Getting Quizzed, Richmond Magazine, September, 2025

It’s time to talk at RBG Kew. As part of a four-day feast of outdoor conversation, Alexander Armstrong reunites with Richard Osman for The Best Quiz Ever. Deana Luchia has some questions too...

What can people expect from The Best Quiz Ever?

Some unusual quizzes that Richard [Osman] and I have devised. The idea is that they’ll be amusing as well as testing. One round I’m really looking forward to is a music round where people have to see if they can identify which chart hit of recent times ‘stole’ its lyrics from an original Noel Coward song [Alexander will be singing].

What are the essential ingredients for a successful TV quiz show?

Your job, essentially, is to be good company. Good casting is important – as viewers often watch the same contestants for several shows – along with really good question setting. In Pointless people are required to name things as varied as mainline stations and the top avocado exporters. So your mind is being flung in all sorts of different directions.

At which TV or radio quiz do you think you’d be best?

I would love to do Face the Music [BBC music-themed panel show that ran on and off from 1966-84].

If you were on Mastermind, what would be your specialist subject?

Tom Waits.

Is it more fun being a presenter or a panellist on Have I Got News For You? Definitely presenter. Because you can plan and spend the day putting your own little touches to the script. It is also enormously flattering being in the chair because you have the funniest people in the country writing gags for you. It’s just heaven.

What pieces of music are guaranteed to get you dancing?

There is a song by David Byrne called Independence Day. It’s absolutely phenomenal. He had a huge 48-piece samba band playing on it and it’s the music of delight. Failing that, it would be hard to beat Labour of Love by Hue a

Cry. It’s a cracking song. I would walk

across half a mile of banqueting chairs

to dance to that.

What pieces of music make you cry?

So many. There’s an aria from Bach’s Saint Matthew Passion called Erbarme dich, mein Gott. It’s just wonderful. Interestingly, one of our boys used to sing in a close harmony group at school, and the last time they sang Viva la Vida by Coldplay, I cried at that. They were so good.

You have four sons aged 10-18. How would they describe your parenting style?

Enthusiastic, possibly quite overbearingly so. But I’m definitely the soft touch.

What’s the best lesson you’ve learned from your own parents?

To keep having fun. They’re hilarious. They’re a bit old now, but they always used to go off on the most horrific holidays that they’d actually adore. They would go camping and show you photos that would make you say: “Crikey! Did you not want to get somewhere a bit nicer?” But they love nothing more than being together and having fun. That’s their idea of bliss.

Which of your wife’s qualities do you wish you possessed?

She’s brilliant at forward planning. I will often say rashly: “Yes, of course. We’d love to do that.” Whereas my wife will always know precisely why that is a good or bad idea. So, we very seldom have any unpleasant surprises in our lives because she’s thought it all through in advance.

Dogs on or off the bed?

We have two Norfolk terriers, Haggis and Dotty. Haggis can jump up onto the bed in one leap, whilst dear Dotty, who’s like a footstool, takes a good five or six jumps to do it. In almost every case, unless we’ve particularly missed them and haven’t seen them properly for a while, they’re encouraged off the bed.

What would your friends say are your best and worst qualities?

Probably enthusiasm – I’m always a great sayer of ‘yes’ to things. On the debit side, I’m hopelessly disorganised. And I think that these two things are not unrelated.

What object would you save from a fire?

I’ve got a very lovely picture by a friend of mine who’s a wonderful artist, and it’s my favourite thing in the house, I think. I’d probably put the picture string between my teeth and grab a few other things too.

Which three books have had the most impact on you in your life?

The Great Gatsby, which I read when I was probably about 15. I adored it. Ravenous by Henry Dimbleby and Jemima Lewis, which is a fabulous book about our national food programme and about our farming future. And The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman because it was so bloody successful that my lovely friend suddenly became extremely busy and didn’t have time to do Pointless anymore.

If you could travel back in time for one day only, which day would you choose?

VE Day. That must have been a wonderful day to be alive. It probably cleared the air for all sorts of sadness and other profound thoughts, while the overwhelming sense must have been one of just phenomenal relief and gratitude that it was all over.

What would you say is the most overrated virtue?

Temperance.

What should be added to the list of deadly sins?

Tutting. I can’t bear people who tut.

When did you last lie and why?

Our youngest has an absolutely deadly fear of thunderstorms. He knows how to find the weather forecast on the phone, but I just lie about it all the time. I go: “No, ignore that. I’ve just heard from the BBC. No storms.”

If you had to go on holiday to the same place for ever, where would that be?

I would say Northumberland, but that’s where I’m from, so I’m saying Monmouthshire. We went there recently and it has such beautiful countryside. It’s terrific.

You are the president of the PG Wodehouse Society. Who’s your favourite Wodehouse character?

Ukridge [Stanley Featherstonehaugh Ukridge]. He’s a sort of very posh Arthur Daley. He’s always got schemes and always needs other people’s money to get his schemes going. And he calls everyone “old horse”, which is, I think, sort of oddly endearing.

What’s the secret to sounding always so enthusiastic on your Classic FM radio show?

I’ve always loved playing music and I’m very much a morning person, so I find it comes quite easily. I’m generally fairly sunny in outlook.

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This article originally appeared in the September 2025 issue of Richmond Magazine.