Amol Rajan, the first Faithful to be murdered on the new series of The Celebrity Traitors, has described the moment the show's atmosphere turned from “extremely nice” to “really nasty”. Speaking to Radio Times after his exit, he said the shift happened as soon as the Traitors were selected.
A Sudden Shift in Atmosphere
“It's an amazing thing, the atmosphere goes from extremely nice, one thing about this year's show which I think is great, everyone is really nice,” Rajan said. “I'm sure the previous series is the same and maybe the civilian series as they call it is the same. But I can say, hand on heart, everyone in there is so nice until the Traitors are picked.”
He added: “Because then it goes from nice to nasty, because then suddenly, all these people you've been getting to know a little bit, having a bit of breakfast and downtime with and chatting to in the castle, suddenly, they're like, 'Are you trying to kill me?' So there is this sudden atmosphere, sadly I didn't get to experience very much of it but in my time, there is this very sharp moment when nice becomes really nasty.”
Suspicion Spreads Even Among the Nicest
Rajan noted that the suspicion was evenly spread across the cast. “I would say that nastiness is quite evenly distributed, because even people that you think of as really nice, the Romeshs, the Robs, the Joannes, even then, you suspect that maybe they're trying their best to kill you,” he said.
The BBC show, now in its second season, returned last week following Alan Carr's victory last year. Richard E Grant and Maya Jama are among the contestants this time, with Grant reportedly gaffe-prone after outing himself as a Traitor when questioned by Joe Lycett, before retracting his words. Shortly after being selected by Claudia Winkleman, they recruited comedian James Acaster as a Traitor and murdered Rajan, leaving him in a coffin.
Rajan Reflects on His Brief Stint
Speaking to the BBC after his departure, Rajan described the experience as “much bigger than I expected” and “an absolutely unforgettable ride of a lifetime.” He added: “And honestly, there's kind of an unhappy contrast right now, because I'm sort of grieving what might have been. In time I know that I'll come to look on this as honestly one of the greatest privileges of my life. In fact, I already do.”
“What an amazing thing to do, and it was bigger, it was bolder, it was braver, it was brighter than it looks on TV. And to have been sort of in it when it's a show and a game I love so much is just a blessing, really.”
The cast also includes Bella Ramsey, James Blunt, Jerry Hall, Joanne McNally, Julie Hesmondhalgh, King Kenny, Leigh-Anne Pinnock, Michael Sheen, Miranda Hart, Myha'la, Professor Hannah Fry, Rob Beckett, Romesh Ranganathan, Ross Kemp, Sebastian Croft and Sharon Rooney. Celebrity Traitors continues Thursday at 8pm on BBC One and iPlayer, with two episodes airing each week on Thursdays and Fridays.
