Richard Osman says Pointless ratings ‘shoot up’ when Matt Hancock gives daily coronavirus briefing

Quiz show clashes with government's nightly address to the nation

Pointless presenter Richard Osman has revealed the quiz show’s ratings largely depend on which politician is giving the daily coronavirus briefing.

The BBC Two series airs at the same time as the government briefing on most evenings and, according to the host, its viewing figures “shoot up” if an unpopular politician is giving the coronavirus update over on BBC One.

“Pointless is definitely getting a new audience,” Osman told the Mirror. “Although we’re up against Boris Johnson or Matt Hancock sometimes.

“If it’s Matt Hancock, our ratings shoot up, but when it’s Rishi Sunak, we’re in trouble.

"He’s very much the Bradley Walsh of the Cabinet.”

Sunak, Britain’s recently installed chancellor of the exchequer became a household name after his “whatever it takes” message on 20 March, which saw him allocate tens of billions of pounds to save ailing businesses.

The speech won glowing reviews from the media and political opponents, and Sunak has since been described as “the most popular politician in Britain today”.

Hancock, meanwhile, was recently summed up as "your sister's first boyfriend with a car" by Charlie Brooker on his coronavirus-themed special Antiviral Wipe.