TV host Richard Osman's lesser-known brother is actually a huge Britpop star

25 July 2023 , 16:00

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Richard Osman said it was 'amazing' when his older brother topped the charts in the 90s (Image: Handout)

Television host Richard Osman is known for creating and co-presenting BBC One's Pointless, before running his own BBC Two quiz show, Richard Osman's House of Games.

But the comedian and author isn't the only famous face in the family, as he has a much lesser-known older brother who is actually a rockstar and talented bass guitarist.

Mat Osman, 55, is a founding member of one of the biggest Britpop bands in history - Suede - which ranked alongside Oasis, Blur and Pulp at the top of the UK charts in the nineties.

The group formed in 1989 and Mat and singer Brett Anderson are the only remaining original members of the band, whose debut album was the fastest selling in almost 10 years.

The former Pointless presenter has 'always been a fan' of Mat's music (BBC/Remarkable Television, an Endemol UK company/Matt Frost)

Mat Osman is a bass guitarist and founding member of British rock band Suede (NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Richard used to hear Mat, who is three years older than him, recording demos upstairs at their home when he was a teenager. He told The Douglas Anderson Show: "I have always been a fan. And then it broke for them very, very big in the early 90s, and it was amazing."

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When Suede broke up for the first time in 2003, Mat started to provide music for television programmes such as 8 Out of 10 Cats, The Marriage Ref and You Have Been Watching. He returned to play with Suede when the band reformed in 2010, but he has also moved into writing like his younger brother.

Richard's debut novel, The Thursday Murder Club, became a Sunday Times Number One bestseller in September 2020. While Mat's first book, The Ruins, was published in February 2020 and his second, The Ghost Theatre, was acquired by Bloomsbury Publishing in 2022.

Mat was also the London editor of the email magazine le cool and has had his writing published in British magazines and newspapers, including The Guardian, The Independent and The Observer. The boys were raised by their single mum after their dad left when Richard was just nine-years-old.

The group had hits in the nineties and were part of the 'big four' alongside Oasis, Blur and Pulp (PA)

"It was the worst thing that ever happened to me," he told The Mirror. "He just left and I didn't see him again for 20 years - that's hard. When you're a kid growing up you're all right so long as you have a parent who loves and cares for you. It is only when you get older that you realise you really missed that male role model.

"It derails you and it takes a long time to get back on track. It takes you a lot longer to mature and find yourself." Richard's mum struggled to make ends meet but managed to keep afloat and raise her two lads by herself. He continued: "Everyone has hard times, it's just how you respond to them. Adversities when you're growing up are the things that make you, sometimes they become a strength. But it's never good, it's always awful."

Richard first the knot in the late 1990s and divorced in 2007, but not before having two children, Ruby and Sonny, with his ex. In an interview with The Times, Richard said that he wanted to spend as much time with his children as possible after his dad left home when Richard was just 10 years old.

"When my partnership broke up, I did think, 'Oh God, this is going to be awful'. I've seen my kids nonstop. It was quickly worked out it wasn't going to be the same, which is an extraordinary relief," he said. "They know I love them and I tell them nonstop, which bores them rigid. But I never got told that."

Richard is now married to actress Ingrid Oliver, who is best known for her role in Doctor Who (Getty Images)

After the split, he dated jazz singer Sumudu Jayatilaka in 2018 but their relationship was short-lived. When he was asked about the break-up, he would only say: "I'd rather not go into all of that. We're not together, so I'd rather not upset her at all."

In an interview before he met now-wife Ingrid Oliver, he said that he enjoyed being single. "Being single in your 40s is really great," he said, but added: "It's probably easier being a single man in your 40s than a single woman."

A short while later, he gushed on the Christmas Day edition of Desert Island Discs about his new relationship. 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."

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Last December, Richard and Ingrid tied the knot together at Goodwood House, the Duke of Richmond’s seat in West Sussex, not far from where Richard grew up in the county. He shared the news on Twitter, saying: "The most magical, joyful day on Saturday with my beautiful wife @ingridoliver100. Surrounded by wonderful friends and family, a day full of love and laughter. We're so, so happy."

Ingrid, who is best known for her role as Petronella Osgood in Doctor Who, has previously featured alongside Richard on his show, Richard Osman's House of Games. She is the daughter of Conservative MP Jo Gideon and starred in her BBC sketch Watson & Oliver.

Kyle O'Sullivan