The Celebrity Traitors is currently the most watched programme across the country, and series two is proving to be everything viewers wanted and more.
After a year of waiting for its return, the Claudia Winkleman-hosted series has justified its existence from the get go. Many, including this writer, were not sold on the idea of an all-star cast, given that celebrity versions of hit shows often fail to hit the same. Most would rather see members of the public take on Race Across The World than the same crop of people who rotate around various reality TV shows.
However, series one did heavy lifting to win over sceptics. Eventual winner Alan Carr was so funny that the nation began campaigning for his talk show to make an unlikely comeback. The series also gifted viewers Celia Imrie farting, Kate Garraway being the most suspicious faithful of all time, and Nick Mohammed delivering TV's greatest betrayal since his Ted Lasso character's actions at the end of the second season.
Richard E Grant's traitor reveal
Helping viewers warm to the new cast is movie and TV legend Richard E Grant. His decision to reveal he was a traitor moments after Claudia appointed him and Maya Jama as the deceitful players is one of the funniest things to happen all year.
It was a pleasure watching Richard try to get himself out of a bigger hole than when Ross accidentally called his Emily 'Rachel' on their wedding day in Friends. Despite being known for his acting skills, there was not one moment where you thought Richard was going to get away with it. His only defence was that he thought everyone was going to call themselves a traitor like it was the end of Spartacus. This is a man who has worked with Francis Ford Coppola, Emerald Fennell and Tim Burton, surely he could have thought of a better excuse.
Following an unnecessarily long wait for the latest episode, it took just five minutes in Thursday night's episode for Richard to stand up and confirm his identity for the second time. Even if he did embarrass himself, his brief stint in the Scottish Highlands will never be forgotten.
Myha'la's downfall
Viewers live tweeting the episode branded the series 'over' as Richard was a fan favourite. Unsurprisingly, this feeling evaporated within moments. That is the charm of The Celebrity Traitors, one minute you're saying goodbye to a screen legend, the next you're wondering if Maya and comedian James Acaster were correct in recruiting mathematician Hannah Fry as the third traitor.
Every episode has a clear arc. Thursday night's arc was the downfall of Industry actress Myha'la. The writing was on the wall for her when she made the insane decision of winking at Richard at the roundtable. Even the challenge, often seen as the show's toilet break, kept the drama coming, with Myha'la and Hannah bickering over whether they should share the truth about finding a shield.
Rather than make viewers wait, Myha'la was sent home in the second roundtable of the evening. There was hardly a moment to digest what was happening, with the BBC clearly not wanting to annoy anyone with another cliffhanger.
What happens next
What happens next remains to be seen, whether Maya and Hannah will listen to James's calls to murder James Blunt, whether Miranda Hart will continue her stellar detective work, and whether Ross Kemp will ever not be the most stressed person in the room. All of the answers will be provided in due course. For now, viewers can be grateful that in the big 2026 there is finally a show everyone is watching, with the streaming age wiping out water cooler talk.
