Richard E Grant has spoken of his Celebrity Traitors "humiliation" after a landslide defeat saw him become the UK's only baddie ever to be caught at the first round table.
The actor, 69, was voted for banishment by 16 of the remaining 20 players, including both of his fellow Traitors, Maya Jama and James Acaster.
'Lost all sense of self control'
Afterwards he claimed his astonishing declaration that he was, in fact, a Traitor, came after he "lost all sense of self control" because of excitement. He said this was partly the fault of host Claudia Winkleman for taking so long to pick him.
"It was only on the fourth round of Claudia walking around that I was finally rewarded," he sighed. "I'd heard such panic breathing from Miranda Hart on my right-hand side, coughing from Jerry Hall on my left. Between these two respiratory ladies, I nearly gave up hope."
"I'd watched every iteration that I possibly could have of this game and I was manifesting, willing myself to get invited to be a Traitor so receiving that well, I lost all sense of self control."
In the end, however, Richard fully accepted that he was the architect of his own downfall. "It was a completely catastrophically idiotic thing to do! I can only imagine the faces of the producers looking at each other and mouthing 'he said WHAT?!'"
'I gave it to them on a platter'
Accepting he'd been "annihilated", the Withnail and I star said afterwards: "I have managed to checkmate myself which as far as I'm aware has never been done." And while he'd had a blast during his two days of filming, he did worry: "My daughter is going to be - 'oh Dad'."
Richard, who is convinced his fellow Traitors Maya and James will go on to triumph, enjoyed making his dramatic exit speech. "I said, 'It's been my dream manifested to be chosen as a Traitor'. And then I said, 'I am an unfaithful Traitor,' to an instant unanimous standing ovation. It was a double-edged sword of the joy of being released and the humiliation of them being so glee-filled that they got one so early in the game. I gave it to them on a platter."
As the votes for Richard came in thick and fast, self-styled Miss Marple Miranda Hart, 53, told him he'd been undone by his "giddy kipper status". And Joe Lycett admitted to feeling guilty over Richard's demise. "I fell kind of responsible - I kind of wish I hadn't asked you that question," he said.
But the other Traitors had no such qualms. Voting Richard out, Maya, 32, said she'd realised no amount of damage limitation on her part was going to save him. "I did what I could but it was too late, the damage was done. I had to throw my honey under the bus."
And James Acaster, 41, argued it would have looked too suspicious if he'd changed his vote, naming Richard as "the most suspicious man I ever met in my life".
'Second calamitously ill-judged decision'
Richard noted afterwards that picking James to be a Traitor over Amol Rajan had been his second terrible move. "I was told James Acaster was the most trustworthy player," he explained. "So, if somebody was going to be able to calm the waters, deflect and defend my having said this stupid thing, he would be the one. In retrospect, I made a second calamitously ill-judged decision by choosing him because he didn't defend me at all. All he was thinking about was 'I'm now a Traitor and I must get rid of Richard as quickly as possible', which he did. Exactly what I would have done."
Calling his experience on the show "unforgettable, mischievous and lovely", he said he didn't blame either James or Maya for turning on him. "It didn't surprise me because they have to save themselves. At the round table, James never uttered a word, other than when he was asked, 'Who have you chosen and why?' He clearly listened to everything, and it was a tsunami of my name round the table. To have gone against that like Joanne did is risking your neck." And he added: "I truly hope and believe that Maya and James Acaster are going to win."
Hannah recruited as Traitor
The episode also had a big curveball when Hannah was recruited as a Traitor. This left the players stumped when both she and Jerry Hall, the only two eligible for murder after the second mission, both turned up to breakfast.
But she managed to cleverly turn the tables on Myha'la after their joint scrabble for a shield during the mission, and the American actress was the next to be banished - defiantly revealing herself to be a Faithful.
Part of her downfall was because of her kindly - but ill-judged - wink at departing Richard E Grant. Spotted by Julie Hesmondhalgh, the former Coronation Street star was convinced it meant the actress was signalling her apology to a fellow Traitor.
Myha'la, 30, said she had felt lost in the game since the start because she'd been so sure she'd be picked as a Traitor. Being picked as a Faithful had felt like being "a pawn".
But the Industry star felt she went out "with grace", saying: "I think I really defended myself well in that final round table. You always ruminate and think, 'Oh, why didn't I say this? Why didn't I say that?' But generally, I thought I had something. I mean, I had the truth, but I also had a strong counter to every argument said against me."
And she said there was an alternative universe in which she and Richard triumphed together. "I'm annoyed that Richard couldn't stay in because I feel like he could have brought me to the turret and I would have let him win. I would have gladly led him to glory."
Hannah Fry was staring murder in the face until she was recruited as a Traitor and somehow managed to escape any suspicion at the next round table - while four players wrote Jerry Hall on their slates.
But Hannah, 42, still has heat on her because James Blunt was already on her case and now Miranda is also convinced. "I clocked a nervousness that was very interesting - something new has happened to her. I saw it," she told the camera in a solo chat. Comedian Joanne McNally also believes Hannah has been seduced over to the dark side.
When the invitation came, Hannah was at a loss over what to do, wondering: "How the hell do I explain this?" But once she went to the turret in her green cloak - and met Maya and James - she was thrilled. "You absolute legends," she told them, admitting she'd had no idea it was them.
James joked that the turret had already seen so many different groups of Traitors over the three days of filming, they'd become "like the Sugababes". Maya said she was hopeful that mathematician Hannah would be a better choice than Richard because she was likely to be "a bit more composed".
Viewers must wait until tomorrow to find out if James Blunt, Bella Ramsey or Sebastian Croft is the next murder victim. The Traitors returns tomorrow at 8pm on BBC1.
