Alexander revealed that they recorded the “final goodbye” show after the first four seasons of the programme.
He said: “At the end of the second series [in 2010]. We were going out at 2.30pm on BBC2 – the lowest-impact slot on TV.
“The first series of 30 did enough for another 30, and that was when Stephen Fry got behind it.
“Still, for the first four seasons we recorded two farewells – one that we were coming back and one that we thought was the final goodbye.”
Despite their apprehension that the quiz show may not succeed, Pointless, which launched in 2009, is now in its 18th season.
Over the years the hit BBC programme has proven its self as a staple in British television despite fierce competition from other shows.
Speaking to Radio Times about competing with other television series, Richard said: “When we went to BBC1 we thought it would be the death of us – like, ‘Really? They’ll watch this?’
“We told them we didn’t want to change a single thing for BBC1. Then Pointless Celebrities on Saturday nights – we thought no one would watch.
“We have a tiny budget and we’re competing against The Voice – but again, we just did it the way we’d do it… as amateurishly as possible.”
Pointless hosts Alexander and Richard have often been credited for the success of the BBC show.
Their close friendship and cheeky conversations have captured the hearts of the nation and in turn, made Pointless a firm favourite with viewers at home.
Although Alexander and Richard, both 47, studied together at Cambridge University it wasn’t until later on in life that they formed a friendship.
Now, Alexander says their relationship is “stronger” than ever after working so closely with each other for 10-years.
Pointless is a quiz show which sees two teams compete against each other to provide the correct answerS to general knowledge questions in order to score as few points as possible.
The questions provided are factual in nature and are asked to a panel of 100 individuals in a pre-conducted public survey.
Contestants aim to find the correct answers that were given by as few participants as possible. Answers with no participant are known as “pointless” and are awarded the most points.
Pointless airs today at 5.15pm on BBC One.
Read the full interview with Alexander Armstrong and Richard Osman in Radio Times, out now.
