How Richard Osman became iconic famous Fulham fan as he prepares fourth Thursday Murder Club release

Prolific TV host turned best-selling author Richard Osman is a man in demand this week as he prepares to release the fourth instalment of his hit detective series the Thursday Murder Club.

Osman's famous gang of crime-solving pensioners return in The Last Devil to Die, which hits bookshelves on Thursday, September 14. The former Pointless host has cultivated a hit series likened to the success of Harry Potter with over five million copies sold so far and more than £25 million made by the Thursday Murder Club series.

Steven Spielberg is working on a film version of the tale, Osman has been snapped up to write for Netflix and is already working on a new series thanks to a Penguin publishing deal believed to be worth an impressive £10 million - not bad for a humble Fulham fan.

When not quizzing contestants on television or promoting his novels, Osman is often outspoken about his love for the West London football club and has become one of the most famous faces to support the Cottagers in recent years.

The 52-year-old was, and is still believed to be, a long-term season ticket holder at Craven Cottage and has followed the side through highs and lows.

Osman is most actively sharing his Fulham-related thoughts on X, formerly Twitter. In 2021, when his Thursday Murder Club books topped both the paperback and hardback charts, the author joked that it "might be the closest Fulham will ever come to doing the Double". He's also been known to ask for score updates while at book signings and has had fans turn up at shows and events sporting the famous white kit.

Earlier this month, Osman vented his frustrations about the club's action in the transfer market, comparing the current situation to one a decade ago. He said: "Fulham fans, it's beginning to feel uncomfortably like the transfer window when we lost Dempsey and Dembele and everything fell apart. Absolutely gutting."

Later that day, the Fulham fan did find cause for celebration in Joao Palhinha ending up staying at the club, which he branded "some zen-level brinksmanship from Fulham after a scary day".

Osman's love for Fulham is a family affair too. When the celebrity went to catch Barbie at the cinema this summer, he shared a snap of his wife Ingrid Oliver sporting a pink Fulham training top to get into the spirit. "Proud of Ingrid for representing," he joked.

The Thursday Murder Club writer is much more than a social media fan too. In 2016, Osman splashed out on a George Cohen Statue name plaque and promised it to one worthy supporter as an act of kindness.

The author eventually chose Bob Williams, a late Fulham supporter who passed away from prostate cancer. At the time, Bob's daughter Rebecca said: "Thank you so very much Richard Osman and everyone who made this possible, me and my family are absolutely thrilled and eternally grateful to you. Dad was a lifelong Fulham fan and even though he moved to the North East there was never any chance that he would allow us to support anyone else!

"It was devastating for us when we lost him to prostate cancer last year, but the support we received from the Fulham family has been amazing. We know there are many other fans like us, wishing a much-missed loved one was still sitting beside them at matches and we hope that Dad’s name can represent all those people. We are overwhelmed to think that, in some way, Dad will now always be at his beloved Craven Cottage."

Osman has also worked with the club and broadcasters to film light-hearted segments with players over the years. In 2018, he put Tom Cairney, Marcus Bettinelli, Aleksandar Mitrovic and Joe Bryan to a Pointless-style quiz and recorded a 'fake news of facts' segment with the BBC for fellow Cottager fans.

So, in a big week for Richard Osman with The Last Devil to Die hitting bookshelves on Thursday, celebrations of his latest achievement may well be on hold until Marco Silva's Fulham side bag three points against Luton Town on Saturday.