James Acaster has revealed he was told off by producers of The Celebrity Traitors after accidentally revealing a clue about the show during a daily phone call home.
The comedian, 41, is currently appearing on the hit BBC programme, where celebrities are kept away from the outside world for between four days and three weeks while filming in the Scottish Highlands.
Each day, the celebrities are taken to a hotel about an hour away from the castle, which James compared to a budget chain similar to Travelodge.
Daily FaceTime calls monitored
During filming, contestants are allowed just 10 minutes of FaceTime per day with a family member or close friend, and a member of the production team is present to prevent information about the show from leaking.
Speaking to The Times, James said: "A member of the production team is there with you, so you can't have an authentic conversation because you can't tell them anything that's happening."
He recalled one moment when he slipped up: "At one point, my partner said, 'Have you caught the sun?' I was saying, 'Oh yeah, we were outside for one of the missions.' I was told I couldn't even tell her that."
Strict rules and edited chats
It is strictly forbidden to talk about the game off-camera, and viewers only see the final edited version of on-camera conversations, which helps explain the celebrities' decisions about who they accuse of being a Traitor.
James also revealed that things are not always as they seem in the edit. He explained that James Blunt was responsible for many contestants believing former Coronation Street actress Julie Hesmondhalgh was a Traitor, leading them to vote her off before discovering she was a Faithful.
Traitor role and return
James, who was recruited by original Traitors Richard E. Grant and Maya Jama, admitted he was excited to be a "detective" and solve puzzles, but also found it hilarious that he became a Traitor after just one day.
He said: "But that doesn't mean I didn't think it was absolutely hilarious that I got made a traitor after one day. I was in that coffin, smirking to myself."
The Celebrity Traitors returns tonight at 8pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
