David Tennant has said that Michael Sheen's fellow contestants on The Celebrity Traitors should "always assume" that he is lying. The actor offered his view on his friend's performance in the BBC game of deception while promoting the final season of his prison drama Time on BBC Breakfast.
Tennant praises Sheen's early game
Speaking to the broadcaster's Arts and Entertainment correspondent, Colin Paterson, Tennant was asked about Sheen, one of 21 stars to enter the Scottish castle for the second series. Tennant said "so far, he's playing it very well."
He added: "In these early episodes he's keeping his head down, isn't he? He's not pushing himself, and I think that's probably how you're supposed to do it. I don't know how long he gets to stay in. I know nothing. Despite quizzing him to death, I've got very little insider information."
How to spot a lie
When asked how to tell if Sheen is lying, Tennant said: "You have to always assume that he is. I don't know. I don't know. He's a very good actor. I've no idea."
The duo have been close friends for years, starring as themselves in the BBC series Staged during the Covid-19 pandemic. More recently they wrapped their Amazon Prime sci-fi comedy Good Omens with a finale that aired on May 13, 2026.
Richard E. Grant's Traitor moment
Paterson also asked Tennant about his Thursday Murder Club co-star Richard E. Grant's "I am a Traitor" moment. Tennant said: "It was kind of barking, wasn't it? My wife and I were discussing why did he do that? What was that all about? I mean, either it's some level of genius that none of us can appreciate, or it was just a little bit bonkers. And Richard, from what I know of him, is capable of either. So, I don't know."
Asked if he would ever take part in The Celebrity Traitors, Tennant said: "I mean, I'd be fascinated and titillated, but I think I genuinely... I'm not a very good liar, is the truth. I find it very difficult. I find lying quite panic-inducing, so I think it would—I think I'd really genuinely struggle."
The Celebrity Traitors airs on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
