Richard Osman has spoken candidly about his nystagmus, an incurable eye condition he has had since birth that blurs his vision, and explained how it has shaped his TV career in surprising ways.
The TV producer turned presenter has fought a lifelong battle with the condition, which leaves him seeing the world through "dense fog." The Thursday Murder Club author's health issue has made some everyday aspects of work in front of the camera a serious challenge.
Struggles behind the camera
Following his first appearance on BBC's Have I Got News For You, some viewers mistakenly believed he might have been drunk because of the way his eyes constantly flicked back and forth.
Unable to read an autocue, Richard was instead obliged to learn his script by heart: "I also find looking directly at the camera pretty difficult," he told disability access charity Level Playing Field. "Staring at a fixed point when your eyes are constantly moving can make you feel nauseous and you want to look away," he added. "I prefer my head and body to be off-centre, like in Pointless."
A surprising superpower
Richard's poor eyesight, though, has proven to be something of a superpower when it comes to his television career: "When I am editing a TV programme, there is no point asking me about a certain camera angle or the lighting. I can't really see it," he said. "I want to talk about the feel of the show."
He went on: "I've found that while everyone else is thinking about what the set looks like, I am thinking hold on, that joke did not work or that relationship between those two people is not where it should be, and that is all I am focusing on, which is a useful skill."
Life with nystagmus
Nystagmus, which triggers constant involuntary eye movement and leaves Richard's vision blurred, has made driving a car an impossibility — though squeezing his 6'7" frame into a Ford Fiesta might have posed its own challenges regardless.
Yet Richard's mother Brenda instilled in him the belief that he could achieve whatever he set his mind to, even if his early aspiration to join the police force was an aim he was gently steered away from. As a youngster, she allowed him to sit unusually close to the television, recognising that it would help him pick up on details he would otherwise miss in daily life.
That enduring connection with TV has been the bedrock of Richard's career. He went on to produce programmes including Prize Island for ITV and Deal or No Deal for Channel 4, before stepping in front of the camera for yet another of his own creations, BBC's Pointless. Richard has also become a familiar face on programmes such as Would I Lie to You?, QI, Have I Got News for You and Taskmaster.
A second career as a novelist
Richard has also carved out a hugely successful and lucrative second career as a novelist. He revealed to The Times's Robert Crampton that the characters populating his books are frequently outsiders, as he considers himself one too: "I have always had empathy with people who are different. There's always some p***k letting you know. I've had it my whole life."
He jokes that because his condition leaves him seeing the world through a he could technically compete in the Paralympics: "I could be a Paralympian," he says, "if I had any sporting ability."
Some forms of nystagmus can be hereditary, which was a source of momentary concern when Richard himself became a dad: "Nystagmus was never brought up in terms of what you can and cannot do," he said. "My mum never, ever made a big deal of it. It was only when I first had kids, when I had a daughter 15 years ago, that I remember my mum saying, after all the excitement had died down, 'Have you noticed anything about her eyes?' I said, 'No. Nothing at all,' and there was this look of relief on her face.
"I thought, you've been keeping that bottled up for 27 years and you've never told me you thought it was a big deal."
