Clare Balding, who appeared in the first series of Celebrity Traitors, has revealed that music is played to celebrities before the round table to keep them serious. The sports broadcaster and presenter, 55, was a Faithful last year but was eliminated early in round four, finishing fourteenth overall.
Speaking on the Inheritance Tracks podcast, Balding explained that the music is a key part of the preparation. “The music for Traitors is really interesting because they play you music at the round table before it starts and that music is really important because it makes you take it seriously,” she said.
Why the music matters
Balding said the music stops contestants, many of whom are comedians by profession, from laughing during the round table. She added: “Otherwise you’ve got a massive table full of, quite a lot of people, who by their nature, are funny and for a living are funny and they would laugh at it if it wasn’t so serious.”
While this makes for good television, Balding noted a downside. “And that creates an atmosphere, a not always very helpful one if I’m honest, but it’s a fascinating psychological experiment,” she said.
Praise for the show and personal growth
Despite this, Balding praised the BBC show, hosted by Claudia Winkleman, which has been a major hit since the non-celebrity version first aired in late 2022. She also said her time on the show made her more determined to be kind.
“It is a programme that reflects human nature and unfortunately that means human nature is not always kind. And I think it’s made me more determined to seek kindness in others and to be kinder myself,” she said.
This is not the first time Balding has discussed her experience. Late last year she told Good Housekeeping that the show taught her things about herself, saying: “Bigger things are represented by the Traitors even though it’s just a gameshow. One of the things I’ve most definitely learned is humour is the most fabulous shield. It is the most brilliant way of getting away with things but also raising quite serious issues. I thought Alan was magnificent…. I probably wouldn’t do reality TV again. But only because, what's the point? I’ve done the big one.”
Series 2 of Celebrity Traitors starts tonight at 8pm on BBC One.
