Celebrity Traitors fans believe Joe Lycett's appraisal of Julie Hesmondhalgh's acting ability at the roundtable was a 'total foot in mouth moment' that has been overlooked.
Speaking at the roundtable, Lycett said: 'Obviously I'm going to say this, I'm not a Traitor. But I also wrote down when I got back on the first night that if Julie is a Traitor she is – and I put in caps – a phenomenal actress. Because I just don't believe that you are a Traitor.'
Michael Sheen's Quick Quip
Actor Michael Sheen then quipped: 'So you're saying she's not a phenomenal actress?' Lycett looked slightly embarrassed but did not defend Hesmondhalgh's talents, which include a National Television Award and a British Soap Award.
Hesmondhalgh took it in her stride, replying with a quizzical 'Thanks?!' before adding: 'I think that I would be playing a very bold if I was doing the amount of talking that I've been doing over the last couple of days and to be a Traitor.'
Fan Reactions Online
The moment was shared on the Traitors UK Reddit thread, where @cwtches10 noted: 'In all the Richard [E Grant] madness I feel we skimmed over Joe's total foot in mouth moment.' In replies, @Automatic-Lock8728 wrote: 'Michael was so quick with that,' while @WumbleInTheJungle said they had been thinking of the same gag, adding: 'Michael's delivery still made me laugh.'
Suspicion around Hesmondhalgh arose from the chapel moment that kicked off the second series, when the group elected her the most trustworthy person. When she was subsequently given a shield by host Claudia Winkleman, it raised eyebrows and left some wondering if it had more bearing on the game.
Defending herself at the roundtable, the soap star said of the shield: 'I felt it came so easily and so quickly that I was ecstatic to receive it and then wondered whether it was a poisoned chalice.'
Cliffhanger Ending
The roundtable ended on a cliffhanger, though BBC viewers believe it is clear which celebrity will be leaving. The Celebrity Traitors returns on BBC One and iPlayer on Thursday at 8pm.
