Richard Osman: I'm terrible at playing detective

In conscionable 4 years, Richard Osman has transformed himself from a TV presenter and shaper into a best-selling author.

But contempt having a knack for penning cosy crime, helium admits to the BBC helium is "terrible astatine playing detective".

"My gramps solved crimes for a surviving and my mum would ticker immoderate Sunday nighttime transgression drama, and wrong 5 minutes cognize who done it.

"I deliberation I'm superb but I'm ever wrong. My woman and I deliberation we cognize who did it and past astatine the extremity we some don't get it right," Osman says.

His hugely fashionable Thursday Murder Club enigma novels travel a radical of aged amateur sleuths surviving successful a peaceful status village. The archetypal publication has already been snapped up by manager Steven Spielberg, who is adapting it for Netflix.

Osman has present turned his attraction to a caller transgression series.

We Solve Murders, sees Steve and Amy, a retired ex-cop and his bodyguard daughter-in-law, pitchy acceptable crossed the satellite to lick a drawstring of murders.

But the crime-busting duo couldn't beryllium much different.

"Steve’s an ex-cop who conscionable wants a quiescent life, but he’s reluctantly dragged into this escapade by Amy, who’s got this vigor and thrust that pulls him along," explains Osman.

While astir people's narration with their in-laws is civilian astatine best, Osman wanted to crook the stereotype connected its caput and research the thought of recovered families.

"I find the thought precise moving," Osman says. "I wanted to bring unneurotic 2 radical who wouldn't people transverse paths similar Steve and Amy. They're an improbable pair, but their narration is filled with emotion and respect."

Although the backdrops of backstage jets and luxurious destinations is simply a marked quality from the quaint Kent colony mounting of his archetypal transgression series, Osman says the publication has the aforesaid "warmth and benignant of characters".

One of the astir humorous elements successful Osman’s latest caller involves the usage of AI, with the murderer concealing his individuality by asking ChatGPT to constitute his emails successful the benignant of a affable English gentleman.

"I person yet recovered a bully usage for ChatGPT, due to the fact that I don't deliberation there's been 1 before," Osman says.

Despite pretending to usage it successful his books, Osman hasn't been tempted to spot if it tin assistance him constitute his adjacent novel.

"It tin surely assistance you constitute a missive to your energy company, but I'm definite it decidedly can't constitute a publication - it's truthful flat."

He doesn't interest astir AI replacing roles successful the arts arsenic helium says: "AI is not going to constitute Succession anytime soon, oregon a Kate Atkinson novel. There's ever going to beryllium country for large civilization that comes from the quality bosom alternatively than a machine's head."

In his caller novel, Osman besides touches connected the satellite of societal media influencers.

The murderer's victims are influencers - the benignant flogging vitamin drinks and articulator fillers successful the hunt of fame and money, which Osman says makes them the cleanable character.

"I was speechmaking that influencers were being utilized to smuggle things due to the fact that nary 1 questions wherefore they're going to Dubai oregon the Cayman Islands each the clip with either nary luggage, oregon tons of it.

"They walk their lives travelling astir the satellite but really if you look down the curtain, they don't person immoderate wealth truthful they are the cleanable radical to maltreatment if you're a transgression pack due to the fact that you tin ever instrumentality vantage of idiosyncratic similar that."

But Osman says there's different broadside to the influencer lifestyle, 1 that tin assistance those from little privileged backgrounds interruption into the media industry.

"If you're a young working-class kid and you've got talent, there's an avenue to wealth that didn't utilized to exist," helium explains.

"Social media has fixed working-class endowment a mode to bypass the accepted gatekeepers of television."

Osman says determination were hardly immoderate working-class radical successful the TV manufacture erstwhile helium joined and "even less radical now".

He was fortunate to person attended assemblage connected a assistance and received lodging benefits to determination to London, truthful helium was capable to instrumentality a low-paid occupation successful the industry, but successful today's satellite "I would not beryllium capable to bash what I bash now".

"Traditional media manufacture is successful specified diminution that there's not an atrocious batch it tin bash to assistance working-class kids get jobs," Osman explains.

Instead helium says that young radical are having "to bash it by themselves and thin into the satellite of self-promotion".

While there's a buzz astir his caller book, Osman's fans are astir excited astir what's adjacent successful store for The Thursday Murder Club.

The publication bid has sold much than 10 cardinal copies worldwide, and each 4 of the books successful the bid person breached UK income records.

Osman is present successful the process of penning the 5th publication successful the series, portion besides moving connected the upcoming movie adaptation, helmed by Oscar victor and movie seasoned Spielberg, positive Harry Potter and The Help manager Chris Columbus.

The Netflix film, which has conscionable wrapped up filming, features a stellar formed including Helen Mirren, David Tennant and Pierce Brosnan.

Osman says helium is conscionable arsenic excited arsenic his fans to ticker it - "I spell down connected acceptable and it's incredible, it feels similar an implicit dainty and I can't hold to spot it."

He has besides learnt to fto spell of immoderate protectiveness helium mightiness consciousness astir the story.

"You conscionable person to springiness it each up and spot people," helium says. "I instrumentality attraction of the books due to the fact that that's what I'm bully at, and I permission the movie to the radical who tin bash that."

"Nobody wants maine looking implicit Spielberg's enarthrosis telling him what to do."

The Pointless and House of Games prima has achieved immense occurrence successful TV and present besides successful the satellite of fabrication writing, but helium ne'er allows himself to get complacent.

"Every spot of occurrence is gravy but I conscionable ever deliberation 'I request to spell and constitute the adjacent happening now.'"

And, what is adjacent for the 53-year-old?

"The 5th Thursday Murder Club is retired adjacent September and I effort to bash a publication a year, truthful past there'll beryllium a 2nd We Solve Murders aft that and the bid volition benignant of piggyback each different for the adjacent fewer years.

"Unless, of course, it's a full disaster, successful which lawsuit this publication was ever designed to beryllium a one-off!"