Richard Osman, the TV presenter, novelist and comedian, is not the only famous face in his family. His older brother is musician Mat Osman, the bass guitarist in the massively popular indie band Suede, who have released 10 albums.
Mat Osman and Suede
Mat, along with bandmates Brett Anderson and Justine Frischmann, formed Suede in 1989. They were one of the 'Britpop big four' along with other highly-acclaimed bands Oasis, Blur and Pulp in 1995.
Talking about his brother, Richard previously said: “I have always been a fan.” He added on The Douglas Anderson Show: “And then it broke for them very, very big in the early 90s, and it was amazing.”
The 'Osman Rule'
In 2025, Richard opened up about his relationship with Mat. Speaking on BBC Radio 2, Richard was asked if he was going to watch his older brother perform with Suede at Radio 2 in The Park. In response, the presenter confessed that he and his sibling have one very strict 'Osman rule'.
Richard said: "We have one Osman rule only. If Suede are there, I can’t be there. It’s very near where I was born in Billericay so hi to everyone from Essex, so you’ve just got the cooler Osman I’m afraid."
When asked if the brothers travel together, Richard said: "We can’t travel together for insurance purposes." He then gushed about Mathew's incredible talent and his favourite song from Suede: "Dancing with the Europeans? You know what? They’ve still got it. Every couple of years they release a new album. Like the Manics, every couple of years, just great great records, they’re amazing live. This is a great new track. The new album is fantastic. Let’s play Dancing with the Europeans."
Writing Careers
When Suede broke up for the first time in 2003, Mat started to provide music for television programmes such as 8 Out of 10 Cats, The Marriage Ref and You Have Been Watching. He returned to play with Suede when the band reformed in 2010, but he has also moved into writing like his younger brother.
Mat's first book, The Ruins, was published in February 2020 and his second, The Ghost Theatre, was acquired by Bloomsbury Publishing in 2022. Mat was also the London editor of the email magazine le cool and has had his writing published in British magazines and newspapers, including The Guardian, The Independent and The Observer.
