Richard Osman says he pined for wife Ingrid Oliver for a year before meeting on the set of his BBC show – after therapist told him his ‘journey would only end when he found love’

Richard Osman admits he pined for wife Ingrid Oliver over a protracted 12-month period before finally meeting her for the first time on the set of a BBC quiz show. 

Osman exchanged vows with the actress in 2022 following a whirlwind romance that began two years earlier, when she featured as a guest on his popular House Of Games TV series. 

But the presenter and author, 54, admits he was already interested in Oliver – best known for her former role as Petronella Osgood in Doctor Who – through their previous interactions on social media. 

‘I was aware of Ingrid from social media and thought she was very funny, but beyond a single tweet we’d never communicated,’ he told the Sunday Times. 

‘I asked our mutual friend, the comedian Lou Sanders, to check if Ingrid was available. She wasn’t. Twelve months later, in 2021, Ingrid was a guest on my quiz show House of Games. 

‘This time Lou told me Ingrid was available, so I spent a long day in front of the cameras desperately trying not to flirt. I made eye contact less with her than any other guest ever.’ 

Richard Osman admits he pined for wife Ingrid Oliver over a protracted 12-month period before finally meeting her for the first time on the set of a BBC quiz show 

Osman exchanged vows with the actress in 2022 following a whirlwind romance that began two years earlier, when she featured as a guest on his popular House Of Games TV series 

Already a father of two from a former relationship, Osman had turned to therapy in an attempt to address an addiction to food and confront his negative body image, but remained hopeful that ‘the right person was out there’ before finally meeting Oliver. 

‘I got to a point where I was happy in myself and my work but my therapist said, “You won’t finish your journey until you’re in a relationship.”’ he recalled. 

‘He was right. I’ve always wanted to be part of a team.’ 

Osman and Oliver, 48, moved in together just weeks after meeting on set, but the actress admits she was initially reticent about the prospect of marriage after seeing her parents marry ‘eight times in total between them’ during a tumultuous childhood. 

She said: ‘I’d seen marriages not working, so I never wanted to make that commitment unless I knew for sure.’  

Unbeknownst to Osman, the actress had also embarked on a failed IVF journey the year before they met. 

‘When Richard first asked Lou if I was single, I was. I was aware of him from Twitter and the telly, and I thought he was a lovely, kind, clever man, but I’d decided to try IVF and thought, I can’t do this if I’m dating,’ she recalled. 

‘But even then — and I don’t want to sound stalkerish — I had an inkling we’d get together later. I tried IVF three times (it was brutal) before accepting defeat. When Richard got back in touch, I’d made my peace with that process and was ready to move on.’ 

But the presenter and author admits he was already interested in Oliver through their previous interactions on social media (pictured together on House Of Games in 2020)

Osman and Oliver moved in together just weeks after meeting on set, but the actress admits she was initially reticent about the prospect of marriage (pictured at Wimbledon in 2025)

Osman previously told HELLO magazine of their meeting: ‘Ingrid came on House of Games. I knew who she was through social media. We’d never met – I had never met her. I had a little twinkle in my eye, I’ll admit that. 

‘She came on, we filmed that day together. Our first date is completely on camera. After filming, I was thinking, “How can I ask her for a drink, this is difficult.”‘

Appearing on the Christmas Day edition of Desert Island Discs in 2022, he said: ‘I’m happy with myself, I’ve got these beautiful kids, I’ve met the woman who I’m going to be with for the rest of my life.

‘That thing of competition and ambition, you soon realise that rocket fuel disappears and it’s about happiness and my kids bring me happiness and Ingrid brings me happiness.’

Oliver is perhaps best known for her role as Petronella Osgood in Doctor Who (pictured)