Amol Rajan, the first Faithful to be murdered on the new series of The Celebrity Traitors, has revealed the moment the game turned "nasty" among contestants.
The BBC murder mystery series has returned for a second season following Alan Carr's emotional win last year. Richard E Grant and Maya Jama are hoping to follow in his footsteps, though Grant has already made a major blunder, exposing himself as a Traitor when asked by Joe Lycett, before having to backtrack over his words.
From nice to nasty
Speaking after his exit, Amol told Radio Times: "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.
"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.
"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. And 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."
Short stint in the Highlands
Just hours after being chosen by Claudia Winkleman, Richard and Maya were left with the task of recruiting one Faithful, with comedian James Acaster chosen, and murdering another, leaving Amol Rajan in a coffin.
The first banished star has now spoken out about his short stint in the Scottish Highlands, which has also seen Bella Ramsey, James Blunt, Jerry Hall, and Joanne McNally take part. 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 complete the line-up.
'Unforgettable ride'
Following his exit, Amol told the BBC about his short-lived time on the show, saying: "I think it's much bigger than I expected. It's just an absolutely unforgettable ride of a lifetime.
"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 Celebrity Traitors continues on Thursday at 8pm, with two episodes airing every week on Thursdays and Fridays on BBC One and iPlayer.
