Pointless: What Time It's On, BBC iPlayer and Co-Hosts — Series 36 Starts Friday 18 September
| Day | Date | BBC One | Episode | Co-host named by the BBC |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | 14 Sep | 5.15pm | Series 35, Ep 44 | — |
| Tuesday | 15 Sep | 5.15pm | Series 35, Ep 45 | Nish Kumar |
| Wednesday | 16 Sep | 5.15pm | Series 35, Ep 46 | Lucy Porter |
| Thursday | 17 Sep | 5.15pm | Series 35, Ep 47 | — |
| Friday | 18 Sep | 5.15pm | Series 36, Ep 1 | Lucy Porter |
The gist: Pointless is on BBC One at 5.15pm every weekday, running to the News at Six. Thursday's episode is the 47th and last of Series 35, and Series 36 begins on Friday 18 September.
What time is Pointless on today?
5.15pm to 6pm on BBC One. The table above comes straight from the BBC One London schedule, and the time is identical every day this week.
It sits between Antiques Road Trip, which starts at 4.30pm, and the BBC News at Six. That 45-minute window is why the show ends so abruptly: the news is waiting on the hour.
BBC One's regional variations don't normally touch Pointless, but Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland viewers should glance at their own listings if a local sports or news programme is on.
Is it a new series of Pointless on Friday?
Yes. The BBC lists Friday's show as Series 36, Episode 1, with Alexander Armstrong joined by Lucy Porter. Series 35 wraps the evening before with Episode 47.
In practice nothing changes for you: same channel, same 45 minutes. The new series number simply marks a fresh block of recordings, and a new run of pairs chasing the jackpot.
Who is co-hosting Pointless this week?
Armstrong hosts every episode. Since Richard Osman left the show, the seat beside him has rotated among guest co-hosts rather than going to one permanent partner.
The BBC's episode notes name two for this week: comedian Nish Kumar on Tuesday and Lucy Porter, who is back on Wednesday and then opens Series 36 on Friday. Monday's and Thursday's listings don't say.
What the BBC does share is a teaser for some episodes. Monday's promises a category the show's fans like, US states; Tuesday's has Nish Kumar with a mix of fruit and veg, and rodents; Wednesday's mentions a word round and Miles Davis; Thursday's is built around chemical elements.
That's as far as we go. The answers that scored, and which ones turned out to be pointless, stay on the telly.
Where can I watch Pointless on BBC iPlayer?
BBC iPlayer streams BBC One live, so you can watch at 5.15pm on a phone or laptop with a TV licence. After broadcast the episode joins the Pointless collection on iPlayer.
iPlayer is for UK viewers only. If you're abroad, the BBC's streaming service won't play Pointless, and there's no official full-episode YouTube channel for the show that we could verify.
That matters on busy weekdays. Lots of people miss the start because The Chase on ITV1 overlaps it by 45 minutes; our guide to watching The Chase covers the ITVX side of that clash.
How does Pointless work?
Four pairs start. Before recording, 100 members of the public were given 100 seconds to name as many answers as they could to each question, and a pair's score is the number of people who gave the same answer.
Two opening rounds knock out one pair each, then the last two pairs meet head to head. The winners go to the final, where they pick a category and try to find a single pointless answer among three they give.
So low is good. An answer nobody thought of scores zero, which is a pointless answer, and it's what the final pair need to win the jackpot. If they miss, the prize rolls over to the next show, which is how jackpots creep into four figures and beyond during a long losing streak.
We won't reproduce the questions or the answer boards here. They belong to the programme, and half the fun is shouting at the telly.
What's on around Pointless?
On BBC One it follows Antiques Road Trip and hands over to the News at Six. On ITV1 you've got Tipping Point at 4pm and The Chase at 5pm, while Channel 4's Countdown goes out earlier, at 2.10pm.
The full week's quiz listings have every slot side by side, and tonight's quiz TV has Monday alone.
Questions readers ask
Is Pointless on at weekends?
No. It's a weekday show at 5.15pm.
Does Series 36 change the time?
No. Friday's first episode keeps the 5.15pm slot on BBC One, with Lucy Porter beside Alexander Armstrong.
Who hosts when there's no guest named?
Armstrong is always there; the BBC just doesn't always print the co-host's name in the listing ahead of time.
Where do I find more Pointless news?
On our Pointless page. For something after the quiz, our sister site lists EastEnders at 7.30pm.
Sources
- BBC One London schedule, Monday 14 September (Episode 44; same page for 15–17 September)
- BBC One London schedule, Friday 18 September (Series 36, Episode 1)
- BBC programme page: Pointless