Claudia Winkleman has reacted to what she calls one of the biggest mistakes in Celebrity Traitors history after Richard E Grant told a room full of Faithful that he is a Traitor.
The Withnail and I actor was picked as a Traitor alongside Love Island host Maya Jama in the opening episode of series two. A third Traitor is yet to be decided, with journalist Amol Rajan and comedian James Acaster both in contention after being handpicked to plead for their lives. One will be murdered, one recruited.
Richard E Grant's slip-up
In what Winkleman and executive producer Sarah Fay described as an extraordinary moment, Grant confidently told a room of Faithful that he is the Traitor, repeating it several times without sarcasm or humour. Despite the blunder, half the castle are reportedly more convinced he must be a Faithful.
Winkleman, speaking to Metro and other press alongside Ed Gamble and Fay, recalled picking Grant: 'He was just so happy. He just couldn't believe it. And me, Sarah, and a whole brilliant gang, you go into a room after I've interviewed them all, and they say, "This is what I want to be."'
Reactions from the team
She added: 'You just couldn't not give it to him because he wanted it so much, and he was compelling, and he's Richard E Grant. I couldn't believe that he was actually in the castle. He was so giddy, and then the minute he said it, well, actually not the minute, about five minutes later, he went, "The genius of the game."'
Winkleman noted: 'The game is everybody plays it completely differently, and he took that to the next level.' Ed Gamble agreed: 'He was just vibrating with excitement and the terror as well. It felt like he'd just been given the lead role in the film, and he just had to tell everyone – it's such an insane moment.'
Impact on the series
Sarah Fay revealed that witnessing such a bombshell in real-time forces immediate reactions: 'Never in our wildest dreams did we think that we'd have a Traitor admit they were a Traitor five minutes after the round table.' She added: 'We've never, from the moment of being picked, seen a Traitor have to try and backpedal like that, but every series we want the cast to bring something new, bring a new freshness to the show.'
Tonight's episode will reveal who has been recruited as a Traitor and who will be the first murder. Celebrity Traitors continues at 8pm on BBC One.
