James Acaster has explained why he chose to reveal his Traitor status during the penultimate episode of Celebrity Traitors, a move that halted filming and has divided viewers.
The comedian, 41, unmasked himself at the end of Thursday's episode, telling the Faithful they had caught him, and was subsequently banished. An insider told the Daily Mail that filming was paused because Acaster needed to 'gather himself' before the reveal.
'The pressure got to him, and it was clear he was finding it difficult. Everyone agreed filming should be stopped before things got too heated,' the insider said. 'Everyone was aware of the pressure getting to James throughout the series; it was difficult to watch him struggling.'
Pressure and a pause in filming
Reports before the series suggested Acaster became 'visibly stressed', leading to a halt in shooting, though it was unclear when this occurred. It was claimed his Ardross Castle castmates raised concerns with the Studio Lambert production team, who paused the game to check on him.
'It was good for James to have a breather, as everyone felt it was for the best,' a source told The Sun at the time, adding the break 'didn't affect the outcome of the game at all'.
Why Acaster chose to confess
In a post-match interview, Acaster said he had been contemplating the roundtable reveal for some time and argued it will improve tonight's concluding episode.
'Now we've got a proper final on our hands,' he said. 'With three Traitors, it would have been a foregone conclusion that we were going to win. Don't get me wrong, I thought it was hilarious at one point that we were just going to walk our way to the final and win the whole thing, but this is much better, isn't it?'
Explaining his decision, he continued: 'The idea of doing that got me through the whole experience because you feel as a Traitor sometimes, when you see people have real-life reactions that are bigger than the game, you feel bad. I would have to remind myself they don't have a game without you, literally, if no one's doing this stuff, they can't play, and they all want to play. So you are doing an important job here, so they all have something to do, and when they catch you, they'll be really happy and they'll like it, and it will feel good to just tell them and see that reaction.'
Acaster said it was a 'surprise' when Michael Sheen turned suspicion on him, given he went into the roundtable with 'no heat whatsoever', but added: 'I was glad that they caught me.'
Mixed reaction from viewers
The move has proven divisive among BBC viewers online. @LFCLila wrote on X: 'Sorry Acaster has ruined the game.. it's literally in the rules to not do what he did,' in a tweet viewed hundreds of thousands of times. Others, including @neneswigglue, said they were 'annoyed' he confessed, given the Traitors were coasting to an easy win.
However, some pointed out that Richard E Grant's own admission to Traitordom earlier this season was treated differently, with @dande_only writing: 'Mind you Richard also spoiled the game but we all found that funny.'
Other fans noted Acaster repeatedly indicated he was not happy playing as a Traitor and that doing so as a neurodivergent person may be particularly difficult. @neptunestardust wrote on X: 'I can't imagine how draining the production of the traitors must be but doubly so when you are neurodivergent and expected to lie when you hate lying, so I have massive respect for Acaster and if you hate on him I think you need to take a break and touch grass.'
The Celebrity Traitors final will air tonight at 8pm on BBC One and iPlayer.
