Pointless legend Richard Osman has revealed he was once interviewed to be a spy for MI6 during his time as a student at Cambridge University.

It was around 30 years ago when the quiz show host studied at Trinity College.

The award-winning author admitted he “failed the fun tests” meaning he wasn’t able to make a career in the Secret Service but “would have been an awful spy.”

Speaking to The Guardian, the 52-year-old explained: “They (MI6) just said: ‘No, it’s fine’… I would have been terrible. I’m too tall, not bright enough, and if I have a secret, I tell everybody. You could not find a worse spy. I cannot tell a lie.”

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He joked: “I’m still available, by the way, if MI6 read this. I could be useful, because no-one is going to suspect me now.”

Richard spoke to the publisher about his latest release The Last Devil To Die which is the fourth mystery novel from his fiction series The Thursday Murder Club.

His first book was shortlisted for the British Book Awards’ crime and thriller book of the year after its 2020 release, featuring Elizabeth Best, an ex-spy and current retirement village resident who investigates murders along with her friends.

In 2022, Richard announced he was leaving the BBC One game show Pointless, which he presented alongside Alexander Armstrong for nearly 13 years, to spend more time writing novels.

Echo: Did you know Richard Osman has a famous older brother who is in this iconic Britpop group?Did you know Richard Osman has a famous older brother who is in this iconic Britpop group? (Image: Ian West/PA)

He currently presents Richard Osman’s House of Games which is in its sixth series.

Who is the brother of Pointless star Richard Osman?

Richard isn’t the only one in his family who is in the celebrity limelight, as the author recently revealed his brother may be a name many people recognise.

Richard's older brother Mat Osman will probably be known to music fans around the nation (and even the world).

Mat is a bass guitarist and founding member of the 80s band Suede, one of the biggest Britpop groups in history.

Speaking on The Douglas Anderson Show, Richard explained how he used to hear Mat recording music demos at their childhood home as a teenager.

He added: “I have always been a fan. And then it broke for them very, very big in the early 90s, and it was amazing."

When rock band Suede initially broke up in 2003, Mat began providing music for TV, including much-loved shows such as 8 Out of 10 Cats, The Marriage Ref and You Have Been Watching.

He returned to play with the group when the band reformed again in 2010, but he has also become an author just like Richard, publishing books such as The Ruins.