Richard Osman from Pointless to deliver the UK's votes at Eurovision 2016

He takes over from Nigella Lawson who showed off her language skills last year

Richard Osman is best known for delivering the results on Pointless, so he has experience in this field (Getty Images)

Pointless host Richard Osman has been given the dubious honour of delivering the UK’s Eurovision votes at the grand final on Saturday.

The 45-year-old presenter revealed the news on Twitter, simply writing that he was “very excited” to be taking up the baton.

Last year’s spokesperson was TV chef Nigella Lawson, who made use of the European stage to show off her French, German and Italian skills. It remains to be seen how Osman plans to outdo her during his moment in the spotlight.

The UK will be represented by former The Voice contestants Joe and Jake, whose odds of winning were slashed by half after a clip of their rehearsal impressed bookies. It will be difficult for them to leave with fewer points than Electro Velvet, who scored just five for the motherland in 2015.

Other entertainment this year will come from Justin Timberlake, who is set to perform his latest single “Can’t Stop the Feeling” during the interval.

Russia and Armenia were among the ten acts to make it through to the final in the first semi on Tuesday night, with another group set to compete on Thursday for the remaining places. This year’s Eurovision is being held in Stockholm, Sweden.