What time is Child Genius: The Final on Channel 4 tonight, who’s host Richard Osman and how does the show work?
CHANNEL 4's Child Genius reaches its conclusion tonight.
The competition which judges cleverness in kids has already crowned four champions. Here's all you need to know ahead of tonight's final...
When is Child Genius coming back to Channel 4?
Child Genius: The Final is on Channel 4 tonight (Saturday, August 19) at 8pm.
It involves numerous child prodigies competing in a series of tasks, eliminated one by one, before the last lucky brainbox lands the top prize.
The show has caused some controversy with viewers who've despaired at the crop of "Britain's pushiest parents" featured on it, and some have said the programme is exploitative of the children featured.
However, it's obviously a big success with viewers as it's had four series since beginning in 2013.
It's hosted by Richard Osman, the brainy man from Pointless, who said of the show recently: “I don’t mind [the children] going through a bit of trauma.
"I don’t mind [them] going through difficulty. I don’t mind [them] crying.
“It happens in life and it’s important, so long as you’re providing support.
“By and large, you don’t win stuff in life… you don’t build resilience by stepping away from being competitive or by not putting yourself in a stressful situation."
Who is Child Genius host Richard Osman?
Richard Osman, 46, is a TV presenter who created the game show Pointless, also known for his regular appearances on numerous panel shows.
He met actor Alexander Armstrong at Cambridge while studying Politics and Sociology, and after Richard pitched Pointless to the BBC, Armstrong was picked as the show's host in 2009.
Richard's "pointless friend" role on the show involves him explaining the answers to the questions contestants get asked while sitting at a desk, apparently with a computer.
The Fulham supporter has also hosted the shows Two Tribes, and acted as a panellist on Insert Name Here.
In 2017 his World Cup of Biscuits competition, organised for Comic Relief, caused major controversy with viewers who thought it insensitive that the segment was shown side-by-side with footage of starving children.
Osman became the host of Child Genius in 2016, and asked recently why he loves the show, he explained: “It’s cool to be good-looking, it’s cool to be good at sport, it’s cool to be funny, but it’s not always fun to be clever.
“But on this show we make clever kids the heroes. We’re saying it’s okay to learn stuff and known answers to things. We’re doing a great service for these kids.”
Richard was named Heat magazine's number one Weird Crush in 2011, just above Alan Rickman and Russell Howard.
