James Acaster, against all expectations, is proving to be a formidable Traitor on Celebrity Traitors. Recruited over Metro columnist Amol Rajan, he initially appeared to be the wrong man for the job, stammering when Julie Hesmondhalgh asked if he'd been seduced.
Comedians as Threat
Operating as a Traitor around his fellow circuit comedians initially looked like further proof James wasn't cut out for turret life. He was awkward and shifty. 'The comedians are my biggest threat when it comes to being detected,' the funnyman said in the diary room. 'Romesh [Ranganathan], Joe [Lycett], Rob [Beckett] know me really well. They all know that I don't change my mind overnight.'
The good thing for James is that he's already known in the castle and beyond for being awkward. His reluctance to change tack meant he didn't mount the defence of Richard E Grant he had promised, showing the first signs he might be better than anticipated.
Winning Formula
The latest fourth episode shows he even might have a similar winning formula to that which took Alan Carr to the final, against all odds. Despite his insistence that he doesn't want to murder people and Maya Jama's clear frustration over his and Hannah Fry's apparent pacifism, James has shown a knack for backstabbing.
When the Faithful presented him with evidence against Hannah, his response was to agree it was 'solid'. He's clearly going to roll over on the unlucky mathematician when the time comes. He's also putting his own theories about, in the hopes of looking like a Faithful while taking down the biggest of the remaining big dogs: Michael Sheen.
Defended by Friends
James' reasoning for tackling the actor was rather spurious – 'he would make a good Traitor' type stuff – and Michael could easily charm everyone into believing it isn't him. But the left-field theory showed the comedians aren't going to suss James out as he expected. Instead, they defended him. When that attack on Michael was brought up at breakfast, Romesh and Rob were there to happily explain that that is just how James thinks.
They're well aware of his nervous, shambolic vibe, which could naturally arouse suspicions, were his pals not there to explain it away as part of his personality. It reminded me of last year, when Alan Carr's giggling from one murder to the next was similarly brushed off as 'Alan being Alan'.
Comedian Advantage
Then there's the advantage of being a comedian itself. All of them, including Joanne McNally, have mostly avoided suspicion. Joe is most in the conversation, but his joke at the roundtable about being recruited showed how they can bat away challenges with a gag. When Romesh later asked James about finding the Faithful, he joked: 'Hopefully we can find one amongst all these Traitors.' He didn't even look ill at ease.
This is someone who can take to a stage and make light of the most dire of situations, like his mental breakdown and his girlfriend leaving him for Rowan Atkinson. When you can always diffuse a situation with a joke, it's easy to deflect. If Grant had only batted off his 'I'm a Traitor' comment with a quick joke, it would probably have amounted to much less than it did.
Bake Off Caveat
The one caveat to James' powers comes thanks to Bake Off. James, quite famously, crumbled under the cooking pressure in the tent. Ahead of Celebrity Traitors, it was reported that he at one point became so panicky they had to pause filming. It was claimed that moment had no impact on the game, but it could provide an indication of whether James makes it all the way as a Traitor.
Hannah is already cracking, as a reluctant Traitor being pushed into a corner. She became emotional explaining her reluctance to contribute to a pile-on of someone she knows is innocent. That is where the James and Alan comparison comes into clearer view. The Chattyman had no problem killing and backstabbing. 'They'd do it to me, they're showbiz people!' he told Claudia Winkleman.
Whether James will have the same ruthlessness when it comes to killing his comedy pals, we will have to see. At least Maya, who is clearly most cut out for the conclave, should be there to force him into 'murder mode'. Celebrity Traitors continues on Thursday at 8pm on BBC One and iPlayer.
