is. The closest to the correct place wins a point.
The Rich List : The players have to write down an answer that is correct based on a statement given by the computer. The players only get points for a correct answer that is unique, but as an added twist, Osman will also write down an answer to make it even harder.
Size Matters : The players are given a category and have to write down a correct answer relating to the category. The player who gives the correct answer with the most letters in the answer wins a point, and they get a bonus point if the correct answer is the longest possible answer.
I'm Terrible At Dating : The players have to write down what they think the answer is to a question to which the answer is a year. The player who is closest to the correct answer gets a point, but if anyone gets the year exactly right, they get two points.
Outplay Osman : The players have to write down one of the possible answers to a question. Osman then gives as many answers as he can think of in 30 seconds, and any player with a correct answer he has not given gets a point.

Final round

Answer Smash: The teams are given a category and a picture relating to that category appears on the screen. Below the picture is a general knowledge question. The players have to "smash" the answers together to create the answer. A point is given for a correct answer, but a point is deducted for an incorrect answer. If there is a tie for first place at the end of Answer Smash, one additional Answer Smash question is played with only the tied players taking part.

Daily prizes

On each day, the celebrities play for "daily prizes", which as explained above, are regular everyday items with the show's logo on them.
In Series 1, each day had its own set of prizes, which were as follows:
In Series 2, the same format was used, but with new prizes.
In weeks 1, 2, 4, 5 and 9, they were as follows:
In weeks 3, 6, 7, 8 and 10, they were as follows:
In Series 3, the same format was used, but with new prizes.
In weeks 1, 3, 5, 6, 7 and 8, they were as follows :
In other weeks, they were as follows:
In the House of Champions weeks, the golden prizes were as follows:

Series 1

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.