There are few secrets when it comes to television quiz shows – in time, enough people are in the contestant’s seat for information to make its way into the public consciousness.
But ‘Pointless’ is still a relatively young show, and as such we’re still learning bits and pieces about it.
If you have watched the daytime quiz, and don’t try pretending you haven’t, you’ll probably have more than a few questions about Richard Osman’s laptop.
Osman, who co-hosts with Alexander Armstrong, is often seen apparently checking answers on his screen at the end of each round.
So, what kind of laptop is it? Does he have a huge bank of answers on display for each specific round or does he have to click through? Is there a special calculation programme involved or does he just know what to look out for?
The answer, as it turns out, is none of the above.
When we spoke to Pointless contestant Jack McKenna a few months ago, he told us that not only does the laptop not work, but it’s not even plugged in.
“It’s just a blank screen he pretends to check information on to make out he’s not quite as clever as he really is,” McKenna told us.
And the Daily Express have confirmed this, speaking to an unnamed TV insider who has blown this right open.
“He arrived on set and found it there and has never been asked by producers to do anything with it but use it as a prop,” the insider explains.
You could say that the laptop is…wait for it…pointless.
