Richard Osman has poked fun at a new survey revealing that many people have confused him with the new Prime Minister Andy Burnham. The TV star and author was taken aback by the results of a recent poll suggesting that 38 per cent of voters could not identify the new PM from a picture. An article stated that many are mistaking the Labour leader for BBC favourite Richard, acting legend Mel Gibson, and even Amazon boss Jeff Bezos.
Osman's humorous response
Richard's wife Ingrid Oliver joined in the fun, saying his plans for his new position include: "Running on a platform of devolution of power away from Westminster towards the World Snooker Federation." Taking to Instagram, the 55-year-old shared a screenshot of an article from The Independent with the headline: "Brits mistake Andy Burnham for Richard Osman and Mel Gibson in surprise new poll." Richard responded by making an appointment, saying: "My Chancellor? Ronnie O'Sullivan."
Public reaction
The survey was raised on This Morning, and one social media user tweeted: "Who the fook is confusing Andy Burnham with Richard Osman? Mr Magoo?... Richard Osman looks nothing like Andy Burnham." Another said: "Apparently 38% of people asked to Identify Andy Burnham in a survey this week failed! Some people chose a picture of Richard Osman!... Would have thought 60% knowing was quite high. Four out of ten Britons still don't know who Andy Burnham is!"
Osman's past comments on celebrity politics
On his podcast The Rest Is Entertainment in 2024, Richard took aim at politically vocal celebrities, saying they should stop discussing their opinions in public because 'nobody is listening to you.' He said: "I genuinely think this is every single election over here and in America. Showbusiness does get involved and we hear the opinions of celebrities and we hear about the importance of their views on the records of different candidates and their views on the direction of the country they live in. Nobody has ever given the first toss about anything anyone from the entertainment industry has ever said about any political issue..."
Recent political changes
Over the past 24 hours, Rachel Reeves was axed as Chancellor and former Defence Secretary John Healey took the post. Keir Starmer’s Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy was also sacked and Peter Kyle lost his job as Business Secretary. Among Mr Burnham's other appointments are Ed Miliband as Foreign Secretary, Shabana Mahmood as Home Secretary, and former Labour Deputy Leader Angela Rayner as Housing Secretary.
